I haven't been replying to comments these days.

Enjoy.

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Not being able to bear the suffocating silence anymore, I got up from the couch. Extending my hand, I waited for Rose to put her hand in mine and started walking to our room.

We didn't speak anything and walked to the room silently. My head hurt from the constant beeping in my ear that made me feel like I was deaf.

I opened the door and waited for Rose to enter, before entering myself and striding straight to the balcony after closing the door.

"What a slut you are, Amira. Kissing boys from school just for fun? Your friend gave me a long list of boys you've interacted with," Lucas said, slamming me against the wall, causing my head to hit the wall hard.

My head started spinning and his words took a little too long to register.

"So what?" I groaned.

"So what?" He asked, looking at me ridiculously.

I nodded my head.

"So what if I'm a slut, Lucas?" A smile appeared on my face, my expressions a mixture of pain and mock. "That list is incomplete though. Sera forgot to add half of the names to the list."

I chuckled when confusion morphed his ugly features, making this monster uglier.

"Was your mother a monster?" I asked, watching him clench his jaw. "I wonder how she married that angel of a man."

"She wasn't. Stop talking about her," Lucas gritted in return.

"Oh she wasn't?" I mocked, feeling a pain in my chest spread as I looked into Lucas' blue eyes. His eyes resembled Dad's in every way possible.

"I wonder how you can be Elijah Verlice's blood son," I spat, my eyes turning into slits as I saw the anger now swimming in his eyes.

"You're being a little too mouthy today."

"Just be the guardian you claim to be, Lucas. Don't make a fuss about things we both know you don't care about. I don't see why you need to find a reason to hurt me when we both know you do it to satisfy the monster you are," I spat. Seconds later, I found myself thrown across the room like a ragdoll.

'A true Verlice doesn't bow down to anyone, much less a bully. We fight for our family and we do it with our head held high.'

Standing up with my head held high, I chuckled.

"How did you learn how to hurt someone, Lucas?" I said, clutching the side of my stomach. Watching the anger on his face was so satisfying sometimes. I could see him getting aggravated from the lack of expressions on my face.

"Because from what I know about your biological father aka my dad, he didn't have this 'quality'," I said, tilting my head to the side. "I'm sorry your mom wasn't smart enough to knock some humanity into her kid."

"Why are you blaming my mom?" He gritted, clenching his hands into fists. He looked about ready to kill me.

"Because if The Elijah Verlice can raise and love two kids who weren't his own, he couldn't have failed with his own blood." I let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Your mom must've made a huge mistake somewhere."

"Shut it, Bitch. If you talk about my-" I clicked my tongue, cutting him off.

"Struck a nerve, did I?" I chuckled, watching him grab the knife from the table and stalk towards me.

My nails dug into my arm, pulling me back to reality. A deep shaky breath filled my lungs as I trembled slightly.

Things keep going back to where we started. One moment there's nothing but love and care all around the house and the next moment we disagree and someone gets hurt.

"I think you hurt him." A soft voice mumbled from behind me.

Guilt settled in my stomach just by hearing those words.

"I didn't. I simply stated the truth." I shrugged.

"When the truth hurts somebody, it's better to not say it," She muttered.

"It shouldn't hurt him, Rose. Everyone knows who my father is and saying that Lucian has taken his place is disrespect to Dad and everything he's done for me," I said, turning around to face her.

"But Lucian is trying his best to be the father figure for us," She mumbled, looking down when she made eye contact with me.

"Is it bad that I don't want him to be the father figure? That I just want him to be a brother and leave my father and his throne alone," I said. I found myself getting angry with every word I spoke. I hate these complications in my life. "Elijah Verlice is the only father I know, Rose and no one is going to come up to me and say that someone has taken his place. No one can ever match what he was."

"I get what you're trying to say, Levi. I know we can't just let him take Dad's place but we can create a similar place for him," Rose said, stepping closer cautiously. She walked until she was standing before me. Reaching out she took my hands in hers.

"I know you're hurting. I know it feels like you're replacing Dad. It's actually not like that," she said, looking up into my eyes finally. "You're really strong, Levi. But you still need someone who keeps you safe and looks out for you more than a brother does."

I opened my mouth to say something, but she quickly shushed me.

"You know better than me. Lucian wants to fulfil the empty space, so we feel complete. Do you think it's fair that he needs to grow up and think like the father of six children, just because he doesn't want them to feel their parents' absence?" She said. I looked away and clenched my jaw. "Because that's what he's been doing for our brothers and now he's trying to do the same for us."

Just because the boys needed that, does not mean we need that too. It does not mean I need that too.

"He's doing so much by choice, Levi. He's adding onto his stress just so we could feel like normal children. If he's trying so much, we can try too. We can create a place for him, similar to Dad's," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Dad won't mind."

I looked at our hands, holding each other's tightly and pondered over her words.

Finally letting out a slow nod, I looked up into her eyes again.

"I think he would," I mumbled, watching her face go blur as tears gathered in my eyes. "How could he bear to see me putting someone in his position?"

I looked down again, wiping my tears on my shoulder.

"I know we're disagreeing here, Levi. I can't change your opinion. But please don't say that to his face," she said. "You don't want to give him that place? That's okay. Leave it unsaid, please."

I nodded after a while.

How often do you get called to Asher's office?

Not often.

And honestly, I was scared out of my mind. Maybe even more than when I'm called to Lucian's office.

I retreated my hand for the third time, stopping it from reaching the knob. Shuffling my feet, I took a deep shaky breath in, thinking of all the possibilities. All the turns this conversation could take.

'Maybe this is the time he shows his true self.'

I shook my head when the bitch spoke that.

It took me about two minutes more to gain my composure and knock, while holding the doorknob in the other.

My heart rate sped up when the 'come in' sounded. Gulping down the lump in my throat, I turned the knob and opened the door slightly.

Immediately, the warmth of the room hit me, but the always warm brother standing there, radiating a cold aura made the atmosphere freezing.

Asher was leaning against his desk. His arms crossed across his chest and his legs crossed at the ankles. As soon as I stepped in and shut the door softly, he pushed the chair closest to him back. That gave me the clue that I was expected to be sitting there.

I nodded to myself and walked over to the chair slowly, avoiding meeting his gaze at any cost.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a long time, during which I focused on my fiddling thumbs.

"Dad has always been ignorant. Neglecting even," he began finally. That almost made me look up but I remembered he was slightly mad and stopped my gaze at the desk. "Lucian was twenty when he took over the business. He had spent twenty years of his life away from the family he had but couldn't cherish."

The way he was telling it made my heart thump faster. Like a sad story, tragic even and suddenly I had dread settle in my stomach. Somehow, I couldn't bear Lucian being the main character of a tragic story.

"Dad turned his back to us completely the day Lucian took over. That's why Lucian had to bear the responsibilities of the business, Mafia and the family. He started being the parent to all of us, including me. He's given his everything so we don't feel our parents' absence."

Rose's observation of everything was so precise.

"And honestly, we never felt it," He added. "We needed a father figure. Every teenager does."

"I can't just give my Dad's place to someone."

Yes I thought maybe I had my Dad back because Asher was so much like him. But I've never seen him as the father figure. I've never put him in his place. I could never give that place to anyone.

"And no one's asking you to do that," Asher said. "But he's in a similar position now. Not the same but a similar place. He is the father figure here but he's not your dad or at his place. He has a different place of his own as your parent."

I stayed silent after that. His words made sense but they didn't at the same time.

"Look sweetheart. You're getting a little too caught up with the past," he said. Hearing the word of endearment made me look up quickly. Like that was the word that could heal everything if said by Asher. Like I had never heard it and craved to hear it.

His face held much softer expressions than when I first entered. The warmth had returned.

"No one can ever be what Elijah Verlice was to you. No one is capable of taking his place, not me, not Lucian, no one. There's no need to be insecure about it." I blinked when his arms uncrossed and his hand came to rest on my head. His touch felt warm like always.

"This head of yours is thinking too much," he said, raising his hand and patting my head once. "What you need to do is let go of these boundaries you're making between yourself and us. Those boundaries are hurting you for a long time and now they've started hurting people around you too."

"I think it shouldn't hurt him," I mumbled, lowering my gaze again.

"You think?" He chuckled. I nodded my head quickly.

"Not even after he gave his everything to raise four teenagers? After he ignored his own wishes and personal life to be there at every point?" He asked. I bit the inside of my lip.

"Do you think it wouldn't hurt him when he tries his best to be the father we never had, only to be told that he isn't even a father figure?" He continued. "He didn't raise you, but he puts himself in that position when it comes to all of us, including you and Rose. That's the only thing he's holding onto for happiness."

"Everyone has their weak points, Bunny. There's always something that we don't want anyone to snatch away. Lucian finds happiness in providing us with what we lack. That's his way of being satisfied with life even after being ripped of the happiness a kid and a teenager has," he said.

Guilt coiled at my throat, making it suffocating.

"I'm sorry."

Asher sighed.

"Your only mistake is that you said it out loud to his face. You're allowed to have a say but you're not allowed to hurt someone through your words."

I nodded, keeping my gaze at my hands.

"Alright, sweetheart. I think that's enough stress for today. Come here."

I jumped up at once on hearing the tone he said it in. Like the warmest light you could find to brighten up the room.

Asher pushed himself off of his desk too and stood up straight just in time. I collided with his torso before he even raised his arms to offer me the hug.

His signature warm kiss was placed on my head. That caused my grip to tighten and for me to take a deep breath.

"Don't draw boundaries anymore, Bunny. We're all a family now," he muttered against my head and proceeded to place another kiss on the top of my head.

I nodded into his chest, trying to focus on his words, instead of the soothing heartbeat that was filling my ears and filling my body with relief.

"You said, he was happy. Why don't I see it?" I mumbled when Asher didn't speak anything else. He was silent for a while before he spoke.

"Lucian has actually lost all of his love. He's given that love to us so he could fit in that place of a father. No matter how much we reciprocated that love back to him, it never seems enough," he said.

It isn't enough?

I looked up with furrowed eyebrows. How could that much love not be enough?

Asher noticed the visible confusion on my face and sighed.

"Take it like this. Our hearts are trying to give him love but the walls aren't going clear for us, no matter what we do. His heart likes to hide away and rejoice on its own, rather than share his happiness with anyone."

"He has a shy heart," I said. My eyes widened with realization when it clicked. That's why he seems so emotionless.

His heart doesn't want to make it's presence known. That's why Lucian gives no clues as to what is going on behind his scary robotic exterior.

"We can say that," Asher said, nodding his head slowly.

"That's why he's scary?"

Confusion crossed his features.

"What?"

"Hearts are meant to love and love isn't scary. It's the opposite. Since his heart is hiding, his love isn't visible either. That's why he's scary." I nodded my head as I spoke.

Slowly, the confusion on Asher's face faded away and a smile settled on his face.

"Yes. That's right," He spoke after a few moments of silently staring at me.

I jumped a little when a knock sounded on the door.

"Yes?" Asher said. He tore his gaze away from my face and looked towards the door. I turned my head to look at the door but turned back around when Lucian entered the office.

I gulped. I'm not ready to face him yet.

I peeked up at Asher, pleading through my eyes but he just shook his head.

"You called," Lucian said, after a while.

"I wanted to discuss something," Asher answered. As the sound of his heavy footsteps echoed in my ears, I became more aware of the scene.

Immediately, pushing myself away from Asher, I stood before him.

"I'll go now," I mumbled, not looking into Asher's eyes. The footsteps had long stopped and I heard the creak of the chair, indicating Lucian had taken a seat.

"You're not dismissed." Asher shook his head. I frowned but didn't protest. Not like I could even if I wanted to. "Take a seat."

Gingerly taking a seat beside Lucian, I looked at Asher. He moved to sit in his desk chair, looking between both of us.

"You need to work on your relationship." That's the first he said. I blinked. Silence fell as Asher looked between me and Lucian.

"We are." Two voices rang in the previously silent room. Lucian's heavy voice almost made my small one inaudible.

"Oh?" Asher stated. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. Tilting his head in confusion, he raised an eyebrow.

Looking more intimidating than I've ever seen him .

The sudden urge to look to my side to gauze Lucian's reaction had me turn my head. I stopped just when Lucian entered my vision.

Before any of us could speak, Asher continued.

"Because I don't see you two hanging out like normal siblings. I don't see Lucian offering to drop or pick the little twins up from places. I don't see you joking around him. All the little bonding moments I'm seeing are just improving your guardian-child relationship."

Each accusing sentence made me realize just how this journey to a proper brother-sister relationship is going.

Our pace is too slow.

"We've seen you grow from a brother to a father figure, Lucian." My head snapped up when Asher started addressing our elder brother, who was the boss of every place he stepped foot on. Who was so scary, I doubt even grown adults aren't terrified.

Asher kept his gaze on Lucian. I turned my head to see Lucian matching Asher's stare, his eyes widened just a little. He blinked in confusion.

"But all Bunny and Rose have seen is a father figure," Asher continued. "They need their brother as much as they need a father figure."

"I can't give them that now," Lucian replied, putting his elbows on the arms of the chair.

My eyes must've been deceitful because I'm sure I saw Asher's gaze harden. A stern expression rested on his face now, a big contrast to the warm brother sitting there a moment ago.

"And you said you were trying?" He said, raising an eyebrow.

"You know I can't do that, Asher."

The almost pleading tone in Lucian's voice made me turn my head to look at him properly.

And I was surprised yet again when I saw the storm of emotions behind his silver-gray eyes.

"Well, you are going to do that, Lucian. Trust me one more time and try," Asher said. His tone had softened by the end.

Lucian sighed, before slowly turning his head towards me. I whipped my head around to face Asher.

"I'm sorry, Bunny," Lucian said. "For trying to take a place that isn't mine."

My heart picked up the pace as sadness and guilt settled in. I really shouldn't have said it to his face.

"It was my fault too. I shouldn't have said that," Asher muttered, looking at me apologetically.

That look did not look good on Asher's face.

I gulped.

"It wasn't your fault. I'm sorry for being mean." I looked up and turned my head to face Lucian. "It's obvious a guardian is a parent figure. But I can't just accept anyone as a father figure right now."

Funny how we want the opposite thing. He wants to be the father figure while I just want him to be a brother.

"Meet each other halfway." Asher's voice sounded. That made my head to turn on its own and face him. "You both need to accept both the relations. A brother-sister and guardian-child relationship."

My gaze lowered. If that's the only solution,

"Okay."

Again, two voices said that, complete opposites. But, this time, I felt a hand ruffling my hair, when we said that at the same time.

I looked up and found a soft smile on Lucian's face.

"I'm trying, Bunny and I'll try harder. Let's forget this disagreement too and try to meet each other halfway."

"I'll try too," I said. A smile made its way to my lips when his widened.

My gaze was set on that smile. Looking closely, I noticed the small dimples that formed on the corners of his smile.

I blinked, not quite believing my eyes.

A gasp escaped my mouth, startling the two.

"You have dimples when you smile!" I pointed at his face.

Lucian blinked. His smile dropped as he stared at me for a long time. I dropped my hand that was pointing at him and cleared my throat. Maybe I embarrassed myself by looking weird.

"Do they look pretty?" Came the voice from my side.

I still can't digest Lucian knows that word.

I jumped up in response, a grin showing on my face without my knowledge.

"Yes they do. Mom had them too," I said. His smile appeared again, making the dimples visible.

Why don't I have them? I want!

"I want," I mumbled, turning my head to look at Asher. Asher started laughing which caused a pout to appear on my face.

"We'll go buy a set for you when we go out," He joked. I stifled a laugh and looked at Lucian again.