Louise jabbed a finger toward Taylor. "And of course you're her favorite.... her pet, her fourth son. You were the one she wanted to keep safe, the son born of the man she loved. Both lovers colluded to ruin my father and the other's father's and drag them to bankruptcy so you could have a soft life, didn't you?" Laughter spilled from him, cruel. "You say she protected us? She protected you and that foolish first love of hers."
Taylor's jaw clenched and his shoulders trembled. Then he straightened and let out a heavy sigh that seemed to steady him. "I didn't come for these to be honest," he said, voice low and steady now. "I came because I need your help, as my third brother." He searched Louise's face. "Only you can help me or else we'll lose mother."
He swallowed and the vulnerability in his next words was almost audible. "We may have different fathers, but we four share the same mother afterall."
"You'll be losing your mother," Louise chimed in instantly, folding his arms over his chest with a mocking smirk. "But the last time I saw that witch, she didn't look like someone who was dying. So why the hell are you saying this, Taylor?"
Taylor's face tightened in frustration. His tone trembled with equal parts anger and desperation. "I'm not talking about Mother," he said, voice low but heavy with emotion. "I'm talking about Father and you know that, Louise. I'm sure your maid already told you."
He took a shaky breath, his hands balling into fists. "My father is terribly sick, and the only drug that can save him right now is that Vital Core formula you made. Please, Louise… help me just this once. I'll give you anything you want. If my father dies, Mother will definitely follow hence the reason why I said she'll die. I know we four brothers hate each other but you saving my father is more like saving our mother."
Louise scoffed, his lips curling into an almost sadistic smile. "Oh, that witch wouldn't follow anyone to the grave," he said with venom dripping from every word. "She cares about living a good life more than anything else. Even if that old man, your father dies today, she'll keep breathing. You know why?" He tilted his head slightly, eyes gleaming. "Because she'd never give up her luxury. Dying means leaving all that wealth behind, and she loves her gold far too much to do that."
He laughed darkly, the sound sending chills down Orion's spine. "And about your father…" Louise's gaze hardened. "His death means one less enemy for me. So no, I don't give a damn."
"Louise!!!" Taylor roared, his control finally snapping. His dominant pheromones burst forth instantly, a brilliant light-blue mist that flared around him. The air in the room thickened with his power, pressing down on everything. "This isn't a joke!"
"You better stop that shit right now!" Louise's voice exploded through the room as he released his own dominant pheromones , golden, radiant, and far more potent. The two scents collided, crackling in the air like lightning against thunder.
Orion gasped as the invisible pressure slammed into his chest. His vision blurred, and it felt like the air itself had been stolen from his lungs.
"F..fuck! I can't breathe…" he choked, clutching at his throat. Each inhale burned like fire.
'It's like the whole world's air just… vanished.' His knees buckled slightly, and his thoughts spun into chaos. Oh great… I'm really going to die here, aren't I?
But before he could completely black out, Louise moved. In a flash, he seized Taylor by the collar and yanked him out of the room, dragging him toward the balcony. The force of his motion snapped the air around them; both men were still wrapped in the shimmering glow of their pheromones. The instant they stepped outside, the suffocating pressure on Orion's chest lifted, letting him collapse against the wall, gulping for air.
On the balcony, Louise slammed Taylor against the railing, the golden mist swirling around them.
"Can't you just help me as my third brother?" Taylor pleaded, his voice breaking. "You know I wouldn't have come here if it wasn't serious. You're the only one who can save him. You made that drug years ago, the one called Vital Core. The doctors confirmed it could save my father. Please…" His voice cracked again, desperation thick in his throat. "I'm willing to give up everything I have if you'll just hand it over. Money, land, anything. Just help me save his life."
Louise's face remained cold, his golden aura pulsing faintly around him. "Like I said," he began slowly, "I can't and I won't save your father. I have no business with him. His death means nothing to me."
Taylor's eyes glistened with disbelief. "Louise...."
"Listen carefully," Louise interrupted sharply. "That drug , the Vital Core was produced only once bringing out two pills which one of it had been used as a test experiment while the other remains safe. Do you know why I could only produce two pills? Because one of its main ingredients to produce more is nowhere to be found . It's impossible to recreate it. So why in hell do you think I'd give something that rare to him? To you?"
He smirked, the corners of his mouth curling with cruel amusement. "It's never going to happen, Taylor."
Before Taylor could respond, Louise's hand moved again .....swift, ruthless. In one motion, he lifted Taylor higher by the collar and hurled him over the balcony railing.