Beneath the Surface

Olive's heart was sad as she saw Lucas crying. She soon placed his head on her shoulder and patted him on his back.

"It's okay! It's not your fault that any of this happened. It's just destiny," Olive said, her expression sad.

"What's going on here?!" a voice asked, prompting Lucas and Olive to stand away from each other immediately.

"What are you doing here?" Lucas asked as he quickly wiped away his tears, not wanting Mark to find out.

"You guys have been gone for quite a while without bringing the table," Mark said, concerned. " What are you both up to?"

"What do you mean, what are we up to? Let's just take the table downstairs. I'm hungry" Lucas said seriously as he helped Olive bring the table down from the top of her wardrobe. "You're really short, by the way, he added with a chuckle, patting Olive's head before she quickly moved away."

"Here we go again," Olive said, looking annoyed. I already know that I'm short for a guy, no need to tell me again.

"Whatever shortie!" Lucas replied with as he rolled his eyes away.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked Olive, looking worried. " Did he bother you?" He whispered softly.

"What do you mean? Are you implying that I'm a bully? Anyway, since I'm a bully, I'll leave you two to carry the table. Hurry up and go downstairs." Lucas said as he headed towards the door but stopped and turn to face Olive and Lucas once more. "And you, don't go spreading what happened to everyone or you'll regret it," he warned with a threatening expression before leaving the room.

"What is he talking about again?" Mark asked, his eyebrows raised up in curiousity the moment Lucas left the room.

"Just ignore him." Olive said while Mark nodded in agreement.

_____

Mark and Olive soon brought the table downstairs, the wooden stairs creaking underneath their foot. They were met with the questioning look of Mrs Williams as soon as they descended the stairs.

"Why did it take you so long? Place it down now before the food gets cold," Mrs. Williams exclaimed as soon as she saw Olive and Mark, who promptly set the table on the floor.

"We're sorry mom." Olive apologized as she proceeded and arranged six chairs around the table while everyone took a seat, with Olive next to Lucas, Mark next to Peter, and Mr. and Mrs. Williams sitting together with smiles on their faces.

Mrs. Williams served everyone, and soon everyone began eating their meals.

The room fell silent, only the clattering of cutlery could be heard.

"Mrs. Williams is an amazing cook!" Mark broke the silence with a compliment, earning a warm smile from Mrs. Williams.

"The hotpot is especially delicious. I'll definitely be taking some home," Lucas added as he continued to enjoy his meal.

"Thanks! And yeah, there's enough to take home Lucas." Mrs Williams said with a smile.

"You should calm down before you choke on your food. It's not going anywhere." Peter said, rolling his eyes at Lucas and causing shock among the others. "Mom had brought a glutton to the house." he continued, now his voice r barely above a whisper.

"That's not polite, Peter. Apologize to Lucas. He's your senior, and you need to understand that, young man." Mrs. Williams said firmly.

"It's fine, Mrs. Williams. He's just a kid." Lucas replied with a smile.

"Who are you two? Why are you here at our house? Do you want to marry my sister... brother?!" Peter said, prompting Olive and Mrs. Williams to both hit him on the shoulder in frustration.

"Mother?! Peter exclaimed, looking confused. I'm just asking questions because I've never seen them before. All the students at Belmont High School are wealthy, so how did they end up at a scholarship student's house? Or are they scholarship students too?"

"But they don't look like they come from poverty, they look wealthy." Peter continued, examining Lucas and Mark's matching Chanel wristwatches, shoes, and iPhones on the table.

"Keep your mouth shut before I sew it up with a needle," Olive threatened, her body tense with anger as she glared at Peter.

"I'm not gay," Lucas finally stated with a heavy sigh. "And no, I'm not a scholarship student."

"Same here," Mark added with a heavy sigh.

"Then who are you two?" Peter asked, eyebrows raised in curiosity as he looked at the men in front of him. "What wealthy family do you come from?"

"I'm George Lucas, heir to Belmont High School," Lucas introduced, causing Mrs. Williams, Mr. Williams, and Peter to drop their cutlery in shock.

"And I'm Mark Williamsburg. Nice to meet you again," Mark said with a smile.

Without saying a word, Peter got up from the dining table, picked up his laptop from the center table, and started searching on Google.

He found Lucas' profile and saw that he was the successor of Belmont High School. Then he searched for Mark Williamsburg of Belmont and discovered that Mark was the young master of a billionaire in the art industry.

Realizing that his sister was marrying into wealth, Peter muttered to himself, "My sister is marrying a rich man. We're going to be rich." He was shocked by the revelation on his laptop screen.

Returning to the dining room, Peter saw Mr. and Mrs. Williams looking at him with curiosity.

Excitedly, Peter announced, "Confirmed! We're getting some wealthy in-laws. But who's going to be my brother-in-law? You?" He pointed at Lucas. "Or you?" He turned to Mark, who looked nervous.

Mrs. Williams couldn't contain her excitement, realizing that she had unknowingly invited wealthy young men into their home. She happily served Lucas and Mark more food, urging them to eat.

"I'm not gay," Lucas replied with a heavy sigh. "Even if I were, Arthur is not my type."

"I'm not gay either," Mark said, laughing. "And I'm pretty sure Arthur isn't either. So who am I supposed to marry?"

"He is gay," Peter stated firmly. "I think he's hiding it from you guys. He's not ready to come out." Peter's words angered Olive, who stood up, ready to hit Peter.

"You need to be taught a lesson!" Olive yelled, but as she lunged at Peter, she tripped and fell into Lucas's arms, their lips accidentally meeting.