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Chapter 23 - Act 4

[Act 4 – Soren Chandler, Age – 16]

Six years had passed after the brothers were taken under the sponsorship of Dimitri and Sophia Cavallero and a lot of things have changed since then.

Soren and Allistair, having only carried their first names and discarding their previous last names to avoid identification by anyone in their past have adopted a new surname given by the Cavalleros.

It was Chandler.

Soren and Allistair Chandler are the two unofficial heirs of the Cavalleros in their underground and legal businesses. Throughout the past six years, they lived under the roof of the family that adopted them, they had come to notice a few things.

Sophia and Dimitri are rarely in the house while Mikhail is staying with them all the time. At best, the couple would visit the mansion at least twice every three months. Their work has occupied them greatly, especially with the increasing demands for weapons across various groups they supplied as well as the rising cases of violence between underground organizations. They had to tend to these matters immediately which caused their presence in the house to dwindle over time.

Nevertheless, the three kids have finally grown into one teenager and two adults.

Soren had just graduated his sophomore year and was quickly approaching his junior year while Mikhail and Allistair had finished high school. It was summer vacation and they were spending the three months of it in the mansion and sometimes going out if they felt like it.

Allistair, age twenty-one, was just entering college since he was held back by three years when they were living in the streets so he was in the same grade as Mikhail, age eighteen, who was supposed to be in advanced classes because of his impressive intellect.

Mikhail didn't do that though despite the recommendations of their teachers as well as the results of the assessments he had for college. He wanted to stay with Soren and Allistair as they made their journey through high school.

"Have you ever thought about your college applications already, Ali?" Mikhail inquired as he lazily sat on the sofa while holding a remote in one hand and a bag of microwaved popcorn in the other. The faint warmth coming from the popcorn gave him the slightest feeling of heat.

It was summer. It was hot outside. They should be sweaty and all that because the sun was burning in the sky like it was a raging maniac shooting rays and giving people skin cancer.

But for the three, the living room was freezing.

Soren and Allistair didn't like the heat outside so they wanted to bring the aircon to the lowest possible temperature. While Mikhail was neutral about the decision, there were times he preferred the heat because it was always cold when he was both in Russia, and though much lesser than the former, Korea was cold as well at certain times.

He didn't bother arguing with the brothers though because he was lazy.

"I don't know what to do yet..."

"Why don't you go to Harvard with me?"

"Huh?" Allistair looked at the young master who was munching on his popcorn.

"Yeah. I think that would be great. I'm sure you can get in there," Mikhail responded with his face full of nonchalance as he continued watching the movie on the enormous television.

"Kael... That's a little too... difficult, don't you think?"

"It's not hard."

"What?"

"Getting in there, I mean."

"It's Harvard!" Allistair argued because all throughout the six years they have been together, he was never accustomed to the blunt and somehow ignorant remarks Mikhail makes about certain things.