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Even the devil knows... When to show his sharp claws.

Let's not forget he was once a beautiful angel that deceived many with a gentle smile on his face.

Even he knows how to put on a white porcelain mask— when he needs to.

-Little Emma's

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-Chapter 18--Behind closed doors-

-Emma's: Point of view-

The two gorgeous ladies made their way up the flight of stairs while holding their belongings and their partners' fine suit blazers. Today they are sleeping in the guy's bedrooms with their drunk husbands.

Both ladies kept giving the twin guys apologetic looks. They must be feeling a little mortified for the chaotic event that happened, a few minutes ago.

My eyes gravitated to Leo and oddly he had a soft frown displayed on his sharp features, my eyes trail towards what he was observing so intensely... Like whatever he was so focused on right now— He wasn't liking it one bit.

My heart reduced in speed when I noticed how close my body was to Kevin's body, and how he still had his enormous hand on my left thigh.

My mind was so immersed in other things that this slipped out of my focus completely.

I began to tug off his big hand from my thigh but Kevin instead tightened his hard iron grip. As his cold grey eyes cast down at me.

"Please... let go," I whispered to him when he wasn't showing any sign of letting go of my thigh. Does he really want to get in trouble with his mother?

"Please, Kevin," I whispered again, trying not to get Ms.Nancy to notice what was going on. She already seemed like she wasn't in a good mood. And the last thing I need is unnecessary attention from her. Especially with the unpleasant energy, she's emitting in full force, right now.

A soft sigh of relief exited my lips when he finally let go of my thigh.

A little frown emerged on his face that was being illuminated by the soft colorful glow from the T.v... It seems like he doesn't like that I was creating some space between us when I scooted over a bit on the long navy blue couch.

And as if my brain wanted to humiliate me more... The memory of me kissing him on my own a few minutes ago crossed my mind in full colors.

My cheeks heated up… And I began to avoid his sharp piercing stare that bore holes into my skin. Gosh, I should have let him throw the plate full of food to the floor. But my heart and mind couldn't let me do that, especially how Leo takes time off his busy day to feed me and keep me company.

On the other hand, Ms.Nancy hasn't yet noticed our little interaction. Her mind and attention were still on the two ladies gracefully ascending the stairs.

As usual, Ms.Nancy looked stunning. Her gold-colored sparkly dress that shines with any source of light complimented her pale skin and bright gold hair that were in soft beach waves today.

Even when she seemed a bit irritated by the course of events that unfolded today, she looked angelic.

I wonder… What is running through her mind right now? Hopefully, they're positive thoughts and nothing bad.

The only noise filling the silent thick atmosphere was the colorful happy animation playing on the Tv screen. It was the total opposite of the gloomy feeling that hangs thickly in the air. It was almost suffocating to be here. My nerves were all over the place expecting something bad to happen at any moment.

Ms.Nancy started to speak in a tired tone "Both of you are going to sleep on the couch tonight.

Emma, it's time for bed. Hurry up."She motions her right manicured hand to emphasize for me to go up the flight of stairs.

At first, I was going to tell her that I haven't finished eating... But then... My body automatically rapidly got up from my seat and went up the stairs… It's like my body was alerting me to not infuriate her more. It seems like she was going to erupt at any given time, if I stayed there and sat on the couch, any longer.

When I was about to stroll down the dimmed quiet hallway a piercing sharp sound made me completely halt my movement altogether.

'Was that my brain playing tricks on me just now, I swear I heard something'

" Slap." The sound this time boomed clearly throughout the quiet atmosphere, making my eyes go wide. A trillion thoughts went through my brain, trying to figure out what was happening downstairs.

Ears dropping is not good... But the intense curiosity tugging at my brain got the best of me.

My eyes tightly close shut, as I submerge my whole focus on the sounds flowing from downstairs.

All my ears could pick up is the happy animation faintly playing in the background making it harder for me to hear any movements.

Who just got slapped?

Was it just a fraction of my imagination? Nah

"You good for nothing bastard. "A low quiet feminine voice spit out in a venomous tone.

My poor heart plummeted to the sound of her detached cold voice. For a minute there my mind pictured my Mother downstairs with the guys and not Ms.Nancy.

The anger in her voice is crystal clear that I don't have to be standing in front of her, to know that she is furious.

I simply wonder... Who she's talking to like that?

"How dare you talk to Mrs. Young like that… Did She ask you for an opinion?" Another sharp piercing slap rips through the quiet atmosphere. This time my body automatically flinched to the loud sharp sound that cut through the thick air with ease.

"Do you want me to show you how to behave, again?

I guess you think that you could do whatever you want in front of her, right? "Then I heard it, again.

'What is she talking about? Misbehave… him... when? ' The more I listened to her speak the more my brain couldn't understand what he did wrong in front of her and the guests.

And the more I heard her hitting him the more my poor heart dropped lower and lower, her voice almost sounded demonic every time she let words out.

"When I give you an order to do something. You fucking do it." Then a sharp piercing sound followed after her words, again. I felt that one in my bones and I'm not even the one receiving the harsh blows.

She was slapping him with all her force. A tinge of guilt stabbed my soul for that one, It was my fault he couldn't move because I was clinging onto him like a frightened child.

Why did I halt him from following his mother's orders? Why did my body cling to him like that?

"Because you're a coward who was going to use him as a shield if things got out of hand." My subconscious shot at me, without a shot being fired.

Then an image when I first saw them in the hospital for the first time flashed through my mind. My mind could already vividly picture how Kevin's looking right now. He probably looks hurt and deflated while he clenched his hands tightly into a tight ball, to not hit her.

I mean... If he ever does hit her, he would probably send her flying across the room. She was a chihuahua standing in front of a muscular Doberman. Who probably was on the verge of snapping her head off her shoulders if she kept on going with her harsh slaps.

Does she not fear his size?

How many times is she going to slap him that hard?

Why isn't he defending himself?

Why isn't he telling her that it is my fault he couldn't move and follow her order? Just why?

Who am I kidding, if I was in his shoes right now standing in front of her, I will be as silent as a mouse withstanding the pain without moving a single muscle to not incite her more, until it's over.

"Can you stop it? It's not his fault that things didn't go your way today.

If you have a fucking problem with Richard take your anger and frustration out on him and... Leave. Kevin. The. Hell. Alone. " This is the first time I hear Leo this pissed off. His voice went a few octaves lower making a chilly shiver run up my spine.

The anxiety pulsating through my veins spiked higher when she kept talking in such a harsh way towards them.

Is she a little tipsy? Because no person in their right mind would say those harsh things…

"Am I talking to you? You ungrateful bastard. Last time, I checked the one I'm talking to is the bastard standing over here."She retorted quickly without missing a single beat.

"Leon," Kevin said in a low calm voice. There was a hint of warning in his cold tone. My brain mentally sketched how his grey eyes were looking, right now... They were definitely void of all emotions.

As quietly as possible I tiptoed myself down the dark hall with my beating heart on my sleeve. Hearing her high-heeled clicking against the wooden floor and making her way up the flight of stairs made me speed up my faint footsteps.

When I finally made it inside my dark bedroom…. A sigh of relief exited my lips as my back pressed itself up against the smooth surface of the white door. My right trembling hand pressed itself down against my rapidly beating heart... That's right now feeling like it was going to burst out of my chest if I stayed there hearing them any longer.

The sound of her white high-heels clicking down the dim hallway made another brief sigh leave my lips… Relieved that she didn't catch me red-handed.

If she caught me eavesdropping into their private conversation... I don't know if she would have gone easy on me, or straight out slapped the living soul out of me for not heeding to her orders earlier — on going to my bedroom and going to sleep.

A few minutes passed by... And now my body is laying on the soft mattress as my heavy eyes are fixated on the window just replaying everything that just happened a while ago.

No matter how much I attempt to doze off and erase everything from my memory. My brain wouldn't let me do that at all.

It just doesn't want me to be at peace.

And for the icing on the cake, it doesn't let me focus on anything else but on that alone.

Plus, my heart doesn't let me doze off knowing there are three, drunk guys, out of their clear senses right now.

Did I lock my bedroom door? I should double-check.

When I was preparing myself to get up from the mattress and check my door if it's locked. My eyes rapidly closed shut when the door of my bedroom softly creaked open.

"Is she asleep?"

"I guess, it has been a few minutes... So she must be asleep."Kevin let out softly, as faint footsteps made themselves inside the dark quiet bedroom.

"Maybe, we should just sleep downstairs tonight. Kev."

“Nah, I rather sleep here tonight. Unlike, you brother... I don't want her to come back and continue her fit of rage on me. Remember, today is my turn.

Plus, you know I hate sleeping on the couch. I rather sleep in a warm bed tonight than on an uncomfortable couch. ” The light footsteps get closer to the bed.

"Kev, You should at least put some ice on that before it gets swollen. "

"I'm too tired for that shit. Right now. " their faint steps got nearer to the bed" You know how she is if she sees it healed, she would continue her bullshit the next day."

"Damn it, You should have let me kill her that day when I had the chance... " Leo whispered under his breath bitterly. When I heard him say those words in an icy tone, the blood in my nerves ran cold as my heart speeded up.

"It wouldn't be fun if she gets off so easily, Right?"

"Right, " Leo grumbles out slowly as the mattress from my left side sank a little to his weight.

In seconds, a pair of muscular arms draped over my body. It seems like I have become their favorite body pillow. Their warmth instantly wraps itself around me, It felt like… My body is wrapped inside a warm silky cocoon.

"Bro, loosen up on the hug before she wakes up."

"What are you gonna do about it if I don't?" The way he says that so playfully made the burning uneasiness that was building up in my chest extinguish at a rapid pace.

"Well... if she wakes up and tells me to drag you off the bed and throw you out the window, I would do it without mercy for free." Leo hums softly as his body gets closer to mine.

Kevin chuckles out softly to his words as he snuggles more into me too. Feeling his warm breath on the nape of my neck made my nerve tingle all over. I can even feel the tingling sensation on my fingertips.

Hearing them fooling around eases my nerves a little bit. And I don't know, why? Maybe it's because I'm not very used to hearing Leo make dark gloomy comments like that. Hopefully, he was just saying that out of frustration.

When soft steady breathing patterns filled the dark bedroom, I… as gently as humanly possible turned my body around towards Kevin. My eyes squinted a little— Trying to adjust to the darkness that consumed the bedroom.

Today the moonlight wasn't providing so much brightness to see.

My face got a little closer to his. The first thing my eyes could make out was the small cut on the right side of his lips.

My fingertips brushed lightly on his right cheek... Then it halted when a soft smile appeared on his lips… He must be having a nice dream.

Damn, She did go all out this time. And on top of that, It seems like his right cheek is getting a little swollen.

It's all my fault that he got hit so hard. If only he followed her orders... Perhaps she would have gone a little easy on him and not be so upset.

I don't even know why I even care to be honest. He's such a jerk... Sometimes. Let me rephrase that' He's such a jerk... All the time' especially when he bullies me for no reason.

But... He did nothing wrong in front of her and her guests. If I recall correctly all he did was sit there and watch everything unfold and also ease out the awkwardness of the brunette words. She didn't even seem offended, more surprised and apologetic than offended.

The more my mind ponders on finding what he did wrong the more my brain and eyes started to hurt.

It seems like I've to be extra careful around Ms. Nancy. From the bottom of my heart, I hope my dad is not like that when he gets extremely furious... If one of us doesn't follow his orders.

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