Jack
I looked for Quinn but I couldn’t find him afterwards. I wondered where he had gone to. After searching for him till afternoon, I got bored and went out to entertain myself. It had been long I saw the few friends around here and I took a drive there, hoping that I would be able to clear out my head while there.
I couldn’t stay home and drive myself crazy with Mia around. She infiltrated my thoughts both day and night and if I wasn’t careful, I was going to end up going to her room and make a fool of myself.
I got back home that night and decided to search for Quinn. He should have been back from wherever he went. I saw him on the villa’s balcony as I was driving back home and breathed in relief. That was good.
I sniffed as I got closer and frowned. He was drinking red wine. Quinn had stopped drinking and partying and only drank when he was bored or had something on his mind.
Since we were naval officers and always busy, it had been a long I saw him bored and couldn’t remember what he would look like if he had.
I wondered what he had on his mind and was about to ask what it was when I noticed bloodstains at the corner of his mouth.
I couldn’t help the smirk that was on my face as I walked towards him. There was only one explanation for the wound on his lip and I didn’t have to be a genius to know what it was.
“Is that design on your lips caused by the bite of our new stepsister, Quinn?” I teased.
I laughed and knew I was right when he hissed and warned me to be silent. “Shut it, dude. It’s late and you are shouting.”
I stifled my laughter. “I’m the one shouting but your conscience.” I said but didn’t continue teasing him.
We both turned at the sound of footsteps and sighed as we saw that it was John approaching us. As much as I enjoyed teasing Quinn, I would hate it if it was our father who had overheard what I had said and Quinn had to explain himself.
“It’s you, John.” Quinn and I said at the same time and smiled as we looked at each other.
John smiled. “Were you expecting someone else?”
“No.” Quinn said and I laughed at how quickly he shook his head with his response.
“Well, I thought we would all be expecting someone else.” John grinned. “Aren’t you surprised at the turn of events?”
“Mia? Yes, I’m surprised but glad.” I said.
“Me too.” John nodded. “She has grown up to be beautiful.”
I couldn’t have agreed more with that. “Yes, she is.”
“And with more fire than she had in the past.” Quinn grumbled.
I grinned, knowing that he was still mad that he had been caught off guard and Mia had done a number on his face. It seemed like she had done a number on his ego as well.
“Yeah, she has changed.” John nodded, not knowing what Quinn was really mad about. “Which is why we have to be careful. Dad seems to like her and we will all be dead meat if he finds out what we want to do to her.”
I nodded, agreeing with that as well. We all sighed and stared at the moon in silence. Saying that we would be dead meat if dad found out about our intentions towards our stepsister was an understatement.
Mia
I noticed how the triplets always calmed themselves down whenever their dad was around. I had thought Albert was a sweet guy with the way he talked to me and my mum and believed that he didn’t know about what his kids were like.
I realized that I was wrong about him the day I overheard him talking to them and found out to my greatest joy that he was strict with them. His voice wasn’t as gentle at all the way it used to be when he was with us and I had no doubt – even if I ever had – that he was a retired soldier.
He spoke to his sons like they were in the barracks rather than at home and they were his newly recruited men whom he had to drill the codes of the army into.
I loved that. That was something I could use to my advantage. I knew from experience that making threats didn’t work on the triplets but I hoped I could get them off my back if I threatened to report them to their dad.
I had found another weapon asides from the one that I already had, and I was all too happy to use it. I had a smile on my face for the first time since I had found out that the bullies from my past were my step-brothers as I went out for breakfast. I was already salivating on what the breakfast would taste like.
The cook knew his skills and I couldn’t wait to see the delicacies he had made up this morning. Maybe living here with my mother wouldn’t be as bad as I had envisioned.
Everyone was already seated at the table when I got there and I felt bad that I was some minutes late again. I really needed to start walking faster than I did whenever I was going to the dining hall. It would be nice for a change if someone else got to the table after me.
“Good morning.” I greeted as I sat down. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting.”
As usual, Albert and mum waved my apologies away. “Not at all, sweetheart. You aren’t that late.” Albert said, grinning at me.
With the way he treated me, I could swear that he had always wanted a daughter and saw in me the one he never had.
I was surprised though when the boys echoed the same thing and told me that I was welcome to the table. I turned my head sharply to their side, narrowing my eyes at them as I tried to detect if they were taunting me but it didn’t seem like they were. They had a knowing smirk on their faces though at the way I looked at them.
Albert smiled at the boys. “Now that everyone is here, shall we eat?”