THE FOUR

LIE. THAT'S WHAT HE asked me to do. I thought he was just fooling around with me, but the seriousness on his face made me realize that he wasn't joking at all.

"Lie?" I ask to clarify it, but Cyrus looked like he was getting annoyed by how I was stalling. He might not be the patient type of guy. He was standing a few inches away from me. Not too close, but not too far either. He was waiting, and him just simply waiting for me to say something made me nervous.

What is going on with me? Why am I suddenly feeling like this?

"Any time now Mr. Carter." He says, the smirk on his face making me uneasy.

I have to say something now.

"Focus," I tell myself, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath while gripping on the armrest of my seat. I try to brush the nervousness away, and when I was finally ready, I open my eyes back and look at him with a serious expression.

"If the time comes, you will never see me pointing my gun at you. For the end of that gun will be on me, and you will be the one to pull the trigger." I finally tell him, hoping that those words would at least impress him.

Cyrus stares at me for a second, his expression once again unreadable. But after examining me, his seriousness vanishes, and his smirk returns. He pats my shoulder twice and walks back to his chair so he could sit back down.

"What a charming lie. It's very appealing." He tells me with a chuckle, but like someone flicked a switch, his serious expression returns within a second, "But I wasn't convinced enough."

I couldn't help but gulp again as I watch Cyrus intertwine his fingers and rest his chin on top of them.

"You know who lies the best?" He asks me. The question suddenly out of place.

"Lawyers?" I answer, but with a hint of doubt.

"No, it's gentlemen." He answers. Without pulling his fingers apart, he puts his hands down, "Lies are a gentleman's manner. They make the most lies, for they have to be polite not to say the wrong things." He continues.

"What is a good lie then?" I ask him; curious because I thought I really did a good job earlier. I wanted to know his criteria for judgment. I have to know what a good lie is to him.

"The best lies are when the person speaking believes that it's not a lie at all. Let me ask you a question Mr. Carter, do you love your father?" He asks. I was confused at first but I nodded my head with no hesitation and answered him, "Of course, he's my father."

He smirks.

"That...is what you call a good lie." He says, making me flinch for some reason.

What did he mean by a good lie? That wasn't a lie at all. I loved my-

Loved. That's right. I loved him. Not love him.

"You see the difference now?" He asks while staring at me. He must have seen the sudden realization written on my face.

"Why is that even important? I'm a bodyguard. I won't be talking, which means I won't be lying, which also means I don't need to be good at it." I tell him with a serious expression, and suddenly the smirk on Cyrus's face turns into a grin – a grin that caused the hair on my skin to stand.

"And that...is how you convince me." He says, and my eyes widen from surprise.

He's really good. Not just dangerous, but smart too. He's already on to me, but there's no backing out now. I'll just see how all this will go.

"You're hired." He finally declares, "Starting today you will be staying with me. Wherever I go, you will be there. Protecting is a word I don't like using, so we'll be using the word guarding instead. Your uniform and equipment will be given to you tomorrow. I don't particularly like noise, but if I ask you to speak, you speak." He tells me, and I nodded my head in understanding.

I thought the interview was over, but then the office door suddenly opens. The person who entered didn't even knock, so I'm guessing this is someone important.

"Cyrus, foreign investors are waiting for you." A woman's voice says. I didn't turn my head around to face her, but the power and authority on her voice already made it clear.

"Catalina," Cyrus says as a woman wearing a white suit approaches him. The woman stares at me for a second, but then she ignores my existence and looks back at Cyrus who wasn't even surprised by the sudden intrusion.

This is Catalina Delton, the second sibling, and for what I heard, was even scarier than their eldest. Looking at her now, I think she isn't really scary, but more of a boss figure. In terms of being intimidating, Cyrus wins that trait. But Catalina has a stronger aura. She's tough looking.

"As you can see I am quite busy right now. So please do me a favor Catalina and talk to the investors on my behalf. It would greatly please me if you could do so." Cyrus says politely, almost making me have goosebumps as I listen to him.

Catalina smiles and leans towards his brother. She got so close that I thought she was going to kiss him, but she doesn't. She stops just a few inches away from Cyrus's face and says, "I am not here to please you. So get up from this fancy chair of yours and talk to these investors on your own. You're a president, do your own fucking job."

I was surprised at how Catalina talked to her older brother. Not like Chance, there was no hint of fear in her way of talking to him.

"Or do you want we switch places and I become the president and you be the vice," Catalina adds, and that was the only thing she had to say to finally make Cyrus stand up.

"Then I apologize for even asking so kindly." He says with a glare before walking away.

I grab my suitcase and was supposed to follow him since he said I start my job today, but Catalina grabs my arm to stop me.

"You start tomorrow. Hand me your number." She commands. There was no point ignoring her so I gave her my number, then she gave me her calling card in return.

"Send me your measurements so we could have your uniform tailored. I think my dear brother had already told you the details so you should start packing. You'll be staying with us now, but don't worry, there will be other bodyguards as well. It just so happens that you're assigned to Cyrus." She suddenly explains to me.

Well, I guess she's not so bad compared to Cyrus and their perverted sibling Chance.

"What's your name?" She asks afterward.

"Vince." I immediately answer her.

She nods her head and gently pats my shoulder. "Keep a good eye on my brother. His gentleman ways...can be very troublesome."

I was confused about why she said those words to me, but I wasn't able to ask her about it anymore since she was already walking away from me.

"And Vince," she calls out.

I look back at Catalina. She wasn't smirking like Chance and Cyrus, but she wasn't looking at me angrily either. Instead, she kept her expression neutral as she says, "As the second eldest, I welcome you to the Delton Family." Then she walks away as if nothing happened.

I blink, confused about what just happened. But then a woman - who I suspect was Catalina's guard - tells me to leave the room, so I did.

As I was walking out of the Delton building, I couldn't help but make a reflection on my short trip there. The three siblings have very distinct personalities. One was like a snake, or if given a more inappropriate word, he moved and talked like a slut. He observes the person in front of him like he's searching for their deepest desires. And once he finds them, he uses it and attacks.

The other one is a gentleman, or rather, a man who uses gentlemen ways as a façade. He's very smart and cunning, but he's also very dangerous. I know my capability, and I know what I've done in the past, but that man was on another level. As groomed and clean as he looked, I couldn't help but feel like he stains his hands with red almost every hour. That alone wouldn't faze me, but the fact that he pretends like he doesn't know that others know about it makes me feel sick for some reason. It's almost as if he wants them to know.

Now we're down to the last sibling on the list, Catalina. She's more of a president than her own brother since she gives out a boss vibe. But knowing the basic rules of a rich and elite family, the male eldest is always the one to inherit or is the one who's next in line in family businesses. It's a shame though, I can see Catalina's potential. But what confuses me most is the fact that their father decided to halt the announcement of the new CEO. In a normal setting, it's obvious it would be Cyrus, but why wait till the youngest turns 25? Does that mean Tobias Delton gets the inheritance? I don't really get it.

And speaking of the youngest, I haven't personally met him yet. Maybe it's because he's still a student; a third-year college student to be exact. Tobias Delton studies in the most prestigious university in the country. It's where the rest of his siblings studied as well, but not like them, Tobias isn't academically outstanding. Well, he has high grades, but he isn't school president like Cyrus was, he isn't attending any clubs or organizations as her sister did, and he isn't really as sociable as the third son. There's nothing really special about-

"Master Tobias!" The employees suddenly greet the moment I went out of the entrance of the building. An expensive car was parked in front. Employees stood on the side as a boy comes out with a serious expression, but the moment he appears in front of everyone, his serious expression turned into a sweet and innocent smile, surprising me.

That...is Tobias Delton? That's the fourth son?

"Good morning everyone." He greets, making the employees smile at how charming the boy was.

"Are my dear siblings here?" He asks one of the employees who immediately went to his side to give him a folder, "Master Chance is checking out new employees, Vice President Catalina is making rounds at the departments, and President Cyrus is in a meeting with foreign investors. Were you not informed of their schedule Master Tobias?"

"Oh, no worries. I'm only here to sign papers, am I correct?" He asks, giving the folder back to the employee without even opening it.

"Oh master, these are the reports for the-" Tobias cuts him off with a gentle wave of his hand. "I'll let my siblings handle all the business-related matters. I don't want to get in their way, so please, don't inform them of my visit."

The employee looked puzzled, but he nods his head in understanding anyway.

Shit, they're walking this way. I should act normal and just walk past them.

"Did the employees wait for me outside again? Tell them that they don't have to do so. I've reminded them about that for so long. I don't want them getting sick because of me."

"Well, that's the reason why they're willing to wait for you, master. You're very kind to the employees."

I roll my eyes upon hearing the conversation, but as I finally walked past them, I suddenly felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. I slowly turn around to see Tobias himself looking straight at me. I don't say anything as he continues to stare at my face. Seconds later, he chuckles and leans forward, gently pushing a strand of hair away from my face before saying, "You don't want a single strand of hair to ruin your interview."

I gently push his hand away, but he didn't look offended.

"Don't worry, I just finished," I say with a small smile.

Tobias was genuinely surprised, so he moves closer to me and asks, "Really? Did it go well, sir? Getting in this company is tough."

Oh yeah, he doesn't know that I know him.

"Well surprisingly enough I got in, so we might be seeing each other a lot now. I hope that wouldn't bother you." I say as nicely as I can. I'm trying to match his bright aura but I couldn't do it. I should have met with him first before meeting the rest of the Delton siblings. The three siblings are different but at the same time, there are still similarities. Tobias on the other hand is just the complete opposite. It's like he's not a Delton at all.

"That wouldn't be a problem since I'm not an employee." He casually tells me.

"He's actually the-"

Tobias immediately cuts the employee off to stop him from saying anything further. But even if he doesn't say anything, I already know what he was about to say. He's not an employee because he's practically the owner too.

"What position did you get sir?" He asks with a smile.

I didn't want to answer him, but he was going to find out either way. And I have to stay at their mansion starting tomorrow. It's best if he's informed about it now so he wouldn't be shocked to see me in his own home.

"I'm actually Mr. Cyrus Delton's new personal bodyguard." I finally answer him.

Tobias didn't react, but for a quick second, I saw something in his eyes. Something that almost looked like fire, like he was ready to burn me right then and there.

"My brother's...personal...bodyguard?" He asks to confirm it, but I didn't know what to exactly answer him so I just nod my head instead.

He smiles again like he didn't hear anything earlier. And as he stares at me with the same charm that he used on the employees, he says, "You asked if I'd be bothered to see you all the time, correct? Well, let me answer that again." He pauses and shows me a glimpse of his true form, "I'll be really bothered apparently." Then he walks away with the other employees who were blinded by his almost annoying fake smile and gentle gestures.

At that moment, his saint façade fades. And with just one look, I realized that he's not so different from his siblings after all.