Chapter 17

Neither of the twins showed up for dinner. 

Ms. Owens had set their places ready but it ended up being for nothing as the twins had locked themselves up in their rooms for the rest of the afternoon into the evening following their blowout. Ms. Owens looked extremely distressed as she eyed the clock on the wall. 

"I don't understand. This has never happened before," she mumbled under her breath. I was barely able to hear her. 

"Do they not fight often?" I blurted out the question without thinking. 

"Not at all," Ms. Owens replied absentmindedly. "I mean, it's normal for siblings to fight but at most, the twins have only ever bickered. A fight to this degree has never occurred before so I can't help but feel worried..."

She shook her head, "Ah what am I saying? Don't listen to my ramblings - I'm just overreacting. Hopefully, they'll make up by tomorrow morning."

As she walked away, I was left to my own thoughts. 

It was odd. I mean, I get why Cassius seemed upset but for the two to have such a huge conflict over grades seemed a bit excessive. In my opinion, there was something else going on and there was something else that Cassius was angry about other than Marcus' two failed subjects. No one just suddenly blows up like that out of nowhere but since I wasn't here when the argument began, I don't know what could have triggered it. 

I shook my head with a huff. 

"Whatever. It's none of my business."

I forced down my bubbling curiosity and stopped my mind from further pondering the issue. The less I knew, the better. Whatever happens to the twins, whatever becomes of their relationship, none of that is my business and it needs to stay that way. 

Getting involved would surely not bring about any pleasant results...

——————[oo]——————

...is what I said so why the heck am I getting coffee with Cassius at a nearby café?

I awkwardly grasped my glass of iced coffee and watched the boy opposite me warily. This situation was completely unexpected and frankly, I was freaking out. 

As for what happened, well, it started this morning. 

For the record, the day had begun normally enough. It was currently Saturday and having missed the movie I was planning to go to that time when Cassius got sick, I decided I would try and see it today. With school, tutoring, and assignments taking up most of my time, I needed a moment to relax and have a bit of 'me-time' as one may call it. 

I had gotten up at around seven and completed my usual morning routine before heading down for breakfast. 

Surprisingly, Cassius was seated at the table eating his bowl of cereal. Marcus was nowhere to be seen but judging by the sound of a car engine I heard much earlier, he was probably not in the manor. In addition, the dark bags under Cassius' eyes and his dim mood as he absentmindedly stirred around the cereal in his bowl, I suspect that the brothers hadn't made up yet. 

It was unexpected really. It'd been more than a day since their spat and neither had spoken a word to each other throughout this entire time. They have also actively avoided each other, making an effort to be where the other wasn't. If one of them entered the room, the other would exit it, and vice versa. 

Ms. Owens was sad that the brothers hadn't made up but other than attempting to lessen the tension via the provision of yummy snacks and the quick change of topics, she hadn't made a move to force them to talk to each other. 

She may be treated like family but at the end of the day, she was still someone who was employed by the master of the manor which meant she didn't have the right or obligation to fix family drama. I could tell that she cared deeply for both the brothers and probably saw them as her own children or grandchildren so being unable to help them reconcile must pain her. 

At the breakfast table, she spoke happily with Cassius and tried cheering him up but her attempts were proven futile when the boy could barely crack a grin at one of her jokes. 

I gave her a sympathetic look as she walked away but said nothing.

After breakfast, I got dressed in a casual dress that fell to my knees and paired it with a maroon jacket. On my feet were a pair of brown sandals and my hair was tied up into a ponytail. Once I was done getting ready, I picked up my purse bag and hung it over my shoulder before heading out. 

It took me around half an hour to reach the movie theatre. 

Using my pocket money from the allowance I was given, I paid for my ticket and chose a random seat before purchasing a small bucket of popcorn with a small drink. 

In the lobby of the movie theatre, I scrolled on my phone and waited for my movie to be called. It was around this time that I heard a familiar voice in the distance. As soon as my eyes glanced up from my phone, my mouth fell open in shock. 

Standing in line and paying for his own popcorn bucket was none other than Cassius. 

What the hell was he doing here?

And how did he get here so fast?

Seeing him standing there, I quickly ducked behind a pillar. 

Of all people, why him...

"Surely he'll be seeing another movie, right?"

My luck couldn't be that bad. Right?

...

No. My luck was worse. 

Several minutes later, I was sitting uncomfortably in my seat with my eyes trained on the screen. Next to me, Cassius shifted awkwardly and said, "Why are you here?"

That's what I should be asking!

"To watch a movie..." Why else would I be here? For coffee??

"Oh."

Cue uncomfortable silence. 

Now I wished I just stayed home. Clearly, watching a movie on my tiny phone screen was the better option since I wouldn't have to put up with situations like this. 

Before the atmosphere could get any more unbearable, the movie started and I couldn't help but release a sigh of relief.

Talk about saved by the bell...