by Elle, Leen
"TV." Teddy answered guiltily, bowing his head in shame. The clever kid was trying every strategy he had to avoid trouble. When he knew the shame card wasn't working, he turned to blame. "It was on a show Rylan was watching!"
Robert and Sophie glared at Rylan who raised his hands in innocence.
"WOAH, woah, woah. Don't turn this on me!" Rylan looked like he was struggling to formulate a coherent thought. First, he was kissed out of the blue, and now he was being accused of a new crime. "Teddy, I never watch TV! Tell the truth."
Teddy muttered a jumbled excuse and broke free of Robert's grip, racing for freedom.
He was out of the kitchen in seconds.
"Those siblings are going to be the death of me." Rylan complained, covering his face with his hands.
"Who's in charge of what Teddy watches on television?" Sophie placed her hands on her hips, her mother-instincts flaring. Rylan didn't hesitate before throwing Robert under the bus.
"How did this get turned around on me?" Robert asked, looking insulted that he was sold out.
"You're the oldest." Rylan reminded him quietly, glancing worriedly between him and Sophie.
"You are the oldest." Sophie repeated, glaring at him. She punched him twice on the shoulder. "You could at least pretend to be some kind of parental figure."
"Ow, ow!" Robert tried to avoid her, but she'd already gotten in a few solid hits.
"You get the privilege of explaining it to him." Sophie ordered finally. "Someone has to before he gets the wrong idea."
"What?" Robert's expression twisted with dread. He thought for a moment before smiling sweetly up at her. "Why should it be me? I'm an innocent...I don't know anything about subjects like that." He thrust a finger at Rylan. "Why not him? He obviously knows more about relationships than I thought. You saw the proof!" Robert smirked at Rylan, silently declaring victory.
"Oh, come on!" Rylan scowled back at Robert. "I'm not old enough."
Sophie punched Robert on the shoulder again. "What was that for?" He asked, jumping away.
"You're both being immature, but he's injured, so I can only hit you."
Robert scowled, but thought up a new idea before she could go back to selecting him.
"Since none of us are willing to take the task, let's go back to the sacred rules of nose goes."
Sophie had recently been informed of their "sacred" game. Nose goes was probably the most basic form of rock-paper-scissors in the world. The person who touched their nose last was it, and even though the principle was elementary, they all jumped instantly to touch their noses.
Everyone exchanged long glances, and smiled together as the verdict was reached.
"GWYN!" They shouted together.
* * *
After informing Gwyn of her new duty as a big sister, Sophie and Robert slipped out of the house, hoping to avoid the talk.
It was still surprising for Sophie how the atmosphere had turned from grim to joking in a matter of minutes. She'd heard a million times how families came together in times of need, but she'd never really felt that warmth until now. Even while facing the awful reality before them, they'd all been able to find comfort in each other.
The sun was setting in the distance, which bathed them in orange light. Robert slipped his hand around hers, and led her to the tire swing in the front yard. They sat down together beneath the tree, not letting go of each other's hands.
"What a day." Robert mused, shaking his head. "There should be a limit to how much someone can find out in twenty-four hours."
"You really shouldn't be complaining." Sophie joked, grinning. "The Rylan and Gwyn thing has been going on forever. You were just too blind to see it."
Robert's smile faded momentarily. "I guess I'm an awful guardian, huh?"
Sophie squeezed his hand. "Well, you're just going to have to step up your game. We're the only influence they have...so we should probably start acting more like guardians and less like friends. You can start by monitoring what Teddy watches on television."
Robert laughed at her comment, shaking his head. "I think a month ago I wouldn't have been up to the challenge, but now that you're my copilot, I guess we can handle them all together."
"Excuse me?" Sophie's eyes widened. "Since when did I get ungraded to copilot? I feel like I'm still in flight attendant territory."
"You were the one who used 'we'. The two of us are in this together now, darling. Partners."
Sophie frowned, realizing that she had asked to be a team first. "This is crazy. I'm twenty-one, and I'm in charge of looking after two teenagers and an eight-year old. The math does not add up."
"They're good kids though." Robert reminded her gently. "It shouldn't be that hard."
"Yeah, I'm kind of looking forward to it." Sophie smiled. "Spending everyday together. It'll be fun."
Neither of them brought up how their time together was limited. The reason they were together now was because of the mission, and the days ahead were not going to be easy.
"So...Gwyn and Rylan?" Robert began, breaking the momentary silence.
"I can't believe you didn't see it before. They're always together!"
"I thought it was more like a brother and sister kind of thing. I never thought Gwyn would have it in her to just kiss him like that."
"Poor, Rylan." Sophie laughed. "He didn't know what to do."
"Hopefully that took his mind off everything." Robert winked down at her. "When I was sixteen, that's all I would be thinking about."
"Should we let it go, or never let them live it down?"
"Hmm, good question." He rubbed his chin in thought. "Even though Rylan's injured, I think he's strong enough to take a little teasing. Teddy will probably remind them every minute anyway."
"Do you think we should've been the one's to deal with the Teddy situation?"
"Probably, but it'll give Gwyn some time to let her embarrassment fade." Robert winced before continuing. "I can only imagine the aftermath of the talk. Teddy is going to be filled with questions."
"I've never been more happy to be a girl." Sophie closed her eyes, praying that she wouldn't be Teddy's first target. "I'm going to send him straight to you."
"Thanks, I appreciate it." Robert scowled down at her.
They both laughed together, falling silent as they stared up at the darkening sky.
"Hey, you busy right now?" He asked softly.
"Um...no?" Sophie raised her eyebrow, surprised at the mood change.
She turned to look at him, and examined his expression.
"Oh." She said as the pieces clicked together.
He was ready to tell her.
She could see it in the determined look in his eyes. His mouth was set in a firm line, and his eyebrows were knit together.
"More bad news to tell me?" She tried to joke playfully.
"This is less like news, and more like a story. A very boring, depressing story without a happily ever after."
"Good. I never really bought into those anyway."
"Liar." He accused.
"You got me." She smiled, but stared at him seriously. "Are you sure you're ready to tell me?"
"More ready than I'll ever be. Better to tell you now before you go off misunderstanding me again."
"Hey, I didn't misunderstand you last time. I got the facts about your past...which does not constitute a misunderstanding."
"You did not fully grasp my motives." He continued, sounding exhausted by their argument.
"So, this story will prove that you're a good guy?"
"No, I'm still the villain. Just not he kind of bad guy you thought I was." He grinned as he looked up at the sky. "If you're going to hate me, it should be for the things that I've done. Not some silly manufactured story."
"Well, now I'm curious." She lifted her finger to her lips. "I'm a good listener, so you can start when you feel like it."
Robert cleared his throat, and winked down at her slyly.
"Well, once upon a time..."
"There was a boy named Tristan. He happened to one of the wealthiest little boys in the world. He was born on..."
Sophie nudged him, and they laughed together. He was being difficult on purpose, and she knew it.
"Okay, how about I start at the important part?"
"That would be nice." She replied, rolling her eyes.
Robert began speaking again, but his smile faded as his true story began. It would not return for the duration of the evening.
CHAPTER TWENTY
I thought I'd been working towards a beautiful dream, but Robert's purpose was so much more important.
For Tristan Fallbrook, the world was literally his playground.
Ever since the day he was born, there were endless opportunities ahead of him.
He lived a charmed life. He was rich, attractive, and loved by those in his circle. Whether it was his influence or personality that drew others in, it didn't matter.
He was on top of the world and he knew it.
Tristan didn't have to be told he was blessed. He'd never experienced hardships, and didn't have to worry about anything in life.
Boredom was his only challenge, and he'd found ways to overcome even that. Skydiving, cliff-diving, free climbing cliffs, and his new obsession, base jumping, kept his adrenaline levels high.
He'd tackled all kinds of extreme sports when he was old enough to know what they were. When he was only fifteen he'd gone skydiving for the first time, after persuading his older friends to take him with them.
Now that he was eighteen, he had a number of extreme sports behind him. It wasn't hard to grow bored with doing the same thing over and over, and with his expanse of free time he was able to quickly move from one activity to the next.
He'd surrounded himself with thrill-seekers like himself. Rich young kids who had years to burn before their parents forced them into doing something productive with their lives.
His life was defined by wasting time, but he didn't care. He made sure to spend every last moment living life to the fullest, knowing it was only a matter of time until he became like his father, or the rest of his family.
The Fallbrook clan was large, and had ruled the banking industry for near a century. Tristan's father had inherited the role of the family head when Tristan had only been an infant. His whole life had been spent knowing he was a prince, and he was treated as such.
Tristan's family was ruthless when it came to power and greed. They expanded their empire into a number of different industries, dominating in each area they chose. While he was an only child, Tristan was constantly thrown together with cousins and second cousins who held almost as much influence as himself.
As the youngest member of the clan, Tristan was able to watch his cousins step into their roles as Fallbrook heirs. One by one they began working, and even those most desperate to break free of the family's influence succumbed eventually.
The record for remaining normal was one year. It was held by Tristan's cousin and close friend Nick Fallbrook. Nick was the second youngest of the clan, and four years older than Tristan. He'd been set on leaving the family and finding his own way of life, and despite having heard the same thing from other cousins, Tristan only believed him.
When his first year passed, Nick was already tamed by the family. He lasted longer than the others by far, but his willpower was still not good enough. Now, he spent every day of the year working relentlessly as the head CEO of a finance company. Nick had virtually no free time, and was no longer the passionate youth he'd once been.
It was the fate of everyone born into the Fallbrook family. The other heirs in their circle could spend their lives never once knowing what it meant to work, but the Fallbrooks were different. They had a strict code of work ethic, and the wealth they had amassed thus-far was never enough. It was expected of all family members to work.
There no exceptions, and Tristan had already accepted his fate.
Twenty was the age chosen for the heirs to begin. College was optional after eighteen, but few chose that route. Those who chose to enter straight into their companies were trained for five years. At twenty-five they would take over a leadership position in whatever profession they had chosen.
This was the point in which Fallbrooks would either sink or swim. If by thirty they hadn't accomplished enough to rise to true power in their companies, they were deemed failures. Only a handful exceeded the expectations of the family, and gained important roles.
To date, there were fifty members of the Fallbrook clan. More than half were over sixty, leaving only ten members below the age of thirty-five.
Of these ten, Tristan was the youngest. He was also the one most likely to inherit his father's position in the banking industry. Even before he'd begun his training, his path was already set before him.
"Endless opportunities." Eighteen year old Tristan whispered, and he examined the invitation in his hand. "It doesn't seem that way from where I stand."
He tossed the wedding invite on the floor, staring at it like it was a snake.
He reached for his phone, and quickly dialed Nick's number.
Tristan scowled when the call went to voicemail. Nick didn't have time to speak to him these days. He'd only been working for two years, but he'd already become the business oriented robot that every other member of the clan became.
"Married?" Tristan shouted into the phone. "So much for breaking free, huh? You're doing a hell of a job following their schedule. Begin training at twenty, married by twenty-three, and kids before thirty. Congrats, I'm sure your parents are thrilled." He couldn't disguise his disgust. "I honestly hope she's as robotic as the others. It's what you get for being a hypocrite."
He threw the phone across the room in frustration.
Tristan didn't have a reason to be angry. If he had to name the emotion boiling within him, it was disappointment. More than just losing his skydiving partner, he'd lost his best friend.
He shouldn't be this upset. Tristan tried to remind himself how blessed he was to be given this life. Yes, he was expected to work for his family, but it wasn't that bad. Other families couldn't afford to feed themselves, so he couldn't complain.
It just felt suffocating, the fate laid out before him. He'd first seen the plan for his life when he was ten years old. That had been the moment when he'd truly known was helplessness was.
Even before he was old enough to understand, they'd outlined his life. It was so easy for them to copy his grandfather's life on a piece of paper, and force the rest of the family to abide by the formula.
The plan was how they made millionaires out of their children. It was how they'd kept their influence strong throughout the last century.
If Tristan hadn't gotten close to Nick, he would've mindlessly followed the plan too. He respected his father, who he only saw occasionally during major events. His mother was a strong woman as well, and she'd instilled in him the knowledge to be grateful for what he'd been given. Tristan knew his days of wasting time by jumping off cliffs or out of planes was going to end eventually. He'd just never considered that there was another way of life.
Nick had been considering dropping the family. It wouldn't be hard...all he had to do was mess up. Running away would only be temporary, but once a black sheep, he would never be bothered again. The mistake had to be big...it would have to be something that would ruin the clan's powerful image.
Tristan had never considered shaming his family, but the future Nick talked about was enticing.
The thought of having no plan, of being able to choose his own life was addictive.
So addictive, it had remained in the back of Tristan's mind during the two years he watched Nick waste away while working.
"Something bothering the prince?" A smooth voice asked from behind him.
Tristan smiled as soft arms wrapped around his waist.
"Only the usual." He motioned to the bowl of fruit he had lying on the table. "Th
ey gave me grapes when I specifically requested apples."
"Poor baby." Alyssa Ellison replied from behind him.
He turned and smiled at her. She was just as beautiful as he remembered, though with longer hair. He'd last seen her two years ago when he'd been snowboarding in Alaska, but she'd since moved to Europe with her family.
"What brings you back to the USA?" He asked, genuinely pleased to see her. She belonged to the small group of friends he had remaining that were interested in extreme sports. She was refreshingly down to earth despite her family's wealth. She kept him grounded and humble, and they had a running joke about who was more spoiled.