Chapter 549 - Wedding day (S&F) (3)

In Edward's study…

Felix, Jeff and Aiden are sitting on chairs facing the desk and looking at Edward.

Edward started: "I called you here to talk about something…"

He looked at Felix: "I am aware of the arrangement that you will not see my Sophia before wedding."

Edward glanced at Aiden and Jeff. "And you two were to stay with him for the afternoon and evening, all the way up to the wedding."

Felix, Jeff and Aiden felt uneasy. They didn't know what to say, or if they should say anything at all. Three of them shared a silent understanding that it's best to keep quiet and see what Edward has in the store for them.

Edward turned his monitor toward the guys and played number of videos.

Video #1: Felix climbing to Sophia's bedroom window, time: 12:47 AM. Sophia's voice was clearly heard: "What are you doing there?"

Video #2: Jeff getting into the Hill family villa, through the main entrance, going up the stairs. Time: 12:31 AM. It would all seem normal if not for the fact that he is nervously glancing left and right every few steps. It's obvious that he is sneaking in.

Video #3: Aiden walking through the hallway casually and getting into Sarah's bedroom. Time: 12:22 AM. Just as that video ended, Edward played another one, showing Aiden drop off Sarah in front of the house, time 12:04 AM.

Edward looked at Aiden. "You waited in the car more than fifteen minutes, in the garage. For…? Did you ask Eve to tell you when Sarah goes to Sophia's room?"

Aiden's eyes widened in surprise.

Edward didn't wait for the response. He shook his head in disappointment and spoke while scrutinizing all three of them: "You three are tied up to my daughters. Which means that all of us are, or will be, a family. As a family, we need to stick together, to trust each other… You had an agreement to stay apart from the girls for one night. Based on video evidence I can only conclude that each of you worked on his own; you infringed the part that you will stay together. And I can see that you sneaked in, so my girls didn't know either."

Edward paused and waited for three 'boys' in front of him to soak in the fact that he knows exactly what happened previous night.

Edward continued in a voice which was softer, but it still carried weight of his disappointment, even some concern. "In the future, you will face many trials, and I'm sure that you will be in a situation where you need to sacrifice more than one night apart for a greater good. You will need to depend on each other in order to protect people who are dear to you… How can you trust one another when you can't even follow through with something as simple as this?"

Felix, Jeff and Aiden were stunned. They never thought about it that way. All three of them only wanted not to be separated from their other half, without thinking that there might be some deeper meaning behind their actions. Neither of them thought of this as something that can be viewed as a trial of trust between three men.

Edward turned the screen back into original position and stood up. "You take your time and think about it. I believe that this is something you three need to resolve between yourselves. I am implicating myself only because this might affect my daughters, and my future grandchildren... We are late for breakfast."

He made a step away from his desk and stopped. "Did you really think that you can sneak into my house without my knowledge?" Edward shook his head and walked out of the study.

The guys were not sure to whom that last comment was intended for. Probably all three of them.

Back to present…

People finished with breakfast and scattered through the villa while chatting about the upcoming event.

Felix, Jeff and Aiden are still staring at their plates, they barely ate few bites each. It's obvious that what Edward said shook them up.

Three of them decided to find a spot where they can talk. It was something they didn't want to postpone, and they had about an hour before they need to leave.

Sophia led them to one of the side rooms and the girls left them to have privacy.

Felix, Jeff and Aiden started analyzing the situation. They agreed that this will not be such a problem in the absence of some organization from Eastern Europe who is after Hill sisters. There is also a thing that their three ladies seem to attract trouble. Edward's words were heavy, because they carried a warning that things will get more difficult as their relationships with Hill sisters progress, and they expand their families. There will be more to protect. And the dangers seem to be increasing. The only way for them to defend their happiness is if they work together.

Felix spoke up. "I apologize. I realize that in case that you two stayed in the apartment because of me, and I left how I did… it would be… not honorable."

"If we spoke to each other openly, it would not come to this.", Jeff added.

They agreed that if they were open about their intentions, they could even collaborate.

"Now what?", Aiden asked.

They cleared this up, but there was some underlying tension in the air.

Jeff thought of an idea: "How about a team building event? Something where we need to do things together, so we rebuild the trust?"

In White corp. they have these events frequently. It puts people into an out-of-work situation where they need to accomplish some tasks together. It helps people create bonds and trust each other.

Aiden and Felix agreed that team building event sounds like a good idea.

"Leave it to me." Aiden looked at Felix. "By the time you are back from your honeymoon, I will have a plan in place."

Felix looked at Aiden apprehensively. "Can your plan include that our girls are nearby? I can do many things, but if Sophia is not with me..."

Jeff interrupted him. "Don't worry. In that area we share an understanding."

Aiden nodded. "Girls will be included."

They shook hands to seal the agreement and headed out to find their ladies. It was almost time for them to go to the styling salon and get ready for the wedding.