BXBX NOVEL Chapter 698 - Deals Between Brothers
Chapter 698 - Deals Between Brothers
Contrary to the innocent thoughts inside Yvonne's mind, the others were focusing on the unspoken rivalry between them.
Only Yvonne and Topher were uninvolved as they had different thoughts in their minds.
The heir of the Ducal family was least bothered about their petty quarrels but today this same childish behavior of theirs had worked in his favor.
Thus thinking of what had taken place a while ago, a wicked smirk formed on his lips but it faded before anyone could notice it.
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As soon as lunch had come to an end, the St. Claire siblings and the Valente twins had gone to the higher floor where their rooms were situated.
This left the Tanner brothers to head towards their rooms which were next to each other and on the lower floor.
While they were walking towards it, there was absolute silence between them as no one made any effort to initiate conversation.
This was a common occurrence for them as neither would say a word unless they needed the other to do something for them.
The brothers were used to living this way and felt no desire to change as they knew that they had different views about life.
However, to Topher's surprise, Taylor had taken the first step to talk to him.
Instead of entering his room, he had come to his elder brother's room with the excuse of discussing an urgent matter.
Topher was curious to hear what it could be and allowed the boy inside without making him wait.
"Please let me know when Howard leaves his room." Taylor requested before bowing his head to his brother, a gesture to display his sincerity.
The heir had been wondering what the urgent matter could be and to hear this coming from him was most definitely underwhelming to him.
"Why should I?" He retorted, his tone conveying his obvious disagreement with this request.
Other brothers would have said something like, 'Because I'm requesting you to do it', however, such statements meant nothing to these brothers.
Therefore, Taylor knew that if he did not exchange something of equal or greater value with his brother, his request would be denied without any hesitation.
He was right to think so as Topher would have done exactly that.
The younger brother knew him all too well and thus had something to propose in exchange for what he had requested.
"I am willing to start training with the squires for one hour every day." He put forward his half of the deal and waited to see how the other would react.
Topher had already noticed the look of regret which had flashed across his face back in the garden when he and Miss Yvonne had completed their match.
Therefore, he knew that it was only a matter of time before his little brother would begin to regain interest in other aspects of his life instead of only living leisurely without any hopes and aspirations.
However, he had not expected it to happen this quickly.
'Let's see how much he wants this.' The wicked elder brother was not one to give in that easily.
Therefore, he put on an unwilling expression which made Taylor panic.
"Two hours?" He extended the time of training in hopes of getting Topher to agree.
This addition made the elder brother nod but he did not wish to agree just yet.
"Three hours and no slacking even for a minute." Topher's words echoed in his brother's ears which felt like cats scratching their nails against a windowpane, making him grimace in pain.
However, if he wished to receive his brother's assistance, he needed to agree even if it was much higher than his initial bid.
"Fine. I agree!" Taylor resigned to his fate and accepted his brother's conditions in order to get his work done.
Topher smirked and stretched out his hand to shake on the deal that they had just agreed with, following which he kept his end of the deal.
His etcher, Rouge was still in this estate, and being a fox, she had keen sensory organs.
Using her aid, Topher was able to locate Howard and keep an eye on his movements, informing Taylor of everything he knew.
With this information, Taylor was able to figure out where that sly fellow was taking his beloved sister and finally followed them all the way to the Piano Room.
On their way here, they had stumbled upon the twins who had also noticed that Howard had been up to something behind their backs.
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Thus, the four had appeared right when Howard was about to lead his sister into the Piano room where he had brought her through a lot of secretive measures.
"Surprised?" Taylor sneered, not bothering to conceal his anger.
'I have to practice with the squires for three hours each day because of your selfishness!' He blamed his best friend who was being greedy and not willing to share Vonny with him.
If Howard had not been against him all day today then he would not have had to accept that scary condition from his elder brother.
However, thinking of what he had witnessed in the back garden today, Taylor snickered as he would have started training with or without that condition being placed.
He had only used it as a bargaining chip to gain his brother's help for finding Howard and Yvonne before they disappeared while everyone else was resting in their rooms.
Therefore, Taylor had been sulking earlier because he would now have to train for three hours instead of his initial proposition of just one hour.
However, he shook that thought away from his mind as he would have done anything to not allow Howard to snatch Vonny away from him.
'I got the chance to see her after such a long time.' He nodded with renewed vigor at staying strong and carrying on with what he had already put his mind to.
Topher had been observing his little brother all along and hence shook his head in dismay.
'I have a lot more to work on than what I had earlier imagined.' He realized that Taylor was a bigger project than his earlier assumptions, making him wonder if he could succeed in his endeavors.
Yvonne did not know the thoughts swirling in the Tanner brothers' minds and happily invited them all into the Piano room.
Taylor had finally caught up with Howard and did not wish to waste any further time and hence stuck close to his sworn sister.
Seeing him clinging onto her, Howard did not wish to be left behind so he hurried to her other side.
The Valente twins rolled their eyes but there was a jealous tinge in their eyes for having lost this opportunity to the younger and more enthusiastic brats.
Topher, once again, was left alone and decided to only silently follow behind them as they entered the room.
Other than Howard and Yvonne, the rest had come here for the very first time so they took the liberty to scan the room and observe the place where the little girl would practice her piano skills in the past.
The grand piano sat by the window making the sun's rays falling on it appear aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
Taylor was impressed with the minimalistic yet soothing decor of the room and he did not forget to sing her praises.
"Mama was the one who designed this room so I will let her know of your compliments." The little girl gave credit to the right person which made Taylor choke for a second.
However, he did not object to her kind offer and nodded his head, regardless of who it was, they had done an excellent job in decorating this place.
'After all, she is Vonny's mother.' He grinned as his sworn sister and everyone around her were such talented people.
His eyes then fell on Howard and that feeling lowered by many degrees.
'Not him,' he scoffed at his best friend who wasn't acting like one today.
Noticing the bubbling animosity between the two, Yvonne decided that it was best that she intervened lest it escalated once again.
"Shall I play something for everyone?" She inquired with a sweet smile before glancing at those present in this room.
This time, even Topher gave an enthusiastic nod as he had witnessed Yvonne's excellent skills on one of his birthdays in the past where she had dedicated a song to him as a present.
Though he knew that their mothers had used this incident to quell the negative rumors about the child, he had been impressed with her skills nonetheless.
Therefore, now that he had another opportunity to hear that serene music, he was going to enjoy and appreciate her talents.
Thus under everyone's excited gaze, the little girl took her seat before the grand piano and prepared to entertain them for a while.