𝑶𝑵𝑬 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒔 - 𝑹𝑬𝑺 & 𝑳𝑶𝑮

Mid-life Crisis

Looking around the dinner table, my mind is torn between acceptance and denial. One part of my brain seems to be whispering "Look at them, they love your children" and the other one goes "What does your offsprings see in them?"

"Levi, stop staring" my wife hisses behind me.

"Can't help it, princess. They all are glareable" I say back.

"That's not even a word" she exclaims. 

"It is since the day they came into our lives" I tell her.

I know I'm being unreasonable at some level. I'm making it my mission to not like them. Nikolai, managed to earn my respect. In fact I'm indebt to him for the rest of my life. He saved my son, for that alone I'll tolerate him for as long as I live.

His sister Mia is the one bringing the light in Lan's otherwise dark life. I know it because I've been in his shoes once. Astrid is the light that I never knew I needed, so I very much understand Mia's  role in my son's life.

However my pleasantries for her didn't last long. I'd come to know about the unfortunate incident that happened to Lan during his visit to her home. My eldest son was shot. SHOT. I could've lost him forever.

These damn mafioso could've cost me my son. I was so fucking furious at Lan for hiding it from us and he went as far as to lie about it as "workout scar".

Naturally I didn't beleive him but I know my son's thrist for violence so I didn't pry much. But one day I overheard Bran shouting at Nikolai. Now you see, my soft spoken son doesn't shout, he thinks anything that beats the normal decibel level is an offence.

So for him to be yelling at his other half is not something I imagined. When I went for their room to see if my son is alright, I heard them. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but anyone will if they heard what I did.

"It was his wish, Bran. I can't tell him what to do" Nikolai's voice comes out defensive.

Since when do Nikolai does defense? I thought he was a brute who offend anyone by simply breathing.

"Oh don't give me that bullshit. You live to annoy my brother" Bran huffs.

Lan? They're fighting over my eldest son who is a royal pain in everyone's ass with zero effort.

"Believe me or not Bran, but I owe it to him for saving both of my sisters. Especially Mia" Nikolai says and I could feel the truth in his voice.

"You're bound to me. So the next time if my brother is shot near his fucking heart you tell me" I stumbled in the doorway hearing his words.

There is no way my son was shot and we didn't know about it. And how come Nikolai knows about it?

I knock at their door before throwing it open. Bran stands there shocked and Nikolai had the decency to look down.
"Fucking explain. What the hell happened to my son?"

After my outburst, Nikolai sat me down and explained everything to me. About Mia's kidnap, her selective muteness and Lan's intervention which resulted admitting him to the hospital. And how he requested the Sokolov's to not inform us.

I was furious that I went down immediately to confront Lan. My eldest didn't even regret hiding it from us which pissed me off even more. Ever since this incident I became more wary of my children's partners.