Episode 11
1002 Words
The mansion felt colder with each passing day — not because of the weather, but because peace had been chased out by pride and anger. David’s arrogance had grown into something poisonous, spreading through every corner of the house and infecting everyone’s hearts.
Even the birds that once gathered by the window each morning seemed to have stopped visiting. Silence now lived where laughter once echoed.
David woke up that morning with a hangover, his head pounding from the previous night’s drinking. His eyes were red, his shirt wrinkled, and the smell of alcohol clung to him like a second skin.
He stumbled into the dining hall, where Jacob was already seated, reading through some company papers. Lydia quietly served breakfast, trying to avoid eye contact with David.
David yawned loudly, pulling out a chair and sitting down carelessly. “You again with those papers?” he mocked. “Do you ever rest, Jacob?”
Jacob didn’t look up. “Someone has to work while you’re busy ruining everything Father built.”
David chuckled darkly. “Ruining? I’m living, brother. Something you clearly don’t know how to do.”
Jacob looked up then, his expression calm but sharp. “Living without discipline is destruction disguised as freedom.”
David’s smirk faded. “You sound just like Father. Always trying to act holy.”
“I’m not acting,” Jacob replied quietly. “I’m just trying to stop you before it’s too late.”
David banged his fist on the table, making the plates rattle. “I don’t need your advice! I’m the heir here, not you!”
The sound startled Lydia, and she accidentally spilled tea on the table.
David’s face twisted in fury. “Can’t you do anything right, you useless girl!” He stood abruptly and slapped her hard across the face. The sound echoed through the room.
Lydia staggered backward, her eyes wide with shock and pain.
Jacob shot up instantly. “David! That’s enough!”
David glared at him, breathing heavily. “Stay out of this!”
Jacob moved between them, his voice low but trembling with rage. “Hit her again, and I swear—”
David cut him off with a sneer. “What? You’ll do what? Hit me? Go ahead, brother. Show me that temper you hide behind your fake kindness.”
Jacob’s hands balled into fists, but he forced himself to stay calm. “You’re not worth my anger.”
David laughed bitterly. “No, of course not. You’d rather waste that energy protecting a servant.”
Jacob’s voice hardened. “She’s more human than you are right now.”
The words struck deep. For a moment, David just stared at him — then stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Lydia sank to her knees, her cheek swollen, tears spilling silently.
Jacob knelt beside her, his voice soft. “I’m sorry you have to go through this.”
She shook her head. “Please don’t fight because of me.”
Jacob reached into his pocket and pulled out a clean handkerchief, gently pressing it against her cheek. “I won’t fight him. But I won’t let him keep hurting you either.”
Their eyes met briefly — and in that small exchange, something wordless passed between them: an unspoken promise of protection.
That afternoon, David’s anger followed him to the office. His secretary, Mr. Benson, stood nervously outside his door, holding a stack of reports.
“Sir, we’ve received warnings from our partners about late payments. They’re threatening to withdraw their contracts,” Mr. Benson said carefully.
David leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, cigarette in hand. “So? Let them. We’ll find new partners.”
“Sir, with all due respect,” the secretary stammered, “our finances can’t handle more losses. And some of the recent withdrawals—”
“Enough!” David barked. “You’re fired.”
“F-fired, sir?”
“You heard me! Pack your things and get out of my sight.”
Mr. Benson left quietly, trembling. It was the third employee David had fired that week — all for trying to reason with him.
Meanwhile, Jacob visited the company branch to assess the damage. What he saw broke his heart — delayed salaries, unpaid suppliers, and angry clients.
He gathered the remaining loyal staff and spoke firmly but calmly. “Please bear with us a little longer. I promise I’ll find a way to fix this mess.”
They trusted him. Everyone knew Jacob was the only reason the company hadn’t already collapsed.
When he returned home that evening, he found Lydia in the garden, watering the flowers. Her cheek had begun to heal, but the sadness in her eyes hadn’t.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked gently.
She nodded slightly. “Yes. Thank you for standing up for me today.”
He smiled faintly. “You didn’t deserve what happened. No one does.”
She looked at him quietly. “Why do you keep defending me, Jacob? It only makes David angrier.”
Jacob hesitated. “Because… I can’t watch someone innocent suffer when I can do something about it.”
Her eyes softened. “You’re not like him.”
Jacob chuckled sadly. “Sometimes I wish he weren’t like himself either.”
They stood in silence for a while, listening to the night insects hum around them. The garden lights bathed the flowers in soft gold, and for the first time that day, peace returned — even if just for a moment.
But upstairs, David watched them from the balcony, a glass in his hand, his jealousy growing darker with every passing second.
“So this is what it’s come to,” he muttered. “My own brother trying to steal the one person who should’ve been mine.”
He took a long sip of whiskey and smashed the glass against the railing, his eyes burning with resentment.
“Let’s see how long this little friendship lasts,” he whispered coldly.
- Writer
