Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 7

Opening his window, he punched in the code that opened the gate before driving through.

He could see Vivian finally taking an interest in their surroundings, her posture changing as she turned her head a little as if to catch sight of more.

The driveway wasn’t long, ending in a cul-de-sac; people entered on the right, driving around the edge to leave on the left. Any time someone did it differently had caused Samuel’s temper to require being leashed because it was common sense to do it right to left.

Putting the vehicle in park, Samuel exited, walking around to Vivian’s door and opening it for her as she was too busy staring with wide eyes at her new home.

Glancing over to see what she saw, Samuel supposed it would be a bit of a surprise for someone who wasn’t used to such lodgings, but for him it was just another day coming home.

His home was more like a manor, constructed using beige stones. It was only two stories tall with an elegant arch over the front door. The only wood used on the outside was for the trimming, beautiful designs carved into them to give it a fancy touch.

The lawn and gardens were grown and carefully tended to with an eye for aesthetics. There were two garages, attached on opposite sides of the home, facing each other from either side of the circular drive, which Samuel admitted was a bit much, but his middle child had been a bit car crazy after getting his license and had wanted his own space.

“Welcome home,” Samuel said to his daughter after letting her take in the sight for a moment. “Shall we head inside?”

Before leaving he had texted his sons to be present upon their arrival for introductions, and he was pleased to see them lounging in the foyer when he opened the front door, letting Vivian enter first.

Her eyes were wide, showing her awe at the surroundings as she entered. A staircase on either side of the room lead to a balcony above, which led to either wing of the manor; left side had the bedrooms and guest rooms, while the right side was Samuel’s to use for business when he worked from home.

The foyer was a large open space with comfortable lounges for sitting, a few tastefully placed potted plants and little else. Samuel would consider his preferred style of home decor to be minimalist, though that was more due to him not really having an eye for such things; Annie had been the one with the eye for design, bringing life into any room with only a few personal touches.

Finally she looked at her brothers, lips pursing a little as she buried her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

Clearing his throat a little, Samuel stepped up beside his daughter and place a hand on her shoulder. “These are your brothers, Vivian; Sebastian, Gabriel and Laurent.”

As he spoke each name, the person in question gave Vivian a curt nod.

Sebastian was the spitting image of Samuel. His brown hair was kept short but still stylish, though he was clean shaven while his father was not. Even the brown eyes that stared at the girl were the same shade. The only physical difference between father and son was the inch in height — Samuel being the shorter one. Sebastian was dressed in a charcoal grey suit, but had his jacket open with his tie hung loosely around his neck.

Gabriel looked more like Annie, with raven hair much like Vivian’s own and eyes blue like the ocean. Unlike the eldest brother, Gabriel wasn’t as broad in the shoulders, and preferred a more casual look in comfortable jeans and a blue polo shirt that brought out those blue eyes of his.

Laurent looked almost like the outlier of the three brothers, as per usual. His brown hair was kept shaved around the sides and long on top, which was dyed a different colour depending on the month; this month he’d chosen a vibrant blue and his roots were already beginning to show. He was fine boned, with a body like a swimmer. His eyes were a darker shade of brown than the others, sometimes looking almost black. He was also the only one who sported piercings; two on his right eyebrow, one on his lower lip, and Samuel had lost count of how many holes his ears had nowadays. He was dressed smartly, in a button up dark purple shirt, the two top buttons unfastened, and black slacks.

Of the boys, Laurent had the best style but the worst temperament.

“I hope he hasn’t said anything too bad about us,” Laurent was the first of the boys to speak, his voice sounding almost bored as he, like Vivian, had his hands in the pockets of his pants.

“Laurent,” Samuel cautioned, giving his youngest son a look that told him not to cause a stir.

In response, the boy shrugged his shoulders. “It was a joke.”

“Ignore him,” Sebastian cut in before the atmosphere grew tense. “Laurent is jealous he isn’t the baby of the family anymore and won’t get special treatment.”

Laurent shot his oldest brother a glare as Gabriel chuckled. “I think he has less privileges than we did, Bass, not more. If anything, he’ll get more now that he’s not the baby.”

“You both need to shut up,” the younger brother snapped hotly.

“Boys,” Samuel interrupted with a cutting tone. “Let’s not do this right now, alright?”

“Yes, sir,” the three of them responded as one, none of them looking at the other anymore.

“We’re happy to have you here, Vivian,” Gabriel finally said after a moment of silence passed, giving the girl a bright smile. “It’ll be different, having a sister instead of only brothers. I’m kind of excited.”

“It’s not much different,” she finally said, her voice soft and low but loud enough that everyone heard what was said.

“I doubt that,” Gabriel chuckled again. “Not with these two.”

“I’ve had ten different brothers and six sisters; they’re all pretty much the same in the end.”

This had everyone staring at her, causing Vivian to squirm a little under their gaze.

Samuel cleared his throat again, breaking the awkward atmosphere. “Why don’t I show you around?”