Chapter 5

Cyrus Blackwood

The soft aroma of rotisserie chicken swirled in the air as the maid set out another dish on the table. The soft clink of utensils rang around the room as candles flickered. A vintage gramophone played jazz music only my parents would listen to. I was at The Blackwood Manor for the day as my parents held a celebratory dinner for my brother. I always dreaded these dinners, as nothing ever came good out of them. I was savoring the silence on the table before Sebastian opened his mouth to talk about how he had achieved that success at his workplace. 

He was the smartest, most brilliant child of the Blackwood family, who was currently pursuing a PhD and owned a company all at the ripe age of 24. And then there was me, the disappointment, the second child. No matter what I did, my father always found him better than me. 

My father patted Sebastian on the shoulder as he laughed and congratulated him. My mother, as always, followed in his footsteps and showed her ‘motherly’ smile to him. I tried to keep myself still in order to not make them notice me. 

“Well then, what about you, Cyrus?” I stiffened as a deep, coarse voice rang out from the end of the table. My father stared at me expectantly. 

“Nothing much, just another regular day.” I replied, while pushing the vegetables around on my plate. 

My father was in his prime, as others would say, with his salt-and-pepper hair and a strong build. Whereas my mother was no less than him, she had kept up her appearance. However, her natural beauty was what caused my father to fall in love with her. No matter how tear-jerking their story was, nobody understood the values they had in their hearts. 

“Nothing much?” My father repeated my response with an edge of mockery. “I heard you got downplayed by a transfer student today?”

That shitty professor!

I mentally cursed my professor but I also remembered that my father had eyes and ears everywhere in the college. 

“Ah, it was nothing really. The transfer is just really mouthy, it won’t be an issue next time.” I assured them with my perfect smile. I tried to keep up my confidence in the house to let them know that I was not affected by their words. 

My father hummed in acknowledgement as he continued with his dinner, “You know better than to embarrass me.”

I stilled. This phrase stung me because I would do everything I could to uphold an image that was bestowed upon me and I would still get comments like this. The worst part was that nobody was willing to defend me. Even Sebastian knew better than to speak for me. Whereas my mother always kept to herself unless it was needed to speak.

"As you all know, the charity event is next week.” My father announced as he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, “Your grandparents will be here by the morning.”

I mentally groaned as he mentioned them. I had a hard time getting along with old people. “I need everyone on their best behavior, especially you, Cyrus.” My father continued as he pointed at me.

I wanted to roll my eyes so badly at that moment. “Yes, father," I agreed.

As soon as the dinner was dismissed I excused myself and got into my car before setting off for my penthouse. Upon entering my car, my mask fell. I did not need to look at the mirror to tell that I had the deepest scowl on my face. I wanted nothing more than to break things at that moment. I sat with my fist clenched so hard I felt my nails dig in my palm. I punched the steering wheel once to vent my rage but I had to hold it in until I got home.

I took out my pack to take a smoke. My hand was tapping on the wheel rapidly as I maneuvered through the traffic. After a couple of smokes, I reached my compound and parked my car. Instead of going into my room, I headed into the gym. I got my gear on and made a beeline for the punching bag. 

The time passed as I punched the bag vigorously. It got more aggressive as the hour went by. I felt my skin tear on my knuckles as blisters started to form but nothing could stop me. The pain was temporary. It will heal in time but the mental torture I have to endure all my life because of that parental relationship will never go away. 

I thought about the reason why I had to go through today’s insult. The transfer student. Upon thinking about her, I felt my rage reignite and it hit the bag with such ferocity it sent the bag flying. I was breathless as I saw the sand flowing out of the bag and then cursed. I made a mental note to ask someone to replace the bag as I sat down on the bench to catch my breath. I took out my phone to see two hours had passed by. 

I did not know anything about her. I needed to know who she was and what she wanted to achieve. 

I immediately messaged Ethan to collect everything there is to collect about her background. I sat dumbstruck as I did not even know her name. 

A low ping vibrated as Ethan texted back in acknowledgement. I then sent a set of instructions to the rest two of them, hoping they followed it by the morning. I tossed the phone beside me on the bench as I covered my eyes with the wet towel. I felt my smile widen as I thought about how agitated she was today. 

However, she needed to be put in her place.

***********************************

I reached the college earlier than usual. As I rounded into the parking lot I saw my guys already waiting. 

“Is the work done?” I asked as I grabbed the cigarette Lucas handed me. Both Lucas and Ryan smiled in reply as they looked giddy about it. I did not ask about the details as I moved on to Ethan. He handed me the tablet with a perfectly compiled document. 

I read the name ‘Wren Carter’ and took in her image where she looked younger than she was now. Presumably her school photo. “Oh Wren.” I savored her name and how it felt on my tongue. 

I skimmed through the document. She was just a girl from the slums, as expected. This was perfect. The girl who acted like she had nothing to lose had a whole world worth losing.