Four hours and fifty minutes later, the boys had finished watching two movies. They had cleaned out all the candy wrappers, empty cans of soda, and bags of chips they had. On their way towards the living room, one of the double doors swung open as Westley's mother strolled in with a handful of bags and a pre-school of children running about her stiletto-clad feet. Being the gentlemen that they were, they all rushed to her aid.

"Come on, mama, you might break a nail or a heel." Westley joked, in which he received a smack to the back of his neck.

"Hilarious Westley. Now quit it and bring those bags into the kitchen for me, please." His mother ordered, kicking off her shoes.

Westley laughed as his friends relieved her of the rest of the grocery bags and carried them into the kitchen. His myths returned to her 5'7 ft height, and he beamed at her.

"Shut up. So boys, if you don't mind-which you don't because all this food is for you-can you get the rest of the bags from the car, please. Thank you." Mrs. Matthews smiled and brushed past them to go wrangle up her young children so she could change out of her work clothes. The boys collectively sighed but retrieved the rest of the grocery bags from the car.

》》》》》

Bryck groaned as they finally got the last of the bags inside and packed away. They were happy to be done with it. Mrs. Matthews strolled into the kitchen with a smile on her face. She had stripped off her work clothes and traded them in for a pair of jean shorts and a tank top.

"Thank you so much, boys. Westley, fetch Chevy for me, please. She's gonna help me with dinner." She kissed his cheek then shooed him off.

"Well, we were the ones that did all the work. So, I'm kind of tired because those bags were heavy." Westley told her.

"Westley dear, you bench 215, and in actuality, you boys did only ten percent of the work. I did the shopping. I had to buy tasty but healthy food and other essentials for the household. I made the money and paid the bill, all while wrangling your younger brothers and sisters and making sure not to leave one of them behind accidentally... I almost lost Wyatt, to be honest-and I also dealt with the stress of hard work and stubborn employees-and not to mention traffic. And I did all of that after waking up at 5 am while you were still in bed. Plus, I still have to prepare a huge dinner for everyone. Now, tell me again how tired you are? Do you wanna trades places, because all you're going to do is gorge yourselves full like a glutton, so do not challenge me, Westley Lysander Matthews, now get out of my kitchen and go call your sister before I cook you for dinner." She beamed at the boys knowing that none of them had a retort for her. She smirked then waved them away as she spun around and picked out ingredients for dinner.

Westley and company tried to make themselves scarce, but his mom stopped him with a call over her shoulder.

"Oh, one more thing, young man. Don't forget the Charity Weekend events and your fitting for a new suit. You've built some extra muscle, so you need a fitting."

Westley and present company nodded in utter shock at the practical threat his mom just lashed him with. "Uh... sure thing, mom," he said.

"Good, you should be," she said, making him jump up from fright.

Westley chuckled. His mom's amazing smile graced her beautifully stuck-in-time features as she bustled around the giant black granite island in their massive kitchen, which complimented the silver and black colored cabinets that were completed with beautiful black tiled floors to match. His mom bent over the deep freezer unit where she kept the meat. Jaslin Ary Matthews was a firecracker of a mom, quick-witted, clever, sarcastic, and super kind unless her children misbehaved. She has wrapped up her large afro in a purple silk head tie. His mother was short and curvy, her cheeks full as she smiled to herself.

"Need any help, mom?" Westley asked.

"No, thank you, you cooked with me the other day; it's Chevy's turn. Call her, please." She stood up from fetching the trays of meat. Westley nodded and left the room. "So, boys, how did you spend your day?" Jaslin asked while she floated around the kitchen with grace.

Bryck shrugged. "Eh, nothing much, auntie, we were just hanging out, watching movies."

"Oh nice, which one? How was it?" Jaslin asked the boys who sat at the island now.

"Red Notice, and then we looked at this one horror movie because of J.T.," Jake shared, making Jonathan scoff.

Jaslin shook her head and laughed at them as she opened the fridge. "I was never a huge fan of horror, so I opted for action, comedy, and rom-com's. Or supernatural and fantasy." She told them

Bryck arched a brow. "What're you looking for, auntie?" he asked. She had been rummaging through the contents of the fridge for a minute too long, especially since she knew where everything was.

"I'm looking for a slice of cheesecake which I had in here... but I think someone took it." She stood up from the fridge and looked at her son, who reentered the kitchen.

"Wasn't me," Westley stated, holding up his hands. "We bought all our snacks."

"It wasn't me." declared one of Westley's fourteen-year-old sister's Olivia, who magically appeared out of thin air and stood next to Westley.

"Olivia, no one asked you anything," Westley said, folding his arms, "You sound guilty right now unless you did take it. Did you, Olivia?"

Olivia gulped and looked from Westley to their mother and back again.

Mrs. Matthews shut the fridge door with a frustrated sigh. "Sweetie, did you take my cake or not?" Olivia just stood there staring at Jaslin. "Olivia!"

"I-I didn't..." Olivia stuttered. "I didn't take anything. I swear, mom."

Mom didn't appear to believe her plea from what Westley could see.

"Are you sure, Olivia?" Jaslin asked.

Olivia nodded her head up and down furiously, making her dark hair bounced at her cheeks. Her mom pursed her lips in thought.

Jaslin sighed, a hand on her hip. "Okay, baby. Do you have an idea who could have taken it?" Olivia looked at her mom with nervousness painted on her face.

"No... I have no idea who took it, mom." Olivia said.

Jaslin narrowed her eyes; if her daughter were in a real courthouse with an actual judge and jury, she'd have been guilty from just that expression on her face.

"You're such a liar Liv." Everyone turned around to see Chevy walking into the kitchen.

"Shut up! Chevy!" Olivia pushed her away and failed in the process. Chevy scoffed and shoved her back. Olivia lost her balance then fell to the floor. "You're such a fucking jerk!" Olivia snapped as she shot up, tears burning her eyes.

"Girls, stop it! Olivia language!" Jaslin ordered as she stepped in between them.

Olivia pointed her finger towards Chevy's direction. "She started it!"

Chevy rolled her eyes. "No, I didn't, you little thief." She moved towards the cupboard bar the fridge to grab a bag of chips.

"No, you provoked me!" Olivia said with glaring eyes.

"So, you admit to taking it then?" Bryck asked, cutting in.

Olivia hissed bitterly. "No! Shut up, Bryck." Her mom pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.

"You know what, just stop, okay stop. Olivia, quit the rudeness and if you know who took it, just tell me, or I'll ground you." she threatened.

"Oof." Tobey quipped, causing the boys to snicker to themselves.

"Mom! I don't know who took it.' Olivos stomped her foot, "I did see it in the fridge. I even asked Chevy whose was it, and she said it was yours, so I left it there." Their mom gave Chevy a suspicious look and then focused on Olivia.

Jaslin hummed, pursing her lips, "and when was this?"

"This morning before she left for work." Olivia really didn't want to be in trouble, and the boys could've left, but they were still watching from the counter.

Jaslin nodded, "okay, well, do me a favor and go fetch your siblings for me. I'm waiting." They all watched as Olivia hesitated before she ran off around the corner.

Chevy rolled her eyes as she munched on her chips. "I'll tell you, mom. She took it."

"Oh hush, go defrost the meat and start prepping the food," Jaslin said, snatching the bag of chips from her daughter.

"Hey!" Chevy cried.

"Now, before I take a pack of orders upstairs and call it a night." Jaslin fired back. Chevy brushed but moved towards the sink.

Three minutes later, Olivia reappeared with Wyatt, Jay-J, Jayna, Jakeem, Smith, and Ty-lee in tow.

"Here you go, mom, I got everyone," Olivia said with a huge grin plastered on her face. She yelped when Wyatt smacked her behind her head; her younger siblings tried to muffle their giggling with their hands but failed adorably. "Mommy, he hit me, didn't you see that!" She whined, tears filling her eyes as they threatened to pour over onto her cheeks.

"Yes, I did. Wyatt, just for that, I'm taking away your switch and video games for two days."

Wyatt's eyes widened. "But mom." He groaned.

"No buts. You hit her for no apparent reason, so, no videos games."

Wyatt opened his mouth to voice his protest, but his mom gave him a look that dared him to speak, and he thought better and just kept his mouth shut.

"Mommy, why are we here," asked Smith, who was only three.

His bright gray eyes looked up at Jaslin, and she couldn't help but smile at his handsome face. "Well, the seven of you are here because I'm trying to solve the case of my missing cheesecake. We're going to play a little game. Boys, get up." Jaslin ordered her son and his friends away and went back to the kids, "all of you have a seat." They obeyed and sat where the boys had been on the stools, Wyatt helping the smaller ones up.

None of the boys wanted to leave, yet they loved how entertaining watching this was.

Jaslin joined her fingers together. "Okay, so we're going to play a game called interrogation. I'll be the good cop and the bad-"

"Oh, mom, can I be the bad cop?" Westley exclaimed.

She threw him a death glare that silenced him. "No. As I said, I will be the good cop and the bad cop. Now, if one of you tell no who took mommy's cheesecake then, I'll forgive you and bake a whole new one. But if no one comes clean, you'll be grounded for lying to me after I gave you a chance, to be honest. So, who took mommy's dessert?" She waited in silence, but no one fessed up, their faces were sad and pouty, and as much as she disliked that look on her kids, she didn't raise them to lie about things or to steal.

"Umm, mommy," Jayna called, raising her hand.

"Yes, sweetie," Jaslin said, meeting the hazel eyes of her daughter that matched the other ⅔'s of her triplet.

Jayna started worrying her bottom lip. "Uh, what if no one here took it?" she asked

Jaslin hated how much she wanted to cave solely based on her daughter's cute innocent face. "Then no one gets in trouble," she responded.

"And what if someone here did?" Jayna asked.

Her curious questions were beginning to make her the prime suspect. Jaslin sighed. "Well, sweetie, we'll just see what happens, okay." she nodded.

"Okay, mommy." Jayna sang.

Jaslin looked at everyone. "So, no one wants to confess to anything? Not even you, Mr. Jakeem? You're known to have sticky fingers and a sweet tooth?" she looked at her son as if he were guilty, then Jay-J blurted out.

"Okay, I can't take it anymore, mom. I took it. I'm sorry." Jay-J cried.

Jaslin gasped as Jay-J bowed her head, her bottom lip jutting open, as tears ran down her rosy cheeks. Jaslin went to her daughter. "Aww sweetie, why are you crying." She asked as she gathered Jay-J in her arms. She sniffled and wiped at her damp cheeks.

"B-because I thought you'd be mad at me. I'm sorry, mommy." she apologized.

Jaslin felt half-guilty as she soothed her baby, rubbing circles at her back. "Aww, baby girl, I'm not mad at you. I just wanted to know who took it. Next time, just ask for something before you take it, okay."

Wyatt shook his head at the ridiculousness of this whole situation. "So not fair." He mumbled, making Jay-J gaze up at their mom.

"Okay, mommy." Jaslin sets her back down on her feet. "Okay now, you may all go back to your rooms. No one is being punished."

"Really, mom?" Westley groaned, disappointed. "That was it? It wasn't even suspenseful," he said, adding enthusiasm to the word. "Not fun at all."

Jaslin gave him a deadpan glare. "It wasn't supposed to be suspenseful, child, now begone."

"Can't-I live here," Westley said, folding his arms over his chest.

Jaslin rolled her eyes as she walked away. "Then disappear to your room." She heard him chuckle as he started walking away.

"Sure, call us down when dinner's ready, okay," Westley called out.

"Nope, you'll just have to starve," Jaslin answered.

"Aww, I always knew you loved me," Westley replied, pretending to wipe an imaginary tear from his eye.

"Think whatever you want," Jaslin told him poking, her head from the kitchen entrance to smile at her son before she disappeared into the kitchen again.