Son of Eros

Chapter 3 Pan Osbourne

"Goddamn low-life!" my father spat, grabbing me by the collar. "Did you steal my golden cufflinks?"

"No, I did not!" I replied, standing my ground. "As commanded, I polished them and kept them in the locker last night!"

Hi. I am Pan, eighteen years old. The burly, middle-aged man grappling with me was not really my biological father. He was Gregory Osbourne, my uncle, and the ruthless Chairman of the Osbourne Group of Companies.

Gregory adopted me from an orphanage during a time Angelina Jolie had made adoption fashionable. Later, he and his wife, Gemina, regretted it, and as I grew up, I was reduced to a house servant's status, despite being his legal son.

"You'd better find my cufflinks before the evening gala!" he spat with disgust. "Or I'll skin you alive!"

"Yes, sir!" I replied without emotion. I wasn't terrified of Gregory, but pissing him off was a bad idea.

I didn't want to be kicked out of my only home, the Osbourne estates, even though my life was worse than that of a menial worker here. Life in Cloyster City wasn't great for the homeless or the poor.

Father grunted at my poker face, shoved me aside, and went to join our family for breakfast.

I called it OUR family, but I, Pangborn Osbourne, never really belonged to the Osbourne fold. They despised me and had gladly substituted me for a house servant. Why did they give me this weird name?

The wife, Gemina, eyed me with slanting eyes as I served the food. She was a Latina hybrid, still in her late thirties, almost a decade younger than Gregory. The latter had picked her up from a beauty contest when she was eighteen and gotten her pregnant. The rest is history.

Gemina was basically a gold-digger slut who worked hard to stay gorgeous for her age so that Father wouldn't cheat on her. She secretly wished I were gone forever. "What are you gawking at?" she snapped at me. "Serve the girls!"

The Osbournes had four biological kids. The eldest was Leo, the star child, and right now, the Student President of Cloyster Academy of Technology, my dream college. He was Gregory's pride, and the latter spoke constantly about his accomplishments in praise of him.

Leo was absent for breakfast since he left early to fulfill his academic and leadership duties.

Then there were three daughters—Lila, the tall, busty blonde; Christina, the spiritual miss perfect; and Tanya, the cherubic cutie pie. All except Tanya treated me like a servant. However, Gemina never allowed her to hang out with me despite being her brother.

Right now, as I served breakfast, Lila and Christina pointed and sniggered at my face. This made me suspect they were behind the disappearance of Father's golden cufflinks.

It was not the first time the evil sisters created trouble for me. Once they keyed scratched on Father's Mercedes and blamed me for it. I still carry the body marks from the whipping.

Bitches! How did their boyfriends put up with them? I sighed, deciding to visit their rooms and find the cufflinks before Gregory carried out his threat of skinning me alive.

Breakfast was over soon, and I went to wash the dishes. I was supposed to finish the leftovers, but chose to starve myself instead. I wasn't hungry and needed to focus on recovering the cufflinks.

Between Lila and Christina, the latter was the mastermind. Lila was an airhead, but she was strong and had Father's ear, and hence was resourceful. Most likely, the hidden treasure was in the elder sister's room.

I've always been athletic and agile, partly because I exercise regularly and eat sparingly. Slipping into Lila's room stealthily would be a piece of cake. She never locked the door anyway, thinking of herself as the Queen of the Osbourne mansion.

I cracked the door to Lila's room, my heart pounding. Based on the sounds from inside, she was in the bathroom. The shower was on and steam snuck under the frame. Lila was singing some SZA track to herself.

My elder sister was dumb, but she had sharp ears, so I had to be careful. I shouldn't be sneaking in like a thief, but recovering Father's cufflinks was of utmost priority.

The worst scenario was—what if she walked in naked and screamed? Gregory would hand me over to the cops.

I shook my head. It was essential to stay positive and take the risk. I let the door click shut behind me.

Lila's king bed was against the north wall, still unmade with plushies thrown around. Among the Osbourne children, she wasn't the disciplined one.

My elder sister's leggings lay on the mattress. Did Lila really have such long legs? I never noticed before because I despised even looking at their faces.

I rifled through the book racks and utility cabinets but found nothing. The only place left was Lila's wardrobe drawers. I tugged one, and an entirely alternative universe opened to my eyes.

Silk blouses, top-brand blazers, and wide-leg trousers dominated her collection. The second drawer offered a variety of leather options, including skirts, pants, and jackets—no sign of any cufflinks.

Opening the third made me freeze. I gulped, realizing it was her underwear stash. There were lace-trimmed thongs, sheer silk bralettes, translucent cups, and garters. Was my sister an escort secretly?

I felt my jeans tighten as my imagination ran wild. Lila always dressed conservatively inside the Osbourne mansion, or Father would go ballistic. Outside, what was her deal? Was she a wild mare? I will have to find out someday.

Right now, the mission was a failure. Gregory's golden cufflinks weren't in her room. I turned to leave as stealthily as I entered.

Sudden silence. Uh-oh. The shower was cut off. Shit!

I backed out, scrambling for the door, but I knew it was too far to reach in time. Think, Pan, think!

Seconds before Lila opened the bathroom door, I used my athletic agility to perform a feat worthy of being telecast on ESPN. I somersaulted and dived under her bed, slipping out of visible range.

Lila entered her bedroom, still singing the same tune. Right now, it sounded like a horror score for me as my heart pounded.

The elder sister walked around the room, as if drying herself in front of the fan. From under the bed, I could see her body below the knee. Go away!

Lila must have walked out of the bathroom in a robe or a Turkish towel. Oh, no. A feeling of dread and darkness gripped my heart.

I controlled my twisted thoughts and breathed as soundlessly as I could. The plan was to wait until my sister dressed up and left her room, then escape.

Lila paused before her mirror and posed a few times. Come on, sis! This is not the time for vanity! Hurry up and leave, bitch!

Plop! Her towel dropped, and gathered around her feet. My heart almost jumped up my throat.

This couldn't possibly be happening! My elder sister was completely naked a few feet away from me!