Chapter 16

"Oh yeah we already know, can we eat now? I want to sleep straight after this!" Aiden said.

"Aiden, the sleepyhead, at this rate Gavin will quickly surpass you!" Lucas chirped. He took Lyra's hand and helped her to sit on the chair that had been prepared.

"Please, Miss Layla!" He said softly.

"Thank You." Layla blushed. Lucas's attitude is very different from his six other brothers, including Lucien.

Layla glanced at Lucien who looked calm and full of charisma. When he started eating his food, his six siblings followed him. It was very clear that they respected him a lot. But strangely, even though they claim to be siblings, they don't resemble each other at all. Their faces and eye colors are different.

"What's wrong? You don't like the food?" Lucien asked as if he could read her mind. Lucien always shows the same expression and eyes, kick, cold and very mysterious. His almost perfect black eyes were like a room that held many secrets.

"N-no, I just-"

"If you don't like it, I will ask the servant to prepare the food you like." Lucas said.

"No, that's not necessary. Thank you, Lucas."

*** 

After dinner was over, Layla stood pensive on the balcony, looking up at the night sky filled with stars. She started to miss her old home with John. Although she had to admit that Jonathan often didn't act like a good husband. But he always gave her the freedom to do whatever she liked and go wherever she wanted to go.

John lavished her with luxury, but unfortunately he wanted to get everything he had given back and this was the only way for Layla to repay all the pleasures and luxuries of life that she had while being John Weisz's wife.

Layla saw a man standing alone in a quiet yard smoking a cigarette. Tall, sturdy, tan skinned with dark brown hair. The man was the most unfriendly member of the Schneider family.

"What is he doing?" Layla thought. Honestly, she didn't want to disturb the man. Compared to the pervert Keith who was very clear about what he wanted, Aiden seemed much more difficult to approach.

To be honest, she didn't want to bother being friendly and familiar with Lucien' younger siblings. She knew that she had no interest whatsoever in them. However, because they would also be around her, like it or not, she had to think of a plan so that her survival during the three months in this mansion could run smoothly.

"What are you doing, Miss Layla?" Suddenly, someone whispered in her ear and stood right behind her. Layla gasped in surprise and surprise because she was too caught off guard to realize there was someone else nearby.

"Lucas?"

"Hahaha...I'm sorry! I didn't know you would be that surprised!" Lucas smiled kindly and that made Layla feel a little calmer.

"It's okay, you don't need to apologize."

"Could it be that you are secretly observing Aiden, huh?" He said while glancing at Aiden who was standing quite far from them.

"N-no, he just happened to be there. I didn't notice him at all."

"Is that so? Hahaha..."

"Why are you laughing? What's so funny?"

"You're very funny, Miss Layla! I'm just still curious about you. Sorry if sometimes you feel uncomfortable with my presence."

"You're very honest, but you don't need to apologize. After all, this is your home, so you're free to go wherever you want."

"This is not my house, but this is the mansion owned by my brother, Lucien. Because he is the oldest child and he is the leader, he has greater access to the family business which was passed down from generation to generation from the time of our great-grandfather."

"Leader? Sounds pretty unique, huh?"

"If I told you that we weren't actually humans, would you believe it?"

"R-really?"

"Hahaha...my goodness, it turns out you immediately believed it, didn't you?"

"N-no, that's not it. I just-"

"No, I'm just kidding. We are ordinary people just like you. It's just that our family has such a big and powerful influence that people will think that we are not ordinary people."

"Influence? Like what?"

"The business that our family runs is not an ordinary business. Because our father died three years ago, our father's role and duties shifted to Lucien as the eldest son."

"Are you really siblings?"

"Don't you think we resemble each other enough?"

"Yes, besides that your ages don't seem that far apart or maybe-"

"We are twins,"

"Twins?"

"More like non-identical twins."

"Is it true?" Layla was amazed. Lucas's statement about their status as twins sounded hard to believe.

Seven siblings are non-identical twins. Even though things like that might have happened in real life, when you see them it feels like something that is almost impossible to happen.

"Maybe you won't believe it, but it's true."

"Is your mother still alive?"

"Yes, our mother is still alive. She is a very strong woman, we really respect her, especially Lucien, he is the closest to both of our parents. He is the pride of the family."

"He looks the most authoritative and charismatic."

"So, you fell in love with him?"

"Falling in love with Lucien? Of course not! Actually, I'm a married woman and I-" Layla stopped continuing her words. She felt there was no point in admitting something that would ultimately result in her receiving humiliation again. After all, a wife being sold by her husband to become another man's slave was the craziest and most absurd thing that had ever happened.

"And you?"

"Maybe you already know the story from one of your brothers."

"John Weisz, actually that name is not a foreign name for our family business."

"Really?"

"You're not the first woman he has ever sold at auction. I've heard that several years ago he sold his girlfriend and fiancé at auction. The women were rented or bought by mentally ill rich old men, some of them were declared missing and their whereabouts were not known. But almost everyone could guess that the woman might have died while being held as a sex slave for weeks. However, the case of the woman's disappearance seemed to just disappear and no one ever discussed it."

***