4_Dinner (1)

When they say chaos wrapped in silk, the Havard mansion embodied it that evening. Alexander Costello stepped out of his sleek black car, the cool night air brushing against his sharp features. He straightened his collar with precise movements, shut the door firmly, and walked toward his mother without a word.

His mother had been waiting, her elegant dress perfectly chosen for the occasion. Alexander’s mind drifted briefly to their earlier conversation, the memory playing out clearly.

---

(FLASHBACK)

“Ma, marriage won’t change anything,” Alexander had said angrily, his voice filling the lavish sitting room of their family home.

“I don’t mean it to change anything. I just want someone to be there for you other than me and your father,” his mother had whined, eyes pleading.

“I don’t want to be tied down by some house bird wearing heels,” he had replied, trying not to snap at her.

“No one is asking you to. I just want you to be happy.”

“I’m happy,” he had said flatly.

“Like this… no you’re not.”

“You don’t decide for me.”

“I’m not deciding, I’m proposing.”

“Oh, is that what we call blackmailing now?”

“Whatever you see it as, honey,” she had smiled sweetly.

“No,” Alexander had said, the finalization clear in his tone.

He hadn’t expected what came next. One minute she was staring at him… just staring at him, and the next the waterworks started. The guilt-tripping words followed immediately.

“I knew you never loved me,” she cried. “You never want to listen to me. I just want the best for you.”

“Mum please. I know fake crying when I see one.”

“Oh now you think I’m fake crying? I knew it. I knew you didn’t love me.”

“Fuck,” Alexander had growled under his breath. “Fine. Under one condition will I agree,” he finally said.

She had looked up, smiling as if she wasn’t crying seconds ago. “Really? What condition? I will agree to anything.”

“We meet the girl and her family first before anything,” he had decided.

“Yes, yes, yes… Accepted,” she had grinned.

But he had stood up, walked toward the door, opened it, then said, “Don’t expect me to play house with some woman just because we are married.”

---

(PRESENT)

Doing something at someone’s command wasn’t Alexander’s style, but when that someone was his mother, he had no choice but to follow. Whatever she said went.

The Havard mansion loomed ahead, lights blazing from every window. They say Mafia men have large egos and don’t care about their mothers. But in Alexander’s case, it was the other way around. He would lay his life down just for his mother to live. His father’s death when he was only ten had made him fiercely overprotective of her. She remained his only real softness in a brutal world.

Right in front of the mansion entrance stood Rosalyn Havard and her husband, both dressed impeccably and wearing eager, nervous smiles.

“Welcome, it is a pleasure to have you here tonight Mr and Mrs Costello.”

Alexander didn’t spare Rosalyn or her husband a glance. He only said, “Lead the way.”

“Thank you Mrs Harvard,” Alexander’s mother replied, smiling while subtly scolding her son under her breath.

The Costellos were led into the mansion’s grand dining room. The air was thick with the aroma of gourmet dishes and underlying tension. Flowers adorned every surface, and the long table groaned under varieties of food. The cold marble floors had been covered with warm rugs, turning the once-sterile space into something almost shrine-like.

They all sat around the table. Alexander took the seat meant for Mr Havard at the head of the table. Judging by the way Mr Havard glared at his food, he was far from pleased.

“No need to beat around the bush,” Alexander said without looking up. “Let’s go straight to the point. Where is your daughter?”

“Ohh Alexander, she will be down soon… she’s just getting ready.”

That was the last straw for his patience. How the fuck did his mother think this marriage would benefit him in any way?

“Ronald,” Alexander growled.

“Y…ye…s.”

“What gave you the right to think you can call me by my name? You are neither my acquaintance nor my father-in-law… yet.”

“I’m… so… sorry Mr Costello. I thought……”

“You thought wrong. Be careful, Ronald.”

Alexander’s mother glared at him, but he either didn’t notice or chose to ignore it. He subtly leaned back against his chair, exuding quiet dominance. Then came the sound of heels clicking against the floor.

Looking up toward the staircase, everyone saw a woman in a striking red body hug gown descending. Emily Havard was beautiful, no doubt about it. She moved with confidence, a practiced catwalk that turned heads. But she wasn’t Alexander’s type. Even he didn’t fully know what his type was. He felt nothing as she approached the table. She reminded him of all the women from his past, manipulative, wearing fake smiles, proud, and easy to see through.

Yet something else entirely caught Alexander’s sharp attention.

It was the silhouette of someone, a boy, precisely hiding near the staircase in the shadows. The figure lingered there, quiet and unseen by the others. And knowing Alexander, he would find out exactly who it was.

The dinner continued with forced pleasantries, but Alexander’s mind had already shifted. His blue eyes flicked occasionally toward that hidden spot near the stairs while Emily spoke animatedly about how thrilled she was. He responded minimally, his voice low and commanding, each word carrying weight.

His mother kept shooting him subtle warnings, hoping he would soften. Ronald Havard sat stiffly, clearly uncomfortable at being displaced from the head of his own table. Rosalyn beamed with pride, oblivious to the undercurrents.

Alexander, however, remained detached on the surface while his instincts sharpened. The boy in the shadows intrigued him more than the woman in red ever could. In his world, secrets had power. And this particular secret felt worth uncovering.

The evening stretched on, filled with the clink of silverware and careful conversation, but Alexander’s focus kept drifting back to that hidden silhouette. He would discover the truth before the night ended. He always did.

The mansion, once cold and familiar to its residents, now pulsed with new tension. Flowers, food, and forced smiles filled the space, but underneath it all, something quieter and perhaps more significant was waiting to be revealed.

Alexander Costello had come for a dinner and a potential bride. Instead, his attention had been captured by a shadow.

And he never left shadows unexplored.