"But I agree. Thea has changed," Arthur says calmly.
"Yes! That's what I was getting at!" Leila confirms.
"Again. Is that such a bad thing?" Maurice shrugs.
"Of course not!" Leila answers before Arthur can.
"Then… why are we talking about this?" Maurice is already reaching for his tablet. There's breaking news he hasn't finished reading.
"Maurice!" Leila stops his hand.
"Hm?" Maurice doesn't understand his wife.
"We need to decide how we're going forward!" Leila presses her point.
Maurice looks genuinely puzzled.
Leila sighs loudly, a bit exasperated that her husband doesn't understand her. She turns to Arthur. "You understand, right?"
Arthur blinks once, slowly shifts his body to lean away from Leila. "I'm sorry, Mother. But I really don't."
Leila scoffs. "And they say you're smart!" Unaware that her lower lip is pouting a little bit.
Maurice laughs.
Leila glares at him.
He instantly closes his mouth. His hand slowly reaches for his tablet while keeping his eyes on Leila. He struggles to keep his expression neutral instead of amused.
Leila abruptly gets up. "Fine! If you two aren't going to do it, I will!" And with that, she exits the room.
Maurice watches her leave and sighs softly.
"I'm definitely going to pay for that tonight," he murmurs.
Then he turns to Arthur. His smile is gone, his face turns serious, his eyes reflect his sharp mind. "Tell me what you're really thinking."
Arthur glances at his father, then shakes his head. "I'm not sure, Father. Maybe I'm too suspicious. But everything about this screams 'not normal' to me."
"She just experienced a near-death situation. None of us have ever gone through that. Nothing close. We don't know what that's like. And every case I've read is different. Nothing is exactly the same," Maurice says in a firm, steady tone.
No trace of the always-smiling, doting Maurice; like when he's around Leila or Thea.
The one talking to Arthur now is Montrose-Patriarch Maurice, sharp, calm, steady, and experienced. The Maurice that Arthur respects and loves so much.
He looks at his son, his pride and joy, the next Montrose patriarch.
"Arthur, I understand completely why you're suspicious. I would be too if I were in your position. But please remember this: she is our Theodora. Your sister. Nothing else matters. You are welcome to keep investigating."
Maurice leans forward and stares straight into Arthur's eyes.
"Just be objective. You need to consider every angle. You can't only look at the fact that she's acting different, then accuse her of… what?"
Maurice suddenly frowns. "What exactly are you accusing her of?"
Arthur closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I'm not accusing her of anything, Father. I just… can't let go of the fact that she was very close to sabotaging us. And I—"
"And you don't want her to try again and succeed," Maurice finishes his son's sentence. "I understand. None of us want that."
He nods. "Okay. Like I said, you're welcome to continue your investigation, observation—whatever it is you need to do. Just keep an open mind and consider everything."
Arthur nods. "At least I want to know why she was doing it. Why she was even thinking of doing it. When she knew it would kill the company and the family."
Maurice pats Arthur on the back, then returns his attention to his tablet.
Arthur gets up and walks to the window. In the garden, he spots Julian and Theo.
His phone rings. He answers the call, eyes still fixed on the two outside.
"Okay. I understand. I'll tell him. Make sure of the safety. As usual." He hangs up.
"Trouble?" Maurice asks, not looking up.
"Nothing we can't handle, Father. And it's not exactly trouble. Just a bump," Arthur replies with confidence.
"Good. Go deal with it. Be careful."
Arthur nods and leaves the room.
Out in the garden, he hears Julian and Theo talking.
He approaches quietly, careful not to alert them—until he catches part of their conversation.
------------------------------
After listening, Arthur steps forward, deliberately rustling the leaves. Both Julian and Theo turn at the sound.
Arthur immediately studies Theo's face, searching for the slightest hint of surprise at being overheard.
"Yo, wassup, bro?" Julian greets cheerfully.
"Sam called. You're needed in the lab. Something's on fire."
Julian's expression changes instantly. He goes pale. "What?! I gotta go!" Without another word to either of them, he bolts.
Theo stays, eyes locked on Arthur, trying to gauge how much he might have heard.
Arthur doesn't move. He only stares back, sharp and silent, as if reading Theo's very thoughts.
A few minutes pass in complete silence. No one backs down. They continue staring at each other.
Theo actually feels comfortable. He's not afraid that Arthur heard their conversation. He said nothing wrong. He meant every word he told Julian. He may want to find out the truth about what happened, but he has absolutely no malicious intent toward the Montroses. They've actually grown on him.
It's easy to accept their love and attention. They give it so willingly. Well, maybe with the exception of one—the Montroses' firstborn. The one who has been staring at him for the past few minutes.
Theo refuses to back down. It's time he faces Arthur, his biggest opponent so far.
Meanwhile, Arthur also refuses to back down. He just received a mandate from his father to continue his investigation however he sees fit.
Challenging Theo now seems like the right choice. It convinces him even more that Thea has changed. The old Thea would never stare back at him so calmly.
Arthur also knows that the current Thea is staring at him without fear. Her eyes are clear. They reflect intelligence, patience, and something else he never thought he'd see in his youngest sister's eyes: age.
Why do your eyes look like that? Like you've seen everything, Thea. What happened to you?
Arthur feels a pang in his heart. His little sister had to endure such a horrible accident, and he—as her oldest brother—had failed to protect her.
"What do you mean? I had an accident a few weeks ago and just woke up from a coma a few days ago. And today is my first day back home," Theo suddenly speaks, startling Arthur.
He doesn't realize he said that last sentence out loud.
He clears his throat. The first 'showdown' with Thea—he's lost.
"Yeah. I know that."
"Then what's with the question?" Theo frowns. Arthur doesn't answer.
Theo sighs. He's definitely harder to crack than his brother. I must change tactic.
"Well, if there's nothing else, I'd like to go back to my room." Theo starts to move, about to pass Arthur.
"You weren't always saying what you're thinking," Arthur suddenly says.
Theo smiles. Got you. He adjusts his expression to puzzled. He turns to Arthur. "What do you mean?"
"Your last question to Julian. I'm answering it." Arthur turns to his side, looking down at Theo.
Realization dawns on Theo. "Ah, that. Right."
His face turns serious. "Good to know. And that's going to change."
Arthur lifts one eyebrow. "It is?"
Theo nods.
"You're going to share your thoughts? From now on?" Arthur asks in disbelief.
"Yeah. You have a problem with that?" Theo challenges Arthur.
Arthur scoffs, then laughs sarcastically.
He crosses his arms in front of him. "You? Sharing your thoughts?" he asks again, clearly unable to believe it.
Theo blinks, then shifts his posture to mimic Arthur's, arms crossed in front of him. "Yeah. Do you have a problem with that?" he repeats.
Arthur shakes his head slightly. "Not at all. I welcome it. In fact, I'm looking forward to it."
Theo lifts his chin. "Good."
They fall back into silence.
Theo deliberately says nothing, curious to see what Arthur will do next.