CHAPTER 013

Ciel's eyes snap open when he hears the sound of a persistent knock on the door; he doesn't move. He lays still on the bed as Xerxes gets up from the sofa and opens the door.

“Mother.”

He hears Xerxes's voice addresses, even at midnight, Xerxes still maintains his calm and authoritative tone.

“You should be in bed.” He continues with no atom of exhaustion in his voice or any sign that he slept at all since he laid down on the sofa.

"You think I will be able to sleep with the nonsense you have brought into our home?” come his mother's sharp voice, Ciel doesn't need to see her face to know she has a scowl of disapproval on it. He holds back a snort. Guess insulting him at the diner table wasn't enough, she just had to come here to open her damn mouth.

“I've told you before Mother, Ciel is my fiance and he deserves that respect.” Xerxe says.

“Respect?” The woman's voice slightly rises in anger. “Did you respect me before you brought him here? Did you care about this family before you announced to the whole world that faggot is your fiance.”

Homophobic bitch! Ciel curses in his head.

“You think I don't know why you're doing this? You knew I've already found a match for you, the one this family deserves and out of the blue, you got engaged to that thing. I thought you had gotten your head straight after Ethan cheated on you!”

“Mother.” Xerxes's voice comes out grim and firm, lacing with a hint of warning, Ciel could only imagine how dark his eyes must be and how his jaw clenches perfectly. “You don't want to see me mad, mother.”

Who is Ethan? Ciel strains to hear every word, biting his lip to stop himself from reacting.

“What? You're gonna take out your gun and blow my head just like you did to your father for trying to set you straight?” she's now yelling. “Do you think Ciel is going to stick around once he finds out what kind of monster you have? The blood you have on your hands? Your fucking secrets?!”

Ciel almost doesn't believe what he is hearing. He doesn't understand. Did Xerxes really kill his father? Is that why he's hated by his mother? What the fuck is going on.

“I see you don't have anything further to say.” Xerxes dismisses her.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Xerxes. Bringing that man into this house is one thing, but parading him as your fiancé? It’s a disgrace to this family. To our name and to your late father, you killed him, at least respect his name.”

Ciel tenses up, the venom in her tone cutting through the night like a sharp blade.

She continues. "You will break this nonsense engagement off and send him back to where you picked him from, Xerxes. Find a woman, someone who can give this family and you an heir.”

Xerxes shoves his hands into his pants, his posture straight and composed yet his eyes dancing with a glint.

"You should know by now, Mother; I don’t care about heirs, or the legacy, or what you think I should do. You don’t control me. You never did and you never will."

"And what happens when this all blows up in your face? When that actor finally drags you down with him? You think he's going to stay? That he cares about you? He will leave the moment it benefits him.”

“What happens between Ciel and I is none of your concern. You should focus on your other children, Liam is your puppet, mother. Have a goodnight, mother,"

Without any word, Xerxes shuts the door and returns to the sofa, he doesn't lay down as he sits and gives a man spread, with eyes glued on the bed. Silence falls in the room and he only speaks a few minutes later. “I know you're awake, Ciel.”

Ciel's body jerks, caught red-handed. He gulps and then slowly sits up right. He awkwardly clears his throat and brushes the strain of hair on his face off.

Xerxes smirks. “You have a knack for listening in others' conversations?”

“Well, your mother wasn't speaking softly. She wanted me to hear what she had to say and I did. It's not my fault.”

Xerxes's scoffs. “It doesn't matter what you hear as long as you don't speak out of turn and stay out of things that don't concern you.”

Ciel hisses, he has no intention of getting tangled in things that doesn't concern him, if anything, it's this man's fault for dragging him here. “For someone who says they don’t care about their family’s opinions, you sure do put up with a lot of their crap. I don't give a shit about you or your family secrets, I'm only here because this whole shit benefits me. I'm a gold digger.” he smirks proudly.

“Good, it should remain that way.”

Ciel haul himself out of bed. He walks over to where Xerxes is seated on the sofa, bare feet and a pair of pajamas that are too big for his body while Xerxes doesn't change out of his clothes, staying in his pants and white sleeves. Xerxes watches his every movement.

He leans his upper body down, coming face to face with Xerxes whose blank eyes only stare back. He smirks. “Tell me, Xerxes, is this your rebellion phase? Getting a male fiance when your family is obviously homophobic?”

Xerxes smirks , his voice is calm but lace with challenge as he speaks. “Is that what you think?”

Before Ciel can respond, Xerxes’s hand moves swiftly and deliberately, he grabs Ciel's by the wrist and pulls him in. The sudden movement catches Ciel off guard as a gasp rips out of him and he stumbles, his balance falters and he falls forward. Instinctively, he reaches out and lands on Xerxes's chest to steady himself, causing their bodies to become flushed together

“A little warning next time, maybe?” Ciel tells him and tries to push back but Xerxes doesn't reply, rather his arms firmly goes around Ciel's waist, holding him in place. Ciel gasps as their eyes lock and the air cracks with a sudden tension and the heat becomes impossible to ignore.

He doesn't realize when his gaze travels down to the man's kissable lips.

“What are you thinking kitten?” Xerxes smirks.

Ciel's eyes go wide, like they are about to pull out of their socket?

K-kitten?

What the fuck?!