Arthur returned to the Dumas household around eight-fifteen, two hours after dinner. He is famished, but he doesn't bother himself by going to the kitchen.
Unfortunately, he was met with Mr. Dumas on his way to his room. "You are back late," he said.
Arthur didn't reply to him and continued to walk away. Mr. Dumas sneered as he walked away. If not because of the deal they made, he wouldn't be seeing Ezra at all.
Candice was going through her nightly routines. After a relaxing skincare routine, she hears a knock on her door and she sighs. The servants don't bother at this hour, Mrs. Dumas would be going through the same routine, and her father couldn't be bothered by her existence since his son is home.
That leaves out one person. She opens the door in a bit of a bad mood. Lo and behold, Arthur was standing in front of her door. "What do you want?" she asked. She was wearing nothing but a wine silk robe that reached her mid-thighs.
"Ezra is an omega," Arthur said.
"So what?" Candice replied carefreely. "I know he is an omega, that's why dad brought me back here," she explained.
Even if Arthur wasn't smiling, Candice could tell he was happy. "He told you?" she said in surprise.
Arthur couldn't hold back, his wide grin. Candice folds her arms and scoffs. "You look like a love-struck puppy," she said.
"You won't understand," he said happily.
She looks at him with a bit of jealousy. "Shut up, I'm already single enough," she said, punching him lightly.
Arthur stops grinning. "So I have a question for you," he said.
"Wait," Candice said, then she opened the door wider. "Come in," she said.
Arthur left Candice's room looking a bit cold. Now, he's even more determined to destroy everything Mr. Dumas worked hard to build.
Before Ezra left the Dumas family home, a little over three months after Candice arrived. "I heard he differentiated into an Omega in the middle of his birthday party," Candice said.
"Several Alphas who were present went crazy over the scent of an Omega who just entered their heat, it was fortunate that nothing happened to Ezra that day, but it was what happened afterward that was terrifying."
"I learned from one of the oldest servants that father punished Mrs. Dumas harshly because he had suspected she cheated on him... That poor woman, she's a lot more loyal than father ever was, and yet she was beaten so hard she ended up in the hospital."
"When she returned, Father hit her again, but this time it was in front of Ezra... You know how he is, don't you, he was surprised by this and questioned why he had hit Mrs. Dumas, Father turned to him in disgust... I'm sure he hit Ezra because I was brought here to be the new heir," she said.
"He had a few bandages around his head and was limping quite a lot. Then you should know the rest, Mr. Dumas did a blood test just to be sure and discovered that he was not from their family. He immediately made plans to find where his real son was."
It's a good thing he was too busy celebrating in his head that Ezra was an Omega to ask about the rest of the story. How would that have ended?
He returns to his room. The time was around ten. 'Would he be asleep right now?' he thought. He wants to call Ezra, but he's a bit worried that he will be asleep.
He decided against calling him and decided to go to sleep instead.
The next day...
Ezra woke up feeling quite light and happy. He was practically dancing his way to the bathroom.
He had this wide smile on his face when he looked at himself in the bathroom. Why is he happy? He doesn't know. But he has never felt this happy in a long time.
He was smiling when he got to school. This surprised quite a those in his class.
"Ezra's smiling first thing in the morning," someone whispered.
"Isn't he always smiling?"
"No, but this one is different."
"What is making you so happy, Ezra did something good happen?" A girl in his class asked.
"I guess," Ezra replies grinning a bit.
This action had struck the heart of the girl. "You're so cute," the girl said.
Ezra blinks in surprise, a bit flustered. "Th-thank you," he stammered a bit. Why is she complimenting him all of a sudden?
'Bang!'
Arthur drops his book on the table where he sits, startling the both of them. "Oh hey Arthur," Ezra greets him cheerfully.
Arthur's heart softened. He was a bit angry and jealous when he saw Ezra talking to a girl. "Good morning, Ezra," he said. "How was your night?"
Arthur glares at the girl coldly while he asks this question. The girl raised her hand in surrender slowly leaving.
"It was fine," Ezra replies.
"Really?" Arthur replies sitting down. "You look very happy."
"I am," Ezra replies smiling a bit.
"That's good," Arthur replies softly.
"I feel lonely looking at them," the girl who spoke to Ezra said longingly. "I think they are dating."
"I highly doubt that," someone else said. "Sure they are sweet, but did you forget the status of the both of them."
"Arthur is the real son of the Dumas family, while Ezra is the fake son."
"So what?" the girl said. "They aren't siblings or anything, so what is stopping them from being together."
"By the way Ezra," everyone heard Arthur say before they saw him bring out a fancy-looking bag. The logo on the bag was the logo of a fancy bakery in town. He handed it to him. "I bought some pastries for us to share."
"No way," Ezra said excitedly. "Did you buy yours this time around?"
Arthur grinned sheepishly and Ezra pouted angrily. "He's so cute," the girl said. "He's just my type."
"Why don't you try asking him out?"
"Are you kidding? No thanks, I don't wish to feel Arthur's cold glare again," the girl said. "I am just bound to remain lonely."
Arthur had heard everyone else talking about him and Ezra, it doesn't matter as long as they don't try getting in their way.