7 THE SYSTEM

CYRUS WENT INSIDE AN unfamiliar room. Luis was right behind him. I didn't know if I was supposed to follow them, but Luis signaled me to come in, so I did.

The room was apparently what Cyrus referred to as his study room, but it's bigger compared to any regular study room that I've seen so far. It has a lot of bookshelves that reached up to a second floor. There was a desk, and even a large sofa in the middle that has a blanket.

Wait. Don't tell me this is where he's been sleeping.

"Cyrus," Luis calls out, surprising me because he didn't address him as master Cyrus like usual.

I stand near the door, just silently watching them. I didn't exactly know what to do, but I didn't want to go anywhere near Cyrus either. Being a couple few steps away from him is probably the safest place that I have to be in. After what happened in the dining room, I don't think standing close to him would be a great idea.

"That fucking slut." Cyrus starts, making me gulp because he said those words in a manner that sounded polite. How can he sound so gentleman-like with such words?

"He never learns. Never." He adds before sitting down on the chair in front of his desk.

"Please calm down," Luis tells him.

Cyrus stares at Luis for a second and answers with a low voice, "I am calm."

"Is that what you think?" Luis asks before gesturing at Cyrus's hand that I now noticed was actually in a fist. He was gripping too hard that his hand was starting to turn red. When Luis pointed it out, Cyrus unclenches his hand and takes a deep breath.

"It doesn't matter now. The damage has already been done. I'll just talk to president Boris tomorrow. As a gentleman, I should be able to sincerely apologize for my dear brother's behalf," Cyrus says, almost spitting on the words 'dear brother.' It was amusing because he shifts from scary to polite real quick.

"Well, I hope you know your brother had good intentions. Please don't hold this against him," Luis states and Cyrus sighs and massages his temple. I don't exactly know the difference, but it looks like Cyrus did calm down like how Luis wanted.

Cyrus takes another deep breath and brushes his hair back with his fingers, "Chance has done the stupidest things, and I did not hold any of it against him, not even once. This is a matter that should now be forgotten. It is not gentleman-like to bring up unnecessary things in the past."

"What's with you and that gentleman act? Your brother clearly did something wrong that could greatly affect your business. He should apologize, not you." I say in annoyance. I knew it was not my place to speak, and I knew that I shouldn't even be opening my mouth in a situation like this, but since Cyrus and Luis already know my true intentions, there's no reason for me to try and act differently.

"Vincent Carter, know who you are speaking to," Luis warns. He was glaring at me, his eyes angry, but Cyrus immediately clears his throat and says, "Leave us."

I thought Cyrus was referring to me, but Luis nods his head and leaves the room instead. He understood that Cyrus was referring to him without Cyrus spelling it out for him.

When we were finally alone in the study room, Cyrus gestures his index finger for me to come closer to him. I don't say anything and walk towards him with no complaints. When I was already standing at least two meters away from him, Cyrus takes a deep breath first before saying, "Our family has been around for over a century. And there is a reason why we survived for so long. Do you know why?"

"It's because you're rich," I answer with a blank expression, making him chuckle.

"Other than that." He tells me.

I don't exactly know anything else 'other than that,' so I shrug my shoulder and honestly tell him, "I don't know. You tell me."

Cyrus adjusts in his seat and intertwines his fingers together, "The Delton family has been around for over a century because each family member has a significant role."

I obviously didn't know what he was referring to, but I kept my mouth shut to encourage him to continue.

"My role...is to be a gentleman. I keep my family's reputation clean. I am the reason why people admire and respect the Delton's. Catalina on the other hand is the reason why our family is feared. Her role is to become the boss figure of the family," Cyrus says, the complexity of his explanation confusing me even more.

"And the other two?" I ask, referring to Chance and Tobias.

"Chance. Well, he has a role that works in the background. He has a role that the public doesn't have to see. He's the sin. And Tobias, our precious little Tobi, is the 'oh so perfect' saint that washes away the sin. He keeps the public calm. With him around, people have a reason why they shouldn't go against us." Cyrus explains further. I'm actually surprised that he's even willing to explain these things to me. It's like he doesn't even care that I work for the police, and I could use this against him if shit ever goes down between us.

"Alright. Then among those roles..." I pause and take a step closer, "Who do you think had the role of killing your father?"

Cyrus doesn't even look fazed upon hearing the question. It almost looked like he expected it.

"The one who gains the respect; the one who brings fear; the one who is sinful; and the one who is pure as holy water. Who among them do you think has the role of a killer?" I ask him again, and Cyrus grins in amusement.

"I should be the one asking you that...Mr. Vincent Carter." He tells me, leaning closer.

I blink and decide not to answer him.

"I have to stay longer to find out," I answer him, and Cyrus pulls back and nods his head.

"We're not a normal family Mr. Carter. What you see is not what you get. The more you dig deeper, the darker it will become." Cyrus says. I wasn't sure if he was being serious, or if he was talking figuratively, but one thing's for sure, I will dig and search every inch of this massive mansion and find that murderer no matter the cause.

"That's all for today. Follow Luis so you could eat dinner with the rest," Cyrus tells me right after our conversation.

There was no point trying to say anything or ask anything else, so I slightly bow and leave the room without saying a word. When I got out of the room, Luis was patiently waiting outside. I didn't say anything to him, but he nods his head and gestures for me to follow him, so I did.

The two of us walk in silence. He doesn't say anything so I don't say anything back. But I kept on glancing at him, so it's only natural that he'll notice.

"What is it?" He asks, assuming that I was dying to say something to him, which was true. He has good instincts. I'll give him that.

"Aren't you even a bit curious about what the master said to me?" I finally ask him, and Luis doesn't even give much of a reaction to it.

"No," he simply answers. I thought he wasn't going to add anything up, but then he looks at me and continues, "Because there are things that are better unknown."

"Are you telling me this as a warning or as a threat?" I ask, and Luis finally smiles. He doesn't say anything after, but his expression spoke dozens of words that I was unfortunately not able to comprehend.

We arrive at a different dining room that looked more like a cafeteria. Everyone who was there - AKA the maids, bodyguards, and butlers - stands up from their seat and greets Luis who's standing beside me. Luis nods his head to acknowledge them. Then everyone goes back to eating their dinner.

There's a buffet of food, so Luis and I grab our food and take a seat on a vacant table. It seriously looked like a fancy restaurant. I wasn't even surprised. A mansion this big could even have an airport for all I know.

While eating, Luis and I didn't talk, so I occupied my thoughts by observing the area. Like a typical high school setting, everyone was sitting according to whom they serve. One table has Chance's guards and butler, the other had Catalina's guard and butler. Luis and I were the only ones who sat by pair. Everyone was sitting with maids too, which I presume was assigned to a specific Delton as well.

"So you've been eating alone all this time?" I finally ask as I look at Luis.

Luis wipes his mouth with a napkin and nods his head.

"Master Cyrus does not like having too many servants. For instance, Mistress Catalina has a bodyguard, a butler, a driver, and a personal maid who can enter her bedroom to clean it. As for Master Cyrus, I do all that work." Luis reveals, which actually surprised me.

"Doesn't that tire you? You're like...I don't know...in your seventies?" I honestly tell him; not really trying to offend him in any way. Luis thankfully doesn't look offended. He laughs it off and takes a sip of his drink.

"I'm actually sixty-eight, but you're right. It is tiring, which is why I'm glad someone younger is now there to help." He says.

I'm pretty sure Luis knows that I won't be sticking around for too long to help him, but it feels nice to at least help him even for a little while.

"You said you've been with the master since he was a baby. Does that mean you've been a butler here once before Cyrus came?" I ask. I wasn't really expecting him to answer, but that doesn't mean I wasn't hoping for him to.

"That's right. I was a butler of the youngest in the previous generation before Cyrus and his siblings," Luis explains.

That surprised me. I didn't know Adam Delton had siblings. I didn't see any information regarding that.

"The youngest? So Adam Delton wasn't an only child?" I ask, and Luis shakes his head and answers, "No, he had three other siblings."

The information surprised me even more. There were four Delton siblings before as well. If that's not a coincidence then I don't know what it is.

"I've never heard of such a complex family before," I tell him.

Luis was done with his food, so I immediately shoved mine down too so I won't end up eating by myself.

"Complex doesn't even describe it." He answers as I swallow the last piece of steak on my plate. I wipe my mouth with my napkin, and Luis and I both stand from our seats to bring our plate and glass to an area where the dirty dishes were placed. As we were doing so, I couldn't help but feel the others stare at me from head to toe. Their eyes felt like they were slowly stripping me down. It was uncomfortable.

"Shall we?" Luis asks politely, and I nod and head out of the 'cafeteria' with him.

When we were finally away from the others, I look back at Luis and ask, "Is it just me or everyone hates me here?"

Luis chuckles like he found my observation funny.

"Well, let me explain something to you Vince Carter. In this mansion, there are ranks. These ranks help keep the mansion going. Top on the ranks are people under the four siblings. The people under the older siblings have a higher rank." Luis explains to me.

The system in this mansion surprised me, but I was intrigued at the same time.

"You're in the top of the ranking, which is why the others bow to you, am I correct?" I ask, and Luis nods his head as an answer.

"If we use numbers as a representation, I would be in the 1st rank. The 2nd one on the ranking would be master Cyrus's bodyguard, then 3rd would be his personal maids, then his driver, then the next would be mistress Catalina's personal butler, and so on. Are you getting it now Vince Carter?" He explains further, and I finally understood why everyone was staring at me earlier.

"So you're telling me in the ranking inside this mansion, I suddenly became the 2nd?" I ask, and Luis smiles and nods his head to confirm it.

"It's a tradition that the eldest servants go to the oldest sibling so that the rankings would make sense. But master Cyrus fired most of them; some were given to mistress Catalina. So you're lucky to be given such a high position. Usually, new recruits guard the gates." Luis tells me. I should be feeling pressured right now, but I didn't feel anything at all. Rankings don't faze me, and I'm not even here to be a real bodyguard anyway. I don't care if I ranked last, or even first. What matters the most is I get out of this mansion as early as I can.

"I'll give you a tour of the mansion some other time. For now, you are not allowed to roam around. Once you hear a bell ring, the masters' personal servants must be in bed. I hope you know that we take these rules seriously." Luis warns me, and I nod my head as an answer. Then we arrive at Cyrus's room, which was surprisingly now my own room while I'm in this mansion.

"Here we are," Luis says, opening the door for me like how a gentleman would. It was only then did I notice that Luis represented his master well. As gentleman-like as Cyrus is, Luis showed the same trait.

"Thank you," I tell him as I head inside the room.

Luis continues to stare at me; like he was making sure that I got inside. When he was finally sure that I didn't try to do anything funny, he smiles and gives me a warm, "Good night," before closing the door.

I take a deep breath, releasing the stress that has piled up because of everything that happened today. I walk towards my things and take my phone out. I called chief Philip, telling him that I was okay and that I was only being paranoid earlier. Of course, he scolded me a little, but he asked me again if I was alright, which I found very sweet in a way. I told him that I was and that I'll update him again if something comes up. Afterward, the call ended.

I gently put the phone down and look around the room. In the middle of the room was a large window that has a great view of the front portion of the mansion, which was the garden and the gate. I don't know why, but as I continue to stare outside the window, I couldn't look away anymore. It was like I'm being captivated by it. I couldn't take my eyes away from the view.

I could stand there for hours if it weren't for the bell that suddenly rang. It was loud and low, like a church bell. Luis said it was a sign that all the siblings' servants were supposed to now be in bed.

I stare out the window for a couple more seconds before taking a deep breath and turning around. But when I turned around, I suddenly felt a sudden chill, like a cold wind blew pass through me. I blink and take a step back. Something didn't feel right about me standing in this exact spot.

My instinct told me to just let it go, but something inside me tells me to look down, so I did. I look at the floor. When I couldn't see anything significant, I kneel down and inspect closer. Nothing looked strange to me, not until I saw a stain in the gap of the wooden floor. I wasn't sure what it was, but I lean closer to get a better look.

I've been in the field that required me to pull the trigger, and I'm confident enough to say that the stain that I'm looking at right now is definitely dried out blood.

"It must be," I tell myself.

I immediately stand up and look around the room. I barge inside the bathroom to grab a cotton swab, and then I got back to where the stain was. I did my best to get even a small amount of that stain. And when I was able to do so, I open my suitcase and take out a small plastic zipper bag so I can place the swab inside.

"Hopefully this is just a blood stain from a severe nosebleed. Because I would not be able to sleep in a room where someone was murdered." I say before hiding the plastic zipper bag inside my suitcase.

Well, at least now I have evidence. It could be total bullshit, but at least it's something. And I learned a lot thanks to Luis and Cyrus. The Delton family and the mansion itself has a system that keeps everything going. But there are too many people, so finding out the loose screw could entirely be impossible.

I have to look for more evidence. I could be concentrating on the siblings too much that the killer might not even be one of them. For all I know, Luis could be the murderer. But does Luis even look like a murderer? I'm not even sure anymore.

I've met people who looked like they wouldn't even be able to hurt a fly, but they're actually heartless murderers. So it only means I can't cross out Luis in the list of possible killers. He might be old, but he knows everything inside this mansion more than anyone here. His chances of killing Adam Delton are higher.

And if that's the case I shouldn't be defying his orders. I should be getting some sleep.

I take off my clothes, leaving only my boxers on. I'm not really tired yet, but I have to follow the rules. I wash my face, brush my teeth, turn off the lights, and throw myself on the bed to get ready to sleep.

I was about to close my eyes when I suddenly heard the door of the room slowly opening. I immediately sat up because of the sound. The room was dark so I couldn't see anything clearly. But when I felt a cold sharp object being pressed on my neck, I knew that it still wasn't bedtime just yet.

Have I ever told you that this is just my first day of the job?

Well, the pay better be fucking worth it, because I am definitely not getting killed tonight.