Chapitre 26: The Flirt

"SHOULD WE WAKE them?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. Your brother hasn't had much sleep recently. He might argue otherwise but his body needs the rest."

"But they're! But— It's so! They're so!"

"Intimate?"

"Yes!"

Noises started to ring around Wyatt's ears. He had been having such a sweet and blissful dream before he was forcefully and rudely pulled from the amazing wonderland his mind had been in. The second he grew conscious about his surroundings, the voices that spoke right by his ear grew louder, the words clearer than before. Even before he cracked open an eyelid, he could see the light from outside.

He grumbled, annoyed that someone had awoken him from that peaceful slumber. Though his back ached like that of an old man's, at the same time, he couldn't remember when was the last time he had slept so soundly until morning. He had always woken up right at sunrise, sometimes even before the sun had a chance to peek out of the horizon. To have the rare chance of sleeping until the sun was high up in the sky was difficult indeed.

Unfortunately, someone had ruined this delightful and long-awaited rest.

"Noisy," he groaned under his breath, raising a hand to rub his eye.

"Are you awake, Brother?" A voice, one that Wyatt now recognized to belong to Charlie, asked.

"Ah…" Hissing in pain, Wyatt twisted his body uncomfortably. "My back hurts."

He heard a faint snort.

"It would be a miracle if it didn't. You spent the night on a couch, after all."

"What are you doing in my…" Slowly, Wyatt blinked his eyes open. The sunlight that streamed in through the windows was nearly too bright for his eyes. He squinted at the two shadows that stood right in front of him, continuously blinking until he got used to the light before his vision finally cleared. "Wait…" He trailed off, frowning. "This isn't my room, is it?"

"You fell asleep in the library, Wyatt," Miles supplied, folding his arms across his chest. "Young Master Charlie found you here."

"Five more minutes, Mom…" A much daintier voice murmured right above Wyatt's ear. Instead of the low baritones and tenors that belonged to males, the voice that spoke belonged to a woman.

Wyatt had forgotten how he had come to fall asleep in the library or even who he had fallen asleep on. It wasn't until the 'pillow' under his head suddenly jerked upwards, causing him to sit up in order to not fall off the couch had he remembered that Alice, his guest, had been serving as a pillow for him all night long.

"Oh my— Shit," she cursed, colorful words spewing forth. Wyatt needn't even turn to know that Alice's eyes were no doubt as wide as saucers, staring blankly at the three men that stood — and sat — around her. "What… Did I…? Oh my gosh. I fell asleep, didn't I?"

"Good morning to you too, Alice!" Wyatt chirped sweetly, adjusting his body so that he now sat on the couch properly with his feet implanted on the ground.

"Brother…" Charlie fidgeted, wincing.

Ignoring his younger brother, Wyatt continued to speak. "I've not slept so well in ages! It must've been thanks to your company last night."

Charlie flushed, his cheeks turning nearly as red as Wyatt's irises. "Brother, you shouldn't say something so improper to a lady. It almost suggests that you were…"

"And what am I supposed to be suggesting?" Wyatt mused, taking delight in watching how Alice's face grew more and more like an apple's ruby glow.

By Charlie's side, Miles sighed out loud. His palm slapped against his forehead, running down his face in exasperation. The younger boy, on the other hand, could no longer form coherent words. His face was almost as red as Alice's was, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water that was desperately trying to stay alive.

Resting his hand on the armrest, Wyatt leaned against it, his cheek propped up by the back of his hand. It was an amazing entertainment to watch both Alice and Charlie blush like tomatoes, their cheeks as red as the dawn. When his ruby eyes came to rest on Alice, simply gazing at her with his usual smile, he could see her squirm the longer his eyes lazily stared. It was no intense gaze and it held no particular menace nor other meaning but it still affected her nonetheless.

'She's an absolute delight to watch,' he thought silently to himself.

"I've gotta go get ready. Bye!"

Standing up to her feet abruptly, the couch cushions jolted with Alice's movement. Her hands were clenched right by her sides, knuckles turning white as she hurried out of the room without another word more. The library doors slammed shut behind her as she departed, her footsteps discernable as she shuffled down the corridors before ultimately heading too far off to hear.

"Ah," Miles groaned, running a hand through his hair as he stared at the door pointedly. "Now you've gone and scared the poor girl off." Turning back to face Wyatt, he frowned, his fingers still threaded with his own hair, his hand resting on the top of his head. "Are you ever going to stop with your teasing?"

Wyatt snickered, hiding his laughter behind a hand. "Well, she is very nice to tease. Her reactions are simply adorable," he admitted.

"You shouldn't tease like that, Brother." Shaking his head, Charlie sat down on the couch, the same spot Alice had been on just seconds ago.

"One day, your mindless flirting will leave a trail of broken hearts behind you," Miles agreed with a nod.

Wyatt's shoulders raised and slumped down in a quick shrug. His eyes were dark, bright scarlet dimming into the color of a glass of red wine.

"It's all in good fun," he said, folding one leg across the other. "The women I flirt around with know that I don't mean anything. If they think I do have other intentions other than striking up a casual talk then…" A corner of his lips quirked upwards. "Then maybe I do."

"It seems to me like Alice thinks that you mean something serious. Maybe not at the start but the way you talk to her now—"

"Like I said," Wyatt cut into Charlie's sentence.

There was no warmth in the smile he wore on his lips. Even the two people closest to him, his younger brother and his best friend, had no idea what went on in his head. They may be close in age, experience, and upbringing but there was no one in the Ragan household that could come on par with how the cogs in Wyatt's head turned. He was an ambitious and secretive man that was constantly coming up with new ways to elevate himself without a single cost to his name. His hard work and dedication led him to become one of the most powerful youths in Gladiolum at such a young age.

Wyatt, though wearing an elegant grin, had dark intentions in his eyes. "I won't do such a thing to a woman I'm not interested in. Does that answer your question, Charlie?"

At his words, Charlie stilled. His blood ran cold as the temperature in the library dipped as a result of Wyatt's frosty tone. Even Miles, who was usually less reserved when around Wyatt, was clever enough to keep himself silent. When in the middle of one of his schemes, Wyatt could be as ruthless as any of the members of the royal family. Birds of a feather flock together, after all.

Both Charlie and Miles had seen him in action before. His victims were more than pitiable to have fallen into the claws of a devil-like man dressed like an innocent rabbit.

Using the armrest to hoist himself onto his feet, Wyatt gathered his documents that were still scattered on the library table from the night before. With all his work materials in his hands, he strode towards the door without sparing so much as a backward glance.

"Take that as you will."

The doors creaked open to let him through before it closed with a bang, his words still hanging in the air and leaving Miles and Charlie to stare at each other, both equally worried for the newest prey under the mansion's roof.

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