Chapter VI

Lucas didn't know how he drifted to sleep last night. When he opened his eyes, the curtains were already open allowing the sunlight through. He could also hear the sound of running water from the bathroom.

"You're awake, good morning!" His mother greeted him. She seemed to be cleaning the bathroom. Lucas vaguely remembered throwing up last night.

"Sorry, mom," he suddenly felt his head aching.

"Hang over? Get up now, I prepared soup for you. I anticipated that you'd be feeling bad since your dad told me you were drinking last night." Mirriam gently said, making him feel guilty even more.

"Sorry, mom," he said again. How could he face his mother knowing that he brought an alcohol home?

"Lucas, don't do it again. I'll leave you to freshen up, but you must come down quickly before the soup gets cold. Alright?"

He nodded and Mirriam left his room. The thirty-year old Lucas Del Fierro suddenly felt like a child being scolded by his parents for doing something that he shouldn't have done.

He felt ashamed of himself.

Lucas slid out from the quilt and dragged himself towards the bath. His headache was terrible. Indeed, it's the only thing that drinking could offer. In the end, nothing changed. He's still heartbroken.

He took a quick shower before going down. His siblings were gathered around the table with their mother happily serving them the dishes she cooked.

Lucas smiled a sad smile. He had always dreamed of Jane doing the same to their own family. They were excited to get married and have a bunch of kids. But then, Jane left him without returning back.

He felt his chest tightened as anger rose in his heart once again.

'Dana, I would never ever forgive you! Not in this lifetime. Not even in the after life!'

"Lucas, there you are!" Mirriam took his hand and led him to his spot on the table.

Elijah, Ezekiel and Esther greeted him and expressed their happiness on having breakfast with him again. Levi, on the other hand, just looked at him without a word.

Maybe, he was still mad at him.

"Where's dad?" He asked.

"Oh, he left early. Somebody requested for a counselling." Mirriam answered while placing a bowl of soup in front of him. "Here, it's good for you."

"Thanks, mom."

"Lucas, are you staying today?" Elijah asked.

"I might," he answered. He realized that  he haven't eaten a meal with them for a long time. He also noticed that his younger siblings seemed to be a little scared of him, saved for Levi.

Levi was born when Lucas was only two years old. They were pretty close as their next sibling was born five years later. Ruth would've turned twenty-three this year. Then followed by the twins, Elijah first then Ezekiel, two years later. And of course, Esther, their youngest, had just turned nineteen.

When they were still complete, and that was just barely a year ago, they were very close to each other. Lucas loved spoiling his siblings, except for Levi of course, as the doctor always make it a point that he also takes care of everyone and not him being taken care of.

Perhaps, the only person he had allowed to take care of him besides their parents, and Lucas when he was younger, was his girlfriend, Myrtle.

Levi was more like Lucas' partner in making sure that their younger siblings were loved and well taken care of.

Yet, they failed Ruth. She died because none of her older brothers were by her side to protect her. It was painful for Lucas. He didn't only fail Ruth. He failed Jane, too. Where was he when they needed him? Abroad. Far, far away from home. And when he returned, gone was what used to be a warm welcome from his fiancee. Gone also was Ruth's bugging for things she would ask him to buy overseas.

"That's great! I need your help on something," Elijah added.

"Talk about it later, boys. Eat your breakfast first." Mirriam said while putting sunny side up egg on Esther's plate.

Lucas ate in silence. But often times, he would catch Esther sneaking glances at him. She seemed to be in disbelief that he was with them and a fight hadn't started yet.

He wanted to scold himself. Because he was very angry at one person, he had also ruined his relationship with everyone else, including those with the people he vowed to protect with his life.

Lucas came to a decision that he would make amends with his family. And to do that, he should go easy on Dana. Maybe it's also about time to change his approach towards her. If he couldn't make her cooperate with his death threats, then perhaps, a gentle approach would work.

A gentler approach that would seem like a harmless sheep on the outside but a dangerous wolf inside. He would make her fall helplessly in his trap.

Lucas smiled sinisterly in his heart. 'Looks like a plan now, Lucas.' He thought.

"Are you in a hurry, Levi?" Lucas asked when Levi got up.

"I'm seeing Myrtle before going to the hospital," Levi answered without looking at him.

"May I have a word with you? Just a minute..."

Levi seemed surprised in the gentleness of his voice. "Sure."

"Take it easy, boys..." Mirriam reminded before they left the dining room. Their mother was worried that they might end up punching each other's face.

--

"What are you looking at?" Danie snapped a finger in front of Jio's face. The teenager was staring at her like a love sick puppy. "Jio!"

She was helping him with his Math assignment and while she was busy discussing an equation to him, he suddenly became silent and unresponsive. When she looked at him, she found him staring at her and she couldn't help but laugh while shaking her head.

"Jio!" She poked his forehead. Jio blushed when he realized that he got lost in his thoughts while shamelessly staring at Danie. "Are you okay? You're not paying attention." Danie didn't tease Jio further. 

The boy had a serious trouble in Math and she wanted to make sure they eased that problem before he takes his examination the next day.

"Y-yeah!" Jio sat straight and refocused. "How did you get this again?" 

"That's what you get for not listening to me."

"I'm listening!" Jio insisted. "I just didn't hear the last one," he admitted shyly.

"Alright, I'll show you once more. Then you do the rest. I'll check your answers later." 

As an only child orphaned when she was just a baby, she didn't have any family member to teach her whenever she was having problems in school. But she did have tutors, different tutors in each subject in fact. Her Uncle made sure only the expert in a given field should teach the sole heiress of the Williams. He had been preparing her, so why did he...???-

"Snack break, you two." Tabitha entered Jio's room with a tray of sandwiches and juice in her hand.

Jio jumped off his seat at once.

"Hey!" She was almost done with explaining one problem but Jio didn't wait for her to finish.

"Jio," Tabitha glared at his son.

"You said it's snack break," the boy pouted, passing the blame to his mother.

"Go back, I'll just place it here. This could wait."

"It's alright, Auntie. We'll just continue later." Danie said.

"So sorry, Dana." Tabitha smiled softly. "Thank you for being patient with Jio. You know, even Jane had not as much patience with him. And his dad and I are too old to understand his lessons. It was simpler during our days..."

"Don't mention it, Auntie. This is the least I can do to help."

"You've done more for us than you think, Dana."

They both sat on Jio's bed while the boy was busy with his snack.

"We healed faster with you here with us," Tabitha continued while holding her hands lovingly like a mother to her child.

"But I-" she was responsible for Jane's death, wasn't she? How did she help them to recover? Didn't her existence make it more painful for them? Like what Lucas always tells her?

"Jane must go that time. It could or it couldn't be you who was with them when the accident happened. It was Jane and Ruth's way to go.

Stop blaming yourself because you were just an instrument used by God to take them with Him. I was just telling you that if you weren't here, my family, I as a mother, would've found it very difficult to let go of my first born. But with you, I still get to be a mother of two. But don't misunderstand, I know that you're not my Jane." Tabitha looked at her with teary eyes. "And when you're ready to go back to your old life, we will support you. But now, we're happy with you filling in my daughter's place."

Tabitha hugged Danie.

Guilt flooded her heart once again. How could she ever repay the kindness that they have bestowed upon her?

Could she ever do better than lie to their faces everyday?

It had been a year, would it be safe if she would choose to go back to the mansion now?

Danie realized that in the span of one full year, she didn't do any attempt to find out what had already happened at home after she left. The Williams were always in the business news, she would be able to know something for sure.

But perhaps, she wouldn't be able to know if they were looking for her. Who knew that a certain Danielle Williams exists other than those who work closely in their family?

She was supposed to be introduced after she completed her Doctorate degree in business in the US. But when she returned home, her Uncle went missing without a trace. And it caused havoc in the Williams' empire.

Her grandfather said it wasn't the right timing to suddenly introduce her to the public. Few months later, Justus Williams returned, and he was a totally different person.

As a matter of unbelievable fact, he sought the life of the very girl he raised, Danielle.

Thinking about it, did her grandfather know what happened to his only grandchild?

But what prevented Danie on knowing the answers to those questions was she wanted to play safe. Researching about the Williams might raise suspicions that she was just pretending to lose her memory. Of course, Lucas already saw through her pretense, but she couldn't risk another knowing her secret.

"So, thank you, Dana. For choosing to stay with us," Tabitha let her go because the doorbell was ringing. "Eat your snack."

"It's Lucas," said Jio who was looking outside the window.

Danie's heart skipped a beat upon hearing the man's name. What did she do wrong this time that he had to come?

"Maybe he's here for something else, don't over think," Tabitha said before leaving the room.

Tabitha was right. Besides, she was already trying her best to avoid him. It was impossible that she still offended him in any way unbeknownst to her.

Danie gradually relaxed as she took a bite off the sandwich.

"We will resume after five minutes. Finish your snack." She told Jio.

"Okay, but can I have the last sandwich please?"

Danie looked at the boy in disbelief. There were six sandwiches originally. Jio had already finished three while she was talking to Tabitha. He was eating his fourth and now asking for the last piece on the tray.

"So I'll just have one?" Actually, she already lost her appetite when Lucas arrived. She just wanted to tease Jio. "What a voracious kid!"

"It's my favorite," he answered, using puppy eyes to convince her.

"Alright, on one condition," she agreed. "Go and answer problem number six on your own. If you can answer it correctly, I'll let you have the last sandwich."

"That's not fair," Jio pouted.

"You already ate four, I only had one. Do you think it's fair?"

"No, but-"

"Come on, just try it. Who knows, I will also give you my chocolate in the fridge." She wiggled her eyebrows at him and he broke into a huge smile.

He had been wanting to ask her some of her chocolates.

"I'll do it!" Jio returned to his study table.

She watched him with a little smile on her lips.

'Jio, if I could go back home, I promise that i'll spoil you with everything that I have.'

Danie finished her sandwich and just sat on Jio's bed while waiting for the boy to finish answering.

She had told herself to relax but the knowledge that the man who hated her the most was downstairs made her uneasy. What if he'd tell Tabitha to get rid of her?

What if... so many what ifs and Danie found herself becoming more nervous each passing second.

"I'm done!" Jio excitedly shouted. "Dana, look."

Danie realized that she spaced out when Jio needed to shove his notebook to her face before she noticed him.

"Look!"

"Wait," she struggled to come back to her senses a bit. "Wow! See, you know how to do it!" Danie happily added. "So I guess, I'm saying good bye to this sandwich."

"And? And? And?" Jio was very excited in anticipation.

"And?" Danie grinned. "Of course, the chocolates!"

"Yes!!!" The boy made a winning gesture before he ran out of the room.

"Jio!"

Danie was left smiling. She threw herself on Jio's bed and tried to relax by closing her eyes. Perhaps, she was just over thinking.

She was about to fall asleep when Tabitha entered the room.

"Dana," she called.

"Yes, Auntie?" She smiled and got up from the bed. "Did Lucas leave already?" He had to be. It's been thirty minutes since he arrived. Surely, he didn't need much time to say the purpose of his sudden visit.

"Not yet," Tabitha shook her head and looked at her gently. "He came to see you."

Danie's smile faded and was immediately replaced with fear.

"S-see me?"

"He wanted to talk to you. But don't worry, I won't go too far. I'll make sure he wouldn't hurt you." Tabitha's words were reassuring. But Danie had seen enough of Lucas' cruel ways to calm down even a bit. "Lucas promised me that he just wanted a word with you."

"C-can I refuse, Auntie?" She was really hesitant.

"Dana, don't be afraid of Lucas. He's in our territory, he would do you no harm."

She contemplated for a moment before finally nodding. Even when her whole being refused to agree with her decision.

Tabitha smiled and took her hand.

"He's at the back. Ease your worry, I'll be watching."

Danie's heart was almost on her throat. She couldn't breath properly.