"Slow down sir, you might fall."

Jonathan drew a deep breath, a huge smile spreading on his rosy cheeks. He loved it, the smell of fresh roses as he ran through the garden, the chirping sounds of birds coming from the tall trees, the rush of air through his skin as he finally made a stop in front of the tall wooden bench.

Everytime he got the afternoon off from his many lessons after school, he loved to play around the compound, just like that. He loved picking fresh flowers for Laura or another bird he thought was beautiful for Asher. He was too excited to even see how the maid and his nanny that had chased after him down the extremely long lawn, were busy panting for air and trying to catch their breaths. The smile on his face got even bigger the moment he noticed the willow tit on the arm of one of the benches.

He got out his slingshot and bent over hurriedly to reach for a stone.

"Sir Johnathan," the maid started.

"Young sir," his nanny continued. "You know how your mother feels about you throwing stones around the compound, you might hurt yourself."

Jonathan was barely listening. He was too busy attending to his desire to catch the bird in front of him to care about what it was they were talking about. He pulled the strap of his slingshot back, keeping one eye closed so he could have a perfect aim.

"Almost," he whispered to himself.

"Sir Jonathan!" He let go of the strap and the stone hit the back of the bench. His aim was never good to start with but he knew if he practiced hard, he could get there someday. He scoffed in frustration and turned to the older lady behind him.

"What?" He asked her stomping his feet. She exhaled. "I almost had it."

"It's a good thing you didn't." She told him. "We should head back inside. You have piano lessons in twenty minutes-"

Jonathan took off again without warning. He had to catch it, he had to catch a random bird in the least. He already got flowers for Laura, he needed to get something for Asher too. The maid went after him first while the older lady bent over to feel her legs. She was running out of breath and her legs were too old to run at their pace.

Jonathan hurried as fast as he could, chasing after the birds until he watched them settle on the tower fountain.

"Woah." He came to an abrupt stop a few feet away. There were a lot of them. He turned quickly in search of a stone. He needed to find one quickly, he wasn't going to let them get away this time. The maid was only just catching up with him and his Nanny was far behind them.

"Sir Jonathan," he was breathing heavily. How did he have such tiny legs and was yet a fast runner?

"Quiet please." He begged her in a whisper. "Or you'd chase them away again." For some reason, she found herself shutting up immediately he asked her to. Jonathan hurriedly picked his first stone and placed it into his slingshot. He turned to the fountain quickly and tried to aim for one of the birds with an eye closed and his little tongue stuck out slightly beside his lips. He let go of the strap but not early enough to catch the birds as they flew away from the fountain.

"Wait..."  he turned after them immediately. "Don't go please." He bent over and picked the first stone he saw. He started to run after them as fast as he could.

"Young sir," the maid went after him immediately. "Young sir, slow down please." It was so hard keeping up when he was running like his life depended on it. "Sir Jonathan,"

Jonathan stopped running. The birds were getting away, he couldn't let them get away. He got out his slingshot one more time, fixed the stone in it and aimed, this time not thinking about anything else in his way, pulling the strap as far as he could. The farther, the better the target anyway. He let it go.

Smash.

Jonathan widened his eyes in shock and so did the maid, placing her hand over her mouth as her eyes met the shattered windshield of the grey Porsche a few meters in front of them.

The alarm went off.

Jonathan ran to the car immediately. He couldn't believe it. How could he not have seen it? How was he so caught up in what it was he was doing that he didn't notice the car that had been parked at the exact same spot for hours. The thought of who had the car scared him even more. He knew exactly who it was and he knew he was in a lot of trouble already.

The maid turned in a hurry when she saw the older lady hurrying towards them, her eyes focused on a trembling Jonathan who looked like he was about to pee on himself. She hurried to her immediately and grabbed her arm gently. The older lady turned to her, she could see how shocked the young girl was like she was about to cry.

"Madamme Juliana," she tugged her hand, drawing little breaths. "What do we do now madamme Juliana?"

"You should have watched him!" She pulled her hand away from her hold immediately, eyeing her angrily. The maid held her breath, letting out only almost silent sobs that made Juliana frustrated. She rolled her eyes. What she didn't need was someone else crying on her. "Go and get Mrs Coleman." She instructed as she watched the frightened girl nod at everything she said without moving a muscle.

"Now!" The maid took off immediately. Juliana drew a deep breath and started to hurry as fast as she could towards the crying Porsche and an already numb Jonathan. She slowly reached for his shoulder.

"Sir Jonathan," she turned him around gently to face her. She could see how terrified he was, the terror in his eyes mixed with tears that were threatening to fall. He was trembling from head to toe. Every inch of him was trembling and he could barely keep his gaze on her without turning back to the Porsche.

"Sir Jonathan," she needed him to look at her with the way she kept pulling him to look away from the car. He did.

"N-n-Nanny Juliana." He stammered. "What do I do?"

"Nothing." She cut him off immediately. "Don't do or say anything. I want you to go inside as fast as you can and lock yourself in your room. Your mother and brother are already on their way, you don't have to worry about anything, I'm sure they would sort it out-"

"How c-c-can I not worry?" He asked her. "Have you forgotten whose car this is? Xavier is going to kill me." He was almost going to cry again seeing how his voice was trembling with every word he spoke.

Juliana rubbed his arm quickly.

"He won't." She forced a chuckle Jonathan could clearly see was fake. "Sir Xavier is your older brother, of course he can not kill you. How can a brother kill his own brother? That's absurd. Your father and mother won't let him-"

"My father doesn't care what h-happens to m-me- and my mother would only get into trouble with them again-"

"Your brother won't let him." She cut him off before he said anything else. Jonathan held his breath. For some reason, the way she said those words had some truth in them. "You trust your brother Asher, don't you?"

Jonathan bit on his lip. He was lost of words but he found the energy to nod his head one time.

"Do you think he's ever going to let anyone hurt you?"

Jonathan shook his head slowly. The old lady drew a deep breath and nodded. She narrowed her gaze to him and grabbed his sling shot immediately.

"Go upstairs." She repeated. "Go now before someone sees you."

Johnathan hesitated for a second. He didn't know how but he was slowly starting to find his strength again, to gain control of his legs again. He swallowed hard and turned slowly to make a run for the door when he froze immediately. Juliana too.

"X-xavier." He said almost in a whisper as his eyes met the tall figure staggering towards them with his jaw dropped and his eyes glued to the sight in front of him helplessly.

"Sir Xavier," Juliana got up too in shock as she watched how he slowly approached the car, walking past Jonathan without even taking a sight of him. How could he? Anyone could see just how much of a shock he was in to notice anything or anyone else.

There was another footstep approaching, it got faster and closer and before Jonathan could say anything else, it was like he was having a de ja vu. A slightly taller version of the boy that had just walked past him appeared. He had the brightest green eyes you had ever seen, just like the one that had just walked past him, just like Asher and just like Jonathan. You didn't even have to look at them closely to know they were related, to know they were siblings. Both of them even had the same hair color and hair cut.  Jonathan looked at the twenty-four year old, cringing backwards in fear as he got closer while he watched the older boy glare at the scene in front of him, watching Xavier circle the car in utmost confusion. He was just as surprised.

Even though Theodore looked almost exactly like his twin brother, he was a whole lot scarier than Xavier. Jonathan froze especially when he saw how Theodore's eyes were slowly narrowing down to him. It didn't look like he was invincible to him the way he was to Xavier.

"Th-Theodore-"

"Sir Theodore," Juliana hurried to them immediately. "Sir Theodore-"

Theodore grabbed Jonathan by his right arm immediately, holding on tightly, as tight as he could that he was almost lifting Jonathan off the ground with it.

"It was you?"

"Sir Theodore please-"

"It-it w-w-w-wwas, it w-was a mistake."

"A mistake?"

"I didn't mean to," Jonathan didn't know how he even found the strength to speak but he couldn't help himself, especially since he was struggling to free himself from Theodore's extremely tight hold. He was hurting, it was obvious he was hurting.

A smirk appeared on Theodore's flustered cheeks.

"You didn't mean to? It's not like you're blind or anything."

Xavier made a stop in front of the car and raised his hands to his hips. He placed them on it and raised his head up to the skies to draw a deep breath. He was frustrated, and angry. Jonathan turned to him slowly.

"I-I'm sorry," he begged. "I'm really sorry. Tell me what I need to do." He said. "I'd talk to my mum, I'd beg her to get it fixed-"

Xavier started laughing immediately. He couldn't believe it. It was obvious that beyond his fury and frustration, he couldn't believe what he had just heard. He slowly turned to where Jonathan and Theodore stood. There was something about the way he laughed that frightened Jonathan even more.

Theodore scoffed.

"What did you just say?" He asked, taking one step after the other towards them as Theodore slowly let Jonathan go. Jonathan took one step back every two steps he took closer. He could see how the smile on Xavier's face was slowly turning to a thick frown.

"Did you just say you would talk to your mother? That she would get this fixed?"

Juliana didn't know what to do. She turned quickly to the front door. Where was Laura and Asher? What was taking them so long?

"Theodore," Xavier said to Theodore, not bothering to take his eyes off Jonathan. "I think my ears are starting to deceive me again."

"Just what has that gold digging mother of yours fed you with for you to be able to even imagine that you have the capacities to pay me back for anything?" Xavier was getting closer to him and he kept taking steps back until Theodore stood right behind him to stop him from taking any other step back. Xavier stopped.

"Your mother?" Xavier looked him straight in the eye. "She can't even live by herself without mooching off other people, to get to where she is right now, she had to prostitute her way to this mansion. What makes you think she can save you? What can a local prostitute do for you-"

"Sir Xavier!" Juliana hurried to stand in the middle of them. She placed her hand over Jonathan's ears to stop him from hearing anything else even when she could already see the tears in his eyes. She raised her head to Theodore first so she could take notice of the smirk on his face and then turned back to Xavier. She drew a deep breath, holding her words back and filtering them in her head first.

"Please, watch your language." She told him as Xavier slowly raised his gaze to her irritatedly. "You shouldn't be saying such despicable words to an eight year old-"

"You're wrong." Johnathan said as he slowly reached for Juliana's hands and pulled them away from his ears.

Xavier turned back to him and so did Theodore.

"What?"

"You're wrong about my mother. Say what ever you want to say to me, blame me for crashing your window, hit me if you have to but don't insult my mother." Jonathan said in an almost angry tone. "My mother is not a prostitute."

"Woah," Theodore chuckled. "Looks like you struck a nerve Xavier. He looks really upset."

Xavier lowered his gaze on Jonathan and smirked.

"You think I'm lying?"

"I don't think it, I know it. Stop badmouthing my mum, stop bothering her and my brother. They've done nothing wrong to you-"

"Who said!" Xavier yelled at him. Jonathan held his breath immediately. "Who said you could talk back when I'm talking to you? Have you lost your damn mind?"

"All my mother has ever tried to do is be a mother to all of us. She does not deserve to be called a-"

"Prostitute?" Xavier asked him. "But that's all she is. That's all she'd ever be. A dirty, wild, street prostitute who father keeps on a leash."

Jonathan placed a hand over his ears. He didn't want to hear it, he didn't want to hear any of it anymore. All the things they said about his mother, all the things they always said. It wasn't true, it couldn't be. Asher told him not to ever listen to them, to place his hands over his ears and sing a song in his head whenever they even brought it up. He always listened to Asher. He was never going to listen to them. Xavier could see it, he pushed on.

"She wanted to be lady of this mansion so badly that she was ready to be a mistress to someone else's husband even when she knew he already had a family, and now she is, he can't even bear to look at her, or you. You're just as hopeless and useless as she is and you're still the son of a street whore-"

"Sir Xavier!"

"Oh stay away from this Old hag," Theodore grabbed Juliana's arm and threw her out of the way, causing her to fall to the ground abruptly.

"Nanny Juliana-" Jonathan dropped his hands from his ears immediately in an attempt to help Juliana when Xavier grabbed his arm.

"And where do you think you're going?"
Jonathan turned to him immediately.

Just as Theodore walked towards Juliana who still found it really hard to stand on her feet again. Her back didn't look like it took her fall well. Juliana watched him, her frown worsening as he kept his gaze glued to the ground beside her. He bent over and reached for the slingshot Juliana had no idea she had let go of. She gasped in shock when she realized that it was what he was after. Theodore looked at it for a long while and then turned to her. It was like she could read what his next action was going to be. He got up with it and raised it in the air, turning to Xavier.

"Looks like someone was trying to take his revenge." Xavier turned to him immediately, his eyes widening at the sight of the slingshot, Jonathan too. Revenge? That was impossible. There was no way he intentionally tried to break Xavier's windshield. He didn't even know the car was parked there. He turned to Xavier immediately before he actually got the wrong idea.

"Xavier, I promise, it was an accident."

"Liar." Theodore said. "You knew we'd be here today and so you intentionally targeted Xavier's car. You broke his windshield on purpose."

"I didn't," Jonathan was already scared as it was. He kept shaking his head. "it was a mistake I promise." It didn't look like they were buying it. He turned to Xavier. "It was a mistake big brother-"

"Why you," Xavier pushed him hard and without even trying to save himself, Jonathan fell to the ground in a large thud, bruising his knee on the way that brought blood to its surface immediately.

"Jonathan!"

The yell from behind them made everyone turn as Laura tried to hurry as fast as her swollen feet could take her towards Jonathan while Asher hurried right beside her with the maid behind them. She rushed to Jonathan immediately.

"Mum," the tears in his eyes doubled when he saw them. Asher got to him first. He bent over immediately while the maid hurried to help Juliana from the ground.

"Nate."

"Asher." Jonathan sobbed. He shook his head. He was in too much shock to even speak or explain the situation.

"Jonathan, my baby," Laura could feel her eyes welling up especially when she saw how big the bruise on his knee was and what was worse was her belly was too big to let her help him. But it was okay, it was okay since Asher was already doing that.

"Can you walk?"

Jonathan nodded. Asher let out a relief exhale and placed his hands beneath Jonathan's armpits. He raised him up from the ground gently. Jonathan turned to Laura as she spread her hands, encouraging him to get into them.

"Mum," he accepted her invitation and ran into them. Laura hugged him tightly. "Mum, I didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident I promise."

"I know." Laura sniffed, cleaning her eyes and trying so hard to sound like her heart wasn't tearing in bits feeling him tremble under her embrace. "I know darling. Mummy is going to take care of it. You don't have to be scared anymore."

Xavier scoffed and glared at them.

"It's easier said than done." He raised his voice a bit. Laura turned to him. She glared at him too. She was so angry, angry wasn't the word, furious was. "My entire windshield is gone because of that son of yours! Why didn't you teach him how not to destroy other people's properties? Why must he go around throwing stones and breaking stuff that's not his?!"

Asher exhaled. He was trying to hold it in. Watching what they did to Jonathan, how they treated him, he was doing so much holding it all in but all of a sudden, it felt like he couldn't anymore. Like he didn't want to. He slowly got up and turned to them.

"Is that why you hurt him?" Asher raised his eyes to them.

"What?"

"Two adults against an eight year old, that's a little unfair don't you think?"

"He-broke- my-windshield."

"It's just glass," Asher told him. "It's nothing money can't fix."

"It's a Porsche."

"He's a child!" Asher yelled at him immediately, shutting his eyes to keep the tears in them from falling. He opened them again. "He's a child and it was a mistake."

"Did you just raise your voice at me?" Xavier glared at him. He turned to Theodore. "Did he just yell at me?" His shock had even multiplied. Asher held his breath, flickering his tongue down his lower lip and folding his hands into a fist unconsciously.

"What are you going to do about it then?" Theodore asked him. Asher slowly turned to Theodore.

"What?"

Theodore flickered his tongue down his lower lip and dropped his folded hands. He took one step to Asher and then another.

"Look here baby brother-" he placed a hand on Asher's shoulder. Asher slapped it off immediately. It was a sight to see. "If a child misbehaves,"
Theodore went on, without letting the way Asher glared at him interrupt what he was about to say. "That child has to be disciplined. That's all we were trying to do."

Asher scoffed.

"You all are obviously doing a very bad job at it that's why he only keeps getting worse. I can't stand it, nosy people that do not know their place or respect boundaries." She lowered his gaze to where Jonathan was standing. "He's a kid and if you keep covering up like this for him, he's going to grow up to be even worse than your mother."

Laura rolled her eyes and looked away.

"What?"

"He's going to keep doing things and getting away with them and it would be too late to stop him. Things are going to have to change a lot the next few days. Anyone that has a problem with how I choose to preserve the discipline in this household, is free to leave." He turned back to Asher.

"No one wants you here and it's only going to get worse after that thing is born." Xavier left his gaze on Laura. "How much more do I have to take?!" He stomped his feet three times on the ground in frustration.

"Why do we have to be the ones to leave?" Asher asked him. "You two were doing fine being away from this house. Why did you come back if you find us so irritating? We don't have to do anything for you. We deserve to be here too-"

"Leave or history is going to repeat itself." Theodore said, staring at Asher right in his eyes. A smirk appeared on his face. "You know what history I'm talking about don't you? I don't think you can ever forget."

"The more you three insist on staying here, the worse it would be for you."

"Next time it might not be you but your brother, or your pregnant mother drowning in that lake, or something even bigger than a lake."

Asher froze as he watched Theodore speak.

"What?"

"Little Paris Vutron won't be here to save you like the last time. Heard she barely even knows you exist now-"

Asher took a step to him immediately.

"Asher don't!" Laura yelled from where she stood. She had to stop him from falling directly into the snake's pit. She knew exactly what they were trying to do and she knew what was going to happen if she let Asher fall for it. It was too early, too early for another fight. "That's enough. Just ignore them, let's just go inside-"

"You three have been here long enough. You've mooched and leached off this family for over eight years. Haven't you milked us enough?" Xavier asked them. "Even after everything we've put you through, even after everything Dad puts you through, why haven't you decided to not let yourselves be in this situation anymore yet? You've got everything you wanted. A powerful last name, money, properties and legacies. You even get to hang out with the prince of Breton. What more could you possibly ask for? Take your family and leave this mansion."

"Or what?"

"Or we are done playing nice." Theodore answered.

Asher scoffed. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe his ears. They had to be deceiving him. But then again, they weren't. Asher was listening to them loud and clear. He always did and it never surprised him. Theodore and Xavier had been like that for as long as he could remember. Even after he and Laura thought years of growing up and schooling in England, far from home could change them, it never did. They were back and just like every other holiday they did, it felt like they had gotten even worse but Asher knew better. He knew not to listen to them or pay them any mind. Laura was right, ignoring them always worked. He wasn't going to play their games.

He turned around quickly and started to walk briskly to Laura and Jonathan.

"Let's get inside." He picked Jonathan hurriedly from the ground and turned with him. Laura turned too, trying to pull herself together in the best way she knew how. She followed Asher's lead and so did Juliana and the maid.

"And make sure you fix my car or we are going to have a big problem!"