8. Silas
Silas
D uring dinner with my brothers, I’m distracted. Damn Lauren and that linden tea. I can’t shake the image of her setting it down in front of me as if something so simple, so routine, could stir me up this much.
Growing up, I was taught to handle things myself. My parents believed in “Do it yourself” so strongly that asking for help was practically a sin. Homework? On my own. Struggles? Deal with it .
Alone.
Maybe that’s why I always craved Lauren’s attention back in school, and now that I finally have it, it feels strange.
“By not helping you, I’m teaching you to achieve things on your own. That way, you’ll never need anyone,” my father used to say. I didn’t realize how much that shaped me until today—when someone cared for me in the smallest, simplest way. And it isn’t just because it’s her job. Lauren did it because she cares about me. She always has.
“So, why is Lauren Green working in your office?” Luca interrupts, taking a sip of his second glass of wine. “And don’t pull that stunt you did this afternoon again. We need to know what we’re up against.”
We’re sitting in the middle of this French place Oliver suggested, the kind of spot with dim lighting, Lo-Fi music humming in the background, and couples murmuring around us. The round table is large enough to seat eight, but it’s just us four—me, Luca, Killian, and Oliver.
I don’t know why I even agreed to come here.
I sigh and respond, “When was the last time you told me who your assistant was? If I’m not mistaken, you go through them every three months or whenever you need to explain that ‘you’re just screwing around.’”
This time, I don’t even crack a smile. I’m serious. Killian and Oliver laugh like it’s some joke, but Luca’s expression stays locked on mine. “So, have you fucked her yet?” he asks, blunt as ever.
I look away, focusing on some random couple at another table. Yeah, it’s childish, but trust me, my feelings for Lauren are anything but childish.
Luca takes my silence as confirmation. “I’ll take that as a no, which makes it worse.”
“Why?” I snap, turning back to him, irritation rising.
He leans in, his voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial whisper. “Because she’s not just any woman. She’s Lauren Green . The girl who had you by the balls all through high school. And since you couldn’t stand it, you treated her like trash so no one would notice how much it tore you up that you couldn’t have her. ”
I scoff, a small, sarcastic smile tugging at my lips. “Stop seeing things that aren’t there, Luca.”
He sighs, smiling in that knowing way, one that reminds me of our mother. “Even a blind dog could see it, brother.”