Melanie had anticipated such a scene. Since the three brothers hadn't spoken to her much, it was evident that they were wary of her. But she couldn't fathom why. What had she done for them to keep their guard up against her?
Taking a deep breath, she moved until her back hit the sofa. Relaxing her body, she looked at the three men, facing their scrutinizing gazes head on. "What do you want to talk about?"
"What are you planning?" The question slipped from Castiel's lips before he could control himself.
"What do you mean?"
"You're obviously a rich, pampered princess.... at least you were. But now, you've been reduced to a normal person with no high status. Why didn't you beg your adoptive parents to help you?"
Melanie now understood why the brothers were suspicious of her and why they had kept her at bay, choosing to observe and test her first.
"Will you believe me if I say I want to stay with my real family and get to know them?" she asked, not giving away anything.
While Declan's gaze narrowed as he pondered over her reply, Ezra tapped his fingers, his lips stretching into a cryptic smile.
"Is that the only reason?"
"Could there be more?" Melanie's face was expressionless. But the three men noticed how strong-willed she was. Surprisingly, they were convinced by her reply.
"Moreover, the Gilroys wouldn't want me to be an eyesore. They are very particular about bloodline and descendants," Melanie said, recalling a particular instance when her adoptive mother had badmouthed a couple in private for adopting a child after years of trying to conceive.
She still remembered what she had said.
'Was it necessary to adopt a bastard? Who knows what kind of filth he is?'
Melanie, for the first time, had felt a strong revulsion towards her mother. She had never expected the woman who had always portrayed herself as gentle and classy could be so uncouth and undignified.
Now that the truth about her birth was out, the aversion towards her adoptive parents only became stronger.
"What do you think about our parents?" Ezra probed, leaning forward on his elbows.
"To be honest, I never expected them to be my parents. They are good people," Melanie replied honestly.
Declan's impression of the lady improved all the more. She didn't try to butter them up or hold them on a pedestal. It had only been a few hours since they met. It was impossible for her to break the barriers in her heart and accept her parents, her new family, without any prejudice.
"Since you've asked me a question, it's my turn now," Melanie said when she saw that Castiel was ready to shoot another question.
"Fair enough. What do you want to know?" Ezra nodded, giving her the go-ahead to ask her questions.
"How old are you guys?"
"I'm thirty-two," Ezra pointed at himself before pointing to his brothers. "Dec is twenty-eight and Castiel will turn twenty in a few days."
"Ahh. What..."
"It's our turn now." Ezra stopped her in time, his eyes twinkling in amusement.
"Now that you're no longer working at the Gilroy group, what do you intend to do?"
"Perhaps fulfill what I've always wanted to do." Melanie's gaze moved towards the window at the farther end of the living room, her eyes glazing with sadness.
Her unexpected behavior stunned the three men, and they didn't know what to do.
"What..."
Before Castiel could enquire more, Melanie snapped out of her reverie and donned a smile, perfectly hiding her sadness. It was as if she hadn't been aggrieved a few seconds ago.
"What do you guys do for a living?"
"Dec is a corporate lawyer, Castiel is studying aeronautical engineering, and I'm a product designer." Ezra considerately ignored her strange reaction.
"Cool." Melanie now understood why Castiel was interested in car races.
"You said you wanted to fulfill something. May we know what it is?" Ezra was careful enough not to ask why she had shown a sad expression some time ago. Yet, he couldn't stop the nagging feeling that he had still scratched a wound by asking this question.
When Melanie didn't reply for a long time, he sighed softly. "You don't have to reply if you don't want to."
Declan and Castiel nodded, finding her pitiful all of a sudden.
"I've always been interested in fragrances," Melanie said, losing her smile slowly. "Perfumes, scented candles, incense sticks- anything related to fragrances. But my parents... I mean my adoptive parents," she corrected herself in time and glanced at them discreetly.
"My adoptive parents didn't allow me to. Although they permitted me to study the field I wanted to, I had no say in what I wanted to do after graduation."
Melanie shook her head to clear her thoughts. Although she had been happy all her life, she suddenly realized that her happiness hadn't been justified. Not that she took a break and looked back, she realized there was a lot to ponder about.
Did she really lead a fulfilling life all these years?
"I'm going back to my room. Have a good night."
She didn't ask where the brothers would sleep for the night. Instead, she just nodded at them and stood up to leave.
"Melanie," Declan stopped her and gave her an indecipherable look before standing up. "I know you need time to accept us, and you may take as much time as you want. But..."
He stopped, his expression turning serious instantly. "Don't you dare try anything funny and hurt our parents. They've already suffered because of Sandra. I'll not allow you to hurt them as well, none of us will."
"I understand. Anything else?" Melanie wasn't a fool. She didn't justify herself or promise them anything. It would only make her seem a little fake and untrustworthy. It was better to show her stance with her actions.
"Nothing for now. Goodnight. Rest well."
While Melanie returned to her room, the three brothers resumed what they were doing before she had joined them. None of them realized that their entire conversation had been heard by their father, who had come down to check on them at some point.
"Why are you standing by the door like a statue? Did something happen?" Camilla asked when she stirred in her sleep and saw her husband standing like a tree by the door.
"It's nothing. I just stubbed my toe. Was waiting for the pain to subside." Stefan didn't reveal anything about the conversation, choosing to keep it a secret from his wife. If Camilla were to know about it, it would only make the situation more complex.
"Leave the matters of the siblings for them to handle," Camilla said with her eyes closed. "They are mature enough to deal with everything rationally."
Stefan sighed defeatedly when his lie was uncovered. Nothing could get past his wife. She was clever and unbelievably sharp.
"I was just worried." He joined her in bed and stared at the ceiling.
"Don't worry. Ezra and Dec are sensible, and Lannie too seems to be level-headed. They won't do anything out of line."
Stefan believed her. Yet, he couldn't stop worrying, and these thoughts kept him occupied for a long time before he eventually fell asleep in the wee hours of dawn.