𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐤𝐲𝐮𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬

Clara's face twisted as Sky's words silenced her. For a moment she bit her tongue, but her pride refused to bow. Her eyes slid toward William, sharp and venomous.

"Rights?" she sneered, her voice low and cutting. "Don't make me laugh. He may sit at this table, but he's still nothing more than a mistake your father couldn't erase. A reminder of shame. The more you defend him, the more pathetic it looks."

The words hit like shards of glass, slicing through the easy atmosphere William had worked so hard to create. His smile faltered. For once, no quick retort came. He looked down at his plate, jaw tight, lips pressed shut.

The silence was suffocating. Even Vegas shifted uncomfortably, Cornal's expression unreadable. Sky's hands curled into fists, ready to speak again-

But it wasn't Sky who broke the silence.

"Enough."

Pooh's voice cut through the air, calm but burning. Everyone turned in shock-Pooh, who had spent the whole evening eating quietly, now met Clara's gaze with steady eyes.

"You should be ashamed, Ms. Clara," he said, his tone clear and deliberate. "To spit such venom at William just because you despise what he represents to you. He isn't a mistake -he's family. Our family. And the only pathetic thing here is how far you are willing to sink just to pretend your daughters stand a chance."

Clara's face flushed red, her mouth opening in outrage, but the weight of Pooh's words-and the absolute silence around the table-pressed her back into her seat.

William looked up then, eyes flicking toward Pooh in quiet surprise. For once, there was no jest on his lips-just a small, grateful smile.

The silence at the table lingered after Pooh's sharp words, tension coiling in the air. Clara opened her mouth, but before she could release another insult, Papa Pete's voice rose -firm, steady, and carrying the weight of finality.

"Pooh is right." His eyes didn't waver as he looked at Clara. "Even if Cornal remarried you after divorcing William's mother, nothing can erase what he is. William carries the Theerapanyakun blood in his veins, same as Sky, pooh, Jimmy. No one-no whispers, no bitterness-can change that fact."

Clara stiffened, her face paling as Pete's words struck her down with quiet authority.

At the far end of the table, Cornal finally spoke, his voice low but edged with steel.

"That's enough, Clara." His glare toward her was sharp enough to slice, the kind that demanded silence. "I told you before-this table is no place for your pettiness."

Clara's lips pressed tight, fury shimmering in her eyes, but she said nothing more.

Cornal exhaled heavily, shifting the air back toward normalcy. "Now then," he said, forcing a smile as he reached for his glass, "Vegas, you were telling me about the new contracts earlier. Why don't you continue?"

The conversation stumbled forward, though the sting of what had been said still lingered in everyone's chest-enecially William's.

Dinner ended stiffly, the clinking of silverware and forced small talk lingering until everyone finally drifted away.

Later, William sat in his room, the light from a single lamp casting a warm glow across the framed photograph in his hands. His mother's gentle smile stared back at him. Selina had raised him with all the love she could give, shielding him from Clara's venom for years.

After her passing, Pete had been the one to pull him close again, insisting he move in-insisting he belonged.

Still, nights like these reopened old wounds. Clara's words gnawed at him, and for the first time in a long while, the weight of being "different" pressed heavily against his chest.

The knock on his door startled him. He quickly wiped his eyes, setting the frame down on the nightstand. Before he could answer, the door creaked open and in came Jimmy, Sky, and Pooh, all armed with mischievous grins and a console in hand.

"We're invading," Sky announced, already dragging a beanbag toward the TV.

"You've been brooding long enough," Pooh added, plopping down and tossing William a controller. "Time for therapy. Video-game therapy."

Jimmy smiled softly, carrying a tray of snacks. "Besides... we all know you're the only one who can actually beat Sky at this."

William blinked, the heavyness in his chest loosening just a little. "You guys..."

"No speeches," Pooh cut in dramatically, "just lose gracefully."

Controllers clicked furiously as the match began.

"You're going down this time," Sky warned, his tongue peeking out in concentration.

William smirked, leaning back with ease.

"You've been saying that since kindergarten, Sky. Still hasn't happened."

Jimmy and Pooh exchanged amused looks.

"Here we go again," Pooh muttered, already reaching for popcorn.

Sure enough, within minutes, Sky's character was knocked clean off the map.

"Unfair!" Sky shouted, jabbing his controller. "You cheated!"

William laughed, the sound freer now, lighter. "It's called skill. You should try it sometime."

Jimmy chuckled quietly. "Same age, same schools, same classes... yet William always wins."

"Don't remind me," Sky groaned, throwing a pillow at William, who caught it mid-air with a grin.

Pooh, cackling, added, "Honestly, I think Sky just exists to make William look good."

"Shut up!" Sky whined, but his laughter betrayed him.

He lunged at Pooh, nearly toppling him over, while Jimmy tried to mediate with snacks as peace offerings.

For William, the room echoed with warmth-familiar chaos he'd always known. Sky had been there since their first day in kindergarten, sitting beside him with a crayon clenched too tightly in his hand. Through exams, fights, and late-night talks, Sky had never treated him as anything but his brother.

William had barely recovered from laughing at Sky's defeat when Sky suddenly snatched his controller.

"Rematch. Right now."

"Nope," William replied, stretching like a king on his throne. "Champion doesn't play back-to-back. House rules."

"That's not even a rule!" Sky protested, lunging across the couch.

Jimmy and Pooh burst out laughing as the two wrestled for the controller, nearly knocking over the bowl of chips.

"Children," Pooh said in a mock-serious tone, tossing a cushion at them. "Think of the snacks."

Sky finally collapsed back against the couch, pouting dramatically. "Fine. I'll let you win this time."

William arched an eyebrow. "Let me win? You mean the way you've been letting me win for the last fifteen years?"

Jimmy snorted so hard he nearly choked on his drink, while Pooh clapped his hands in delight.

"Shut up!" Sky shouted, but his grin was wide and uncontainable.

And just like that, the heaviness William had been carrying all evening melted into laughter, tangled in the noise of brothers who refused to let him sit in the dark.

𝙈𝙀𝘼𝙉𝙒𝙃𝙄𝙇𝙀

The drive home was heavy, the silence inside the car louder than the hum of the engine. Cornal's jaw tightened as he gripped the steering wheel, Clara's reflection faint in the window beside him.

"You humiliated yourself tonight," he said finally, voice low but sharp. "How could you lash out like that in front of everyone? No matter how much you despise William, you cannot behave like that in front of family."

Clara folded her arms, lips pressing into a thin line before she spoke. "Alright. I won't say anything to your son. But if things keep going like this, then I won't stay quiet either. Your son is an obstacle in our way. Get rid of him as soon as possible-or our daughters won't have the future we want for them."

Cornal's knuckles whitened against the wheel.

Clara's eyes glinted, cold and sharp. "I'm sure he's the one brainwashing Sky and Pooh. Those two listen to him far too much."

Cornal was silent for a long beat before answering. "...About Pooh, maybe. William could be behind this rejection. He's always carried a grudge. He wants revenge." He paused, his voice dropping. "But Sky... no. For Sky, it isn't William. Nani alone is enough."

Clara gave a humorless laugh. "Always trying to defend your son, aren't you? Remember, Cornal-he's your son. Not mine. Get him out of the way, then we'll see about Nani."

The car fell into suffocating silence. Cornal stared ahead, but his chest squeezed at her words. Get him out of the way. He knew exactly what Clara meant-kill William.

The thought made his stomach twist. Even after everything, William was his own blood.His own son. The idea of snuffing out his life-even for power, even for the family's future-was something Cornal couldn't quite bring himself to accept.

Not yet.

𝐴𝑢 𝑁𝑜𝑡𝑒-𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝐼'𝑚 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑚 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤. 𝑆𝑜 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟,𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑎 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑤!