Fashioned For Sin

Epilogue

Leonardo

The mornings in our house are never quiet, but this one feels especially chaotic. I'm pouring my first cup of coffee when I hear the distinct creak of Ric’s door opening upstairs. Footsteps follow, lighter than his usual confident stride. I glance toward the staircase, knowing exactly what—or rather, who—I’m about to see.

A girl. Barefoot. Hair a mess. Wearing Ric’s hoodie.

She scurries down the steps, keeping her head low, clearly trying to make a silent exit. I set my mug down, sighing. This kid.

“Good morning,” I say, my voice carrying enough weight to stop her in her tracks.

She freezes, her wide eyes snapping to mine. “Uh... good morning.”

“Need help finding the door?”

She doesn’t answer. she just bolts past me toward the front door. I hear it close softly behind her. Seconds later, Ric strolls in like he owns the place, shirtless, his hair slightly dishevelled.

“Morning, Dad,” he says casually, heading straight for the coffee pot.

“Morning.” I lean against the counter, crossing my arms. “Want to explain why there was a girl sneaking out of your room just now?”

He shrugs, pouring his coffee. “Not much to explain. She stayed over.”

“She stayed over?” I repeat, my tone sharpening.

Ric smirks, lifting his mug to his lips. “Yeah. You know, like adults do.”

“Ricardo,” Blair’s voice cuts in from the hallway before I can respond. She appears in the doorway, holding Vivi on her hip, her sharp eyes narrowing on our son. “What girl?”

“Mom,” Ric says, as if trying to downplay the situation, “it’s not a big deal.”

“Not a big deal?” Blair hands Vivi to me, her focus fully on Ric now. “You had a stranger in this house without telling us? What if she—”

“Relax,” Ric interrupts, though his tone remains calm. “She’s not a stranger. She's a girl from school. We were just casually hanging out.”

Jo’s footsteps echo down the hall, and she enters the kitchen with a pointed look at her twin. “Hanging out? Please. At 10 in the morning? Just say you hooked up with her and stopped wasting everyone’s time.”

Ric turns to her, that smirk of his firmly in place. “Jealous, Jo?”

Jo scoffs, grabbing an apple from the counter. “Jealous of what? Your inability to keep it in your pants?”

“Both of you enough,” Blair snaps, rubbing her temples. She glances at me, clearly expecting backup.

I sigh, shifting Vivi on my hip. “Ric, we’ve talked about this. You don’t bring people here without permission. I don’t care how late it gets—she doesn’t stay over unless we know about it first.”

Ric nods, unbothered. “Got it.”

Blair shakes her head, muttering something about boys being impossible as she turns to check on breakfast. I set Vivi down, letting her run off to play with her toys while Jo and Ric start bickering again. Typical morning.

---

After breakfast, the chaos only escalates. Ric and Jo corner Blair and me in the living room, their expressions full of determination.

Blair sits stiffly beside me, already on high alert.

“We need to talk about The Dominion,” Jo begins, her voice steady and firm.