Chapter 25 Schooling the brothers
Veronica's POV:
The maids were off that night, and the dining room looked like a hurricane had passed through it... a hurricane named Max and Theo.
Mashed potatoes smeared on the edge of the table, breadcrumbs everywhere, and one lonely fork hanging halfway off the edge like it was considering jumping to its doom.
I was trying hard to suppress my laughter as I stood there, hands on my hips, I looked at the two man-child brothers who now appeared utterly clueless... as if they had no idea how this chaos even happened.
“Maybe,” Max started slowly, twirling his now-dented chef's hat in his hand, “we could… you know… go out for dinner instead.”
Theo sighed in agreement, brushing a crumb from his pristine white shirt. “That sounds like a far better idea than whatever you’re about to say.”
“No,” I said firmly, crossing my arms. “We are not going anywhere. You two made this mess, and you two are going to clean it up.”
They two froze!
Max blinked at me, half-offended. “Clean? You mean… like, actually clean?”
“Yes, actually clean,” I said, suppressing a laugh. “Welcome to the real world, gentlemen.”
Theo’s expression was priceless... like that of a CEO who just found out his quarterly report got replaced with a mop. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I’m dead serious,” I said, turning toward the kitchen. “You two handle this. I’m going to make something edible for all of us. Pancakes. That’s the only thing I know how to make.”
Their groans overlapped.
They both looked up at me like two schoolboys caught misbehaving and serving detention... somehow that made me laugh even harder.
“You two are unbelievable,” I said between giggles. “You fight, you cook, you destroy... and now look at you. Two grown men acting like you’ve never seen a dining table before.”
“So, you want me to clean up the mess I made in the first place. This is not fair... ,” Max muttered, grabbing a plate with exaggerated despair.
"Just look at the hypocrisy in your tone, brother." Theo gave Max a dry look. “Just accept your fault! And try not to break anything. It’s glass, not one of your dates.”
Max gasped. “Oh, low blow, brother! You are just upset as Veronica is giving me more attention that you."
"Oh really?" Theo chuckled, mockingly. "Cope harder, bro. She is just schooling you like a child. Are you unable to see the difference?!"
That made Max to scoff at his brother. "Then what about you, brother? She is schooling you too! Don't forget that you were the one who started this mess!"
I couldn’t hold it anymore... a burst of laughter escaped me. They were just so cute to look at.
As I walked into the kitchen, I could still hear them bickering faintly in the background... Max complaining about Theo’s “inefficient cleaning method,” and Theo lecturing him about “structural table order.”
I was chuckling as I made the pancake, hearing their noise of laughter and teasings.
I never knew that family could be this fun!
I recalled the dead serious dinner table conversation, with my parents, who mostly talked about stocks and markets.
Maybe this was what family was supposed to sound like. Not perfection, but noise. Not order, but heart.
When I returned with a pancake, the two boys had actually finished cleaning up... and surprisingly, they’d done a really good job.
“I’m impressed,” I said, glancing around the now spotless dining table.
“Yes, it was me who cleaned the table in a structural order,” Theo said proudly, running a hand through his usually neat blonde hair which was now slightly tousled due to the silly fight he had with his brother.
“That’s not true,” Max cut in immediately. “He was doing some weird math calculations just to clean a table. I had to interfere, or else he would’ve taken all night.”
“Brother, that wasn’t mathematics,” Theo countered, frowning. “It’s called stack data structure.”
“What a nerd,” Max mocked him with a grin.
“And you’re so dumb,” Theo shot back.
“Guys… guys, stop!” I interrupted, raising my voice over theirs. “I’ve had enough of your bickering. Now... who wants this?” I held up the plate with the pancake I’d just made. Another one was still getting cooked in the pan.
Max and Theo exchanged a glance, a silent spark of mischief passing between them. Then, without warning, both lunged toward me, trying to grab the plate out of my hand.
“Guys, relax! It’s not the last one—I’m making plenty more!” I protested, holding the plate higher.
“But I want it,” Max insisted.
“No, I want it,” Theo argued back, his brows furrowing.
And in that instant, I realized something. This wasn’t about the pancake anymore. They weren’t fighting over food—they were actually fighting over me.
The tension between them, the rivalry, the push and pull I’d tried to ignore… it was all about me... it was obvious from the beginning, I had refused to take it more seriously.
I knew that the responsibility was on me, I should make them stop fighting.
“Both of you, stop,” I said firmly, taking a step back with the plate.
The brothers fell silent, looking at me like two naughty kids who’d just been caught.
“Even five-year-olds have better table manners than you two,” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.
They opened their mouths to protest, but I cut them off immediately. “Not... One... Word... You two aren’t allowed to speak until this dinner is over. Otherwise, we'd still be sitting here by sunrise... and we would still be making and destroying dinner with no end.”
Then, with exaggerated calm, I tore the pancake neatly in half and placed one piece on Theo’s plate and the other on Max’s. “Didn’t they teach you in kindergarten that sharing is caring? Now, eat quietly while I go to make more.”
Both men sat back, properly tamed for once, exchanging reluctant glares before focusing on their plates.
And as I turned away, I couldn’t help but grin. I hadn’t laughed or felt this lighthearted in so long... not since before my life had spiraled into chaos.
But as the warmth of the moment settled, something inside me twisted. Because deep down, I knew there was irony in all this.
Just like that pancake, my heart was split in two... torn cleanly between Theo and Max.
And the worst part was knowing this couldn’t stay playful forever. Sooner or later, I'll have to make a choice.
A choice that would inevitably break someone’s heart... and maybe, mine too.
How can I ever choose between them?!