Building The Strongest Family

The grand living room of the Osborn estate was enveloped in an eerie silence, pindrop silent.

This was not the comforting hush of a peaceful morning; it was a thick, charged stillness that hung in the air like the calm before a storm.

The tension was palpable, filling the lavish space with muted gasps and wide-eyed stares.

Servants paused mid-step in the hallways, and even the clinking of porcelain from the kitchen had ceased. It felt as though the entire estate was holding its breath.

In the center of this opulent room knelt Billy, his shoulders trembling slightly, head bowed, eyes fixed on the polished marble floor.

Morning sunlight streamed through tall windows, casting a golden glow around him, yet he appeared small and fragile amidst the grandeur he had once taken for granted.

The sound, the steady rhythm echoing through the stillness.

Click.

Click.

Click.

The unmistakable cadence of polished shoes striking marble reverberated down the sweeping staircase.

Every gaze turned to see Arthur descending from that elegant spiral staircase.

Dressed in a flowing black robe adorned with subtle silver embroidery, he radiated dark regal authority.

His presence commanded attention; every eye followed him as he descended with a calmness that felt ominously deceptive, a stillness concealing an impending tempest.

Each step Arthur took seemed to siphon oxygen from the room.

Even Liz stood frozen beside Billy, her arms wrapped protectively around him yet unable to meet Arthur's gaze directly.

Julian swallowed hard; Nathaniel shifted uncomfortably; Richard pressed his lips into a thin line; and their aunts clasped their hands tightly together.

Servants melted into shadows against walls, retreating from this charged atmosphere.

Arthur reached the base of the stairs without uttering a word or rushing his movements. He walked slowly and methodically toward kneeling Billy, who dared not lift his head, guilt weighed heavily upon him.

Stopping just feet away, they shared a moment suspended in time where no one dared to breathe.

Then Arthur turned without speaking and glided toward one of the plush throne-like couches at the head of the room.

With controlled grace, he settled into it, crossing one leg over another while resting his cheek against his fist, his expression shifting into a cold smirk that suggested he relished this moment as if he were a predator waiting for its prey.

"Well, well, well…" Arthur's voice sliced through silence like honey-dipped steel. "Look who's finally returned."

Billy remained mute, fists clenched against the floor beneath him.

Arthur's grin widened further. "Let me guess… The outside world wasn't all sunshine and freedom for you?"

Silence persisted as Billy offered no response.

"Did reality finally crush your little rebellion?" Arthur continued mockingly. "Or perhaps hunger drove you back here like some stray dog?"

"Arthur!" Margaret snapped, stepping forward, her face taut with fury. "Enough! Can't you see what state he's in? He's your brother!"

Arthur barely glanced at her, his expression cold,"He stopped being a brother the moment he spat on everything this family gave him."

In the corner, the girls huddled together, Eva, Olivia, and Charlotte, whispering nervously.

"He's terrifying," Olivia murmured.

"I never want to get on his bad side," Charlotte agreed.

"Poor Billy…" Eva added softly.

Oscar and the others nodded in agreement; they had no desire to provoke Arthur's wrath.

Billy remained silent as Arthur slowly rose from his seat. The tension in the room thickened like fog.

With deliberate movements, he circled Billy, hands clasped behind his back,"You remind me of a story,"he said suddenly.

The family blinked in confusion at one another.

Arthur's voice turned colder and deeper. "Once there was a great and wealthy father who owned a vast farm filled with cattle, sheep, goats, servants at his beck and call. He had two sons. One day, the younger son demanded his share of the inheritance and left home in search of freedom."

He paused for effect before continuing. "He squandered his wealth on gambling and drinking, living lavishly without a care until all that money vanished. Those who once flattered him abandoned him when he fell from grace. In just a few months, he went from heaven to hell."

Arthur's gaze fixed on kneeling Billy as he smiled faintly."He found himself among beggars, suffering amidst filth while eating pig feed."

With an almost gleeful tone, Arthur continued:"One day while feeding pigs, he remembered that even the servants in his father's house enjoyed hearty meals and warm beds while he slept in a pen eating scraps. So he decided to return home as a servant, at least then he'd have food and shelter."

"Do you know what happened when he returned?" Arthur asked, locking eyes with everyone present.

Without waiting for their response, he pressed on:"His father welcomed him back with open arms and threw a grand feast! Though the older brother was furious and skeptical about this celebration, their father explained that his son was merely a lost sheep who had finally returned home, a cause for joy!"

Arthur looked around at his cousins with arms slightly raised and an icy smirk playing on his lips:"Write me thirty pages about what you understand from this story; I expect it by tomorrow."

A collective gasp echoed through the room as Ashley exclaimed incredulously:"What the fuck did you say?!"**

Eva chimed in with equal disbelief: "Aren't we too old for homework?"

"A Hundred Pages!" Arthur exclaimed, raising an eyebrow, his voice slicing through the tension in the room.

Instantly, a hush fell over everyone present; their gazes remained fixed on him, eyes filled with a mix of defiance and curiosity.

Arthur turned his attention back to Billy. "So tell me, Billy… what do you think?"

Billy lifted his head slowly, revealing glassy red eyes that spoke volumes of his internal struggle. "I think…" His voice faltered, cracking under the weight of unspoken emotions.

He cleared his throat and continued, "I think I didn't realize what I had until it was gone."

Arthur remained silent, a knowing smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"I thought I could navigate this world alone," Billy confessed, glancing around at the family he had once shared laughter and conflict with people he had taken for granted. "Kaia… you know her right? She told me that people would kill for what I had. Back then, I didn't understand her words. But now? Now I see the truth."

Margaret stepped forward as if to comfort him, but Arthur raised a hand to halt her movement.

Billy knelt upright before them all, bowing low in humility. "I'm sorry, for disrespecting this family, for leaving when I should have stayed, for acting like I didn't need anyone."

He inhaled deeply as if drawing strength from the air itself. "If you'll have me… I want to come home."

The silence that followed was palpable, thick with unspoken emotions and heavy with anticipation.

All eyes shifted toward Arthur.

After a moment that felt like an eternity, Arthur let out a deep sigh and approached Billy.

He helped him stand while appraising him thoughtfully before giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"It's good that you understand," Arthur said warmly.

Just then, Alfred reappeared at the doorway with an apologetic expression etched across his face.

"Pardon the interruption…" he began hesitantly. "Master Arthur, the Grand Parliament has requested an urgent communication marked 'priority alpha.'"

With another sigh of resignation, Arthur glanced around at those gathered in the room before nodding solemnly at Alfred.

He looked back at Billy one last time before issuing orders briskly: "Get him cleaned up and set the table, we'll talk later."

With a graceful swish of his robe, Arthur strode out of the living room and into his study.

As soon as he disappeared from view, family members surged around Billy like waves crashing against shorelines, Margaret enveloped him in a tight embrace while Liz wept softly into his shoulder.

In that moment, warmth returned to their hearts.