Chapter 5 WHERE ARE MY SNACKS

It had been several days since Greco and Marian left the house. As Cardo climbed down the stairs, one of the maids stopped to greet him.

"(Good morning, young master, your breakfast is ready)" the Italian maid, Mona said as Cardo made his way to the dining room. He took his seat and was about to start eating when Lucian appeared.

"Good morning, young master. I was just about to call you for breakfast" the maid, Fiona, said with a polite smile.

"Thank you, Fiona" Lucian answered warmly.

Cardo's eyes was filled with jealousy as he turned to Fiona. "Fiona, (I am the only young master in this house. Call him that again, and I'll have my dad punish you)" Cardo warned coldly in Italian.

"(Yes, young master)" Fiona said, bowing her head slightly, while Lucian smiled faintly. He was about to take his seat at the table when Cardo's voice stopped him.

"Take your food and get out of my sight. You can't sit at the same table as me" Cardo said. Lucian looked at him for a moment, then picked up his plate and walk back to his bedroom.

Around noon, Lucian was engrossed in a book when he heard a knock at his door.

"Who is it?" Lucian asked

"It's me, Fiona" came the voice from the other side. Lucian set his book aside and opened the door, but remained in the doorway.

"What do you want?" Lucian asked, noticing Fiona feeling uneasy.

"Lu... Lucian, young master... said... um" Fiona stammered, clearly uneasy.

"Just say it, Fiona" Lucian said.

"He said you should come and do the dishes" Fiona finally managed to say, her voice hardly heard.

Lucian chuckled softly. "The dishes? I'm not a maid in this house. That's your job and Mona's" he stated.

"Yes, but he said-" Fiona began, only to be cut off by Lucian.

"Go back, Fiona. I'm not doing any dishes" Lucian said, closing the door gently.

A few minutes later, Lucian heard a loud bang on his door once again.

"Who's there?" Lucian asked from inside.

"Open this door right now!" Cardo commanded from the hallway. Lucian hesitantly opened the door and stood at the entrance, facing him.

"I know you don't understand Italian, that is why I sent a maid who speaks English to deliver my message. Didn't she tell you what I said?" Cardo asked, his tone sharp.

"Yes, she did" Lucian replied calmly.

"Then why are you still standing here?" Cardo asked.

"It's not my duty to do the dishes in this house. That's what the maids are here for-they're paid to do it" Lucian stated firmly.

"If you don't go and wash those dishes, I'll make sure you're starved until your bitch mother comes back. Fiona, tell Mona not to serve him anything until he cleans the dishes" Cardo ordered, turning to Fiona.

"Yes, young master" Fiona responded obediently.

"So be it" Lucian said with quiet resolve as Cardo walked away.

"I'm sorry, Lucian. He'll punish me if I don't follow his orders" Fiona said, her voice full of guilt.

"You don't need to be sorry, Fiona. Just do whatever you're told to avoid getting into trouble. I can take care of myself" Lucian said to her.

"I'll secretly bring you some food" Fiona whispered.

"Only if it won't bring you any trouble. Thank you" Lucian said, closing the door gently as Fiona walked away.

Because of Cardo's orders, Lucian didn't have lunch and dinner, and Fiona couldn't bring him food since Cardo was keeping a close eye on them.

The next morning, Lucian felt too weak to get out of bed, groaning in pain. As Cardo remained upstairs, Fiona managed to sneak some food into Lucian's room. Lucian heard a knock and carefully made his way to the door, clutching his aching belly as he opened it.

"Lucian, are you alright?" Fiona asked with concern, but Lucian was too weak to respond.

"Here, take this" she said, as she gave him some package. "There are some snacks inside too. I need to go before the young master comes downstairs or before Mona notices I'm not in the kitchen" she added, and Lucian nodded in gratitude.

As Fiona hurried back to the kitchen, she accidentally bumped into Cardo along the way.

"Good morning, young master. Your breakfast is ready" Fiona greeted him, doing her best to stay calm and composed.

"Where are you coming from? It doesn't look like you just came from the kitchen" Cardo asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.

"Yes, young master. I went to turn off the heater-the room is getting hot" Fiona quickly explained as Cardo took his seat at the dining table.

"Did you see him leave his room?" Cardo asked.

"No, young master" Fiona answered, keeping her tone steady.

A few minutes after breakfast, Cardo walk to the refrigerator to grab his usual snacks and milk. As he opened the fridge, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. He quickly closed the door and called out loudly "Mona, Fiona, Come here" His voice echoed through the house as the two maids rushed over.

"(There were twelve snacks in here. Where did four of them go)?" Cardo asked in Italian, his tone accusatory.

"(Young master, I don't know anything about the missing snacks. I'm not in charge of serving this week)" Mona, the Italian maid replied, trying to defend herself.

"Fiona, where are my snacks?" Cardo asked, his tone sharp.

"Young master, I... I..." Fiona stammered, clearly nervous.

"You better tell me where those snacks went, or I'll make you place your hand on the hot stove" Cardo threatened.

"I took them" Lucian intervened, approaching them.

"Who gave you permission to take what belongs to me?" Cardo asked, walking toward Lucian with a cold glare.

"You told them not to serve me any food, so I had to feed myself with the snacks" Lucian explained gently.

"Those snacks were mine, and not something anyone can just feed themselves with" Cardo retorted, his voice full of hatred.

"I'll have them replaced when my mum comes back," Lucian said.

Cardo laughed mockingly. "Replace them? Those snacks aren't something you can just buy around here. They're expensive-far beyond what your bitch mother could afford" he scorned, making Lucian clench his fists in anger. "Apologize to me right now" Cardo said.

"If you apologize first for insulting my mother, then I'll apologize" Lucian countered, standing his ground.

"Why should I apologize? Isn't your mother a bitch? And isn't your father a coward and a weakling?" Cardo taunted.

"Never call my father a weakling again. He's a better man than your father will ever be" Lucian shot back.

Cardo, filled with anger, was about to punch Lucian, but Lucian dodged it, causing Cardo to lose his balance and fall to the ground.

"How dare you insult my father!" Cardo yelled from the floor, angry and humiliated.

"Grow up, Cardo. After all, you claim to be older than me" Lucian said.

"You bastard, I'll make sure you starve to death! Mona, (Pack all my provisions into my room upstairs) Cardo barked.

"(Yes, young master)" Mona said.

Later that evening, Lucian grew bored in his room and decided to go to the living room to watch some TV. He picked up the remote control and began flipping through the channels, settling comfortably on the couch.

Fiona and Mona were seated in the adjacent living room, which was connected to the family living room. As Cardo climbed the stairs, his eyes were filled with anger. Seeing Lucian unbothered after he had ordered the maids not to feed him only fueled his anger. He walked over and snatched the remote control from Lucian's hand.

"This isn't yours. Your father can't afford it now" Cardo said as he took the remote away.

"Stop talking about my father like he's your mate" Lucian retorted, about to walk away from him. But before he could, Cardo grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back.

"You don't walk out on me. I'm the master of this house while my dad is away" Cardo declared, tightening his grip as the maids watch.

After several days of being away, Greco and Marian were finally heading home, both seated in the back of the car as the driver drive them through the streets.

"Greco, I really wish I could have been there to celebrate with you" Marian said.

"We'll have our celebration at home" Greco said, his tone calm and reassuring.

"You're the Don now. I am really happy for you" Marian said, her face lighting up with happiness.

"Thank you, (love). At least I didn't turn out to be a coward like your Alfred" Greco said mockingly.

"Greco, you know I never truly loved that coward" Marian said.

"But you did have a child with him" Greco pointed out.

"It's not what you think, Greco" Marian said as she interlock her fingers with his, trying to bridge the distance between them.

"I was only kidding you, Marian. I've already made arrangements for Lucian's enrollment. He'll be starting school with Cardo tomorrow, and you'll be dropping them" Greco said, shifting the conversation.

"Thank you, Greco. I love you darling" Marian said, her heart swelling with affection as the car pulled over in front of Greco's house.

Inside the house, tension still heating up between Lucian and Cardo.

"Let go of me, Cardo" Lucian said, yanking his arm free from Cardo's grasp.

"You look unbothered about not feeding. Have you been sneaking into the kitchen to steal?" Cardo accused.

"Grow up, Cardo" Lucian said, his voice filled with irritation. Cardo's temper flared, and he swung a fist at Lucian, but Lucian skillfully dodged. The punch landed squarely on an expensive antique vase by the sofa, shattering it into pieces. The sound of breaking ceramics echoed through the room, reaching the ears of Greco and Marian as they enter the house.

"What happened here?" Greco asked as the maids rushed in to pack up the shattered vase.

"Welcome home, Dad, Stepmum" Cardo greeted them, holding his hand, which was hurting from punching the vase.

"Mum, Sir Greco" Lucian said gently.

"I asked what happened here" Greco asked angrily, watching the maids pack up the broken pieces.

"It better not be you, Lucian" Marian said, her voice sharp.

"I didn't-" Lucian began, trying to defend himself, but Cardo cut him off.

"It was Lucian, Stepmum. He broke it" Cardo lied smoothly.

"Cardo, how dare you lie" Lucian said angrily.

"I'm telling the truth. He was watching TV, and when I asked for the remote, he refused to give it to me. I left it with him, and when I came back, he had eaten all the twelve snacks I brought from our school trip without asking for permission. I told him he should have asked first and that taking them without asking was like stealing. Then, in anger, he threw the vase at me" Cardo said, twisting the story.

"That's not true, Sir Greco, it's all lies" Lucian said in frustration.

"Fiona, Mona, (What really happened)?" Greco asked the maids, his voice filled with anger. Cardo shot them a threatening look, silently warning them of the consequences if they told the truth.

"Young master didn't break it, it was Lucian" Fiona said, submitting to Cardo's threats.

"(Lucian broke the vase and truly ate the young master's snacks without permission.)" Mona said.

"Marian, did you hear that? What kind of son did you raise? That vase was an antique, very expensive, and the only one of its kind in the world. I bought it at an auction, and now it's broken" Greco said, his frustration obvious.

"Did you really eat Cardo's snacks?" Marian asked angrily.

"Yes, Mum, but-" Lucian started to explain before he was cut off by a thunderous slap from Marian. Cardo smirked.

"I didn't give birth to a glutton, a thief, and a destroyer of things. Where did you come from? When did you start behaving like this?" Marian said angrily.

"Mum, you have to believe me, I didn't do this" Lucian said, holding his bruised cheek.

"Stepmum, I've been extending friendship to him, but he won't allow it. He keeps saying he can't live here under my father's control as if he gave birth to him" Cardo said.

"Marian, I won't tolerate this behavior in my house. I warned you before bringing him here. You should have left him with his coward father" Greco said angrily before storming up to his room. Mona followed him, taking his briefcase.

"You're making me regret bringing you here. Cardo, are you hurt? Are you okay?" Marian asked, walking to Cardo to check his hand.

"Just a minor cut and bruise, Stepmum" Cardo said as Lucian watched, feeling a mix of anger and helplessness.

"Come with me, and I'll take care of that for you" Marian said, taking Cardo's hand as they headed upstairs.

Lucian remained still, feeling like an outsider. He turned to Fiona, who was still left cleaning up.

"Did he ask you to set me up with the snacks?" Lucian asked.

"No, Lucian, I wouldn't do that. We don't keep record of what goes into the fridge. I didn't know they were meant for him. I thought it was for everyone" Fiona explained.

"I believe you" Lucian said, his tone softening.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stand up for you. I know he lied" Fiona said regretfully.

"If defending me will get you into trouble, don't worry about it, Fiona" Lucian said, before turning and walking to his room, feeling dejected.