571: [Bonus chapter]Brothers

[Bonus chapter]Brothers

Silas spent that night trying to break through the door, where he could hear his mother screaming inside. But to no avail. He was too young and weak and helpless to help his mother from his father's merciless clutch.  1

That night, he realized that the loveliness in their homes wouldn't come back. His father had changed into someone he didn't know. Although he didn't have a full understanding, just like his mother, of why this was happening, Silas was aware they would break up. That was fine, though. 

At a tender age, Silas thought it was better if his parents separated instead of seeing his mother get beaten up every night. It was better than seeing her cry every single day. 

[Zhu Old Residence]

"Young Master Silas, do you want anything else?" 

Silas looked up at the middle-aged man smiling down at him. He was currently in the pavilion in the north wing, being served with countless snacks — all his favorites. 

"Butler Fu, where is my mom?" he asked the man, not tempted to enjoy everything the man served him. 

Butler Fu had this warm smile on his face, just like how he remembered it. "The young madam is with the Madam, Young Master Silas. She'll join you once they finish talking."

"Are we going to live in here from now on?" he asked again. "Butler Fu, can you tell Grandma to let us live in here? My daddy is just hurting my mom and I don't want her to cry anymore."

The smile on Butler Fu's face cracked a little, but still able to maintain it. "For sure, the Madam will want you to stay here if she hears about that."

Silas didn't understand Butler Fu's remarks at this time. Although the butler was clear with his statement, it just wasn't enough for Silas to get a full grasp of why Butler Fu worded his sentence that way. 

"For now, don't worry about the adult matters," said Butler Fu gently. "Please, enjoy the snacks the Madam prepared for you. She was very elated when she heard you were visiting the manor. Right, Young Master?"

Butler Fu and Silas slowly shifted their eyes to the chubby boy sitting across from Silas in the pavilion. The chubby boy with thick glasses was none other than Dominic. 

"You're lying." Dominic slowly raised his eyes at his cousin, keeping a straight face. "Uncle Leon will never hurt Auntie Olivia."

Silas frowned. Although both kids had a resemblance to each other, Dominic's weight and the fat on his face almost concealed that.

"I'm not lying!" Silas argued, raising his voice in defense. "My daddy hurts my mother and I've seen it! They were arguing and my mommy always cries! I'm telling the truth."

"Uncle Leon is not like that."

"What do you know?!"

"Because I always stay with him."

Silas clenched his teeth and balled his hands on his lap. Nothing was more frustrating than being called a liar by someone who knew nothing about the situation. However, Silas couldn't fully blame Dominic. After all, at this point, Silas already knew how his father could act like a decent human being to the outside and then put down that mask behind closed doors. 

"But if it turns out that you're telling the truth, Grandma will surely scold him." Dominic slowly gazed down at the book in his hands. "Don't worry about anything anymore. I'm sure Grandma will resolve this issue for you."

"Young Master Silas, the young master is right." Butler Fu offered Silas a warm smile. "Let the adults deal with the problem at hand. It's not something you should worry about. I'm certain the madam will think of ways to resolve it."

Silas pursed his lips into a thin line as he gazed up at Butler Fu once again. "Alright."

"The madam prepared all your favorites. Please enjoy them." Butler Fu patiently served Silas, asking the young boy which one he wanted to eat first. Meanwhile, Dominic remained silent as he read the book. 

"Dom, how was your little brother?" Silas inquired as he calmed down and recovered from their previous argument. "I haven't seen the baby."

"He's loud."

"Huh?" Silas cocked his head to the side, blinking innocently. "That's all?"

Dominic slowly peeled his attention from the book to look at his cousin. "Mom and Dad stop bothering me when my little brother arrives. Although sometimes they still want to take me out because they feel guilty they don't give me enough attention, I tell them to just take care of the baby."

"I see him as the best excuse to read my books in peace," he continued in the same plain tone. "I hope he takes all the attention from me."

Silas went silent as he studied his cousin, eating his tart as he hummed. "I want to have a little brother too."

"Then you can have my brother."

"You can't just give a baby away."

"Then just stay with us and become his big brother as well."

Silas pursed his lips into a thin line before he asked, "You won't get angry?"

"Why would I?" Dominic blinked. "You're already his brother, anyway. It's just you don't live with us."

"I'm your brother too?"

"If you're not, I will not come here when I should be doing some proper reading in the library."

Silas's cheeks turned a little pinkish at Dominic's response. Dominic might be annoying sometimes and often think he is older than everyone. However, Silas really admired his cousin. His cousin was only a few months older than him, but he was truly smart and mature. Hearing Dominic say Silas was his brother somehow warmed up his heart.

"After this, can I see the baby?" he asked Dominic excitedly. "Dom, I want to see the baby! Can you take me to him?"

Dominic pondered about it for a moment before he nodded. "Sure."

The excitement in Silas's eyes shone, making Butler Fu, who stood on the side to supervise the young masters, couldn't help but laugh. Just a moment ago, they were arguing. But now, they were getting along well. Still, deep in Butler Fu's heart, he was concerned at Silas's previous remarks. It was the total opposite of what Olivia claims, after all. 

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