~ 53 ~

                                    

                                          
The silence filling the large dining room was so heavy that the air felt weighted down and suffocating. 
Hilary had never been a fan of having breakfast together as a family because she knew one way or the other, it never ended well. 
She was sure history was about to repeat itself once her mother and brother had refused to exchange a word since they had sat down at the dining table. 
It was obvious Delia had something to say but that deadpanned expression on Jayden's face was clearly showing he was not ready to have any of the usual lectures. 
Hilary could bet on her two cents that her brother already knew the reason he was invited to dine with them that morning, and they were lucky enough that their mother's offer wasn't declined. 
But as for her, she wouldn't mind choosing his absence over their quiet argument. 
The sound of her mother dropping her spoon softly against the mahogany wooden surface indicated the ice was about to be broken, and Hilary couldn't be more grateful. 
"Enjoying your meal, son?" Delia finally spoke up and looked expectantly at him, and she watched his brown eyes shift momentarily to meet hers before he shrugged his shoulders and continued to eat. "Your favorite, lamb, roasted the way you love it." She added in a cheerful attempt to get on his good side. 
"How would you know? You weren't the one who cooked it." Jayden countered without missing a beat,  and Hilary fought the smile threatening to show itself as she glanced between the two, enjoying the silent entertainment of watching the start of another verbal sparring match between the two.
It was clear their mother was well taken aback at the comment, her mouth opening slightly as she stared at her unbothered son who continued to chew slowly, ignoring the furious glare aimed at him. 
When she did recover, Delia drank some water to clear her throat before answering. "I know because my taste buds tell me so." She answered firmly as if stating a fact that made Hilary's lips twitch upward. 
Jayden merely nodded his head, deciding to stay silent instead of making another sarcastic comment this time. He had had enough of this pointless gathering and was ready to take his leave. "I shall be leaving first," he announced the second after swallowing his food, and his mother instantly reacted to his abrupt dismissal. 
Her eyes followed the movement of his body as he rose to his feet, and her expression clearly showed how ready she was to stop him from leaving. 
"Without asking why I invited you for breakfast?" She arched one of her blonde brows, looking displeased as she fixed her eyes on him. 
He settled his gaze down on her with the same challenging look in return and silence stretched slightly between them before he finally responded. "To feed me some meat? Or is there something more?" The sarcasm laced in his tone was unmistakable and it showed he was not a tad curious when he asked his last question. 
Delia took in a deep breath, her eyes narrowing and her mouth twitching in preparation for her upcoming words, knowing they contained a piece of information that would undoubtedly intimidate his coldness. "Well, I suggest you should start getting accustomed to being fed a lot, son." She began, purposely speaking metaphorically to ignite his curiosity, and his eyebrows rose slowly at the frightful thought of dining with his mother daily. 
After a brief moment of pause when neither of them said anything further, she finally decided to elaborate. "Your father is coming home very soon, and you know he is a lover of family gatherings."
The words dropped like bricks off her tongue, each of them getting the best reaction from him as his face slowly darkened with brows lowering even deeper to match the scowl etched on his lips. "Father?" He echoed, rather faintly, as though the information was still having a great effect on him.