Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 164: Humbling the Little King

In the morning.

The five older brothers had already gathered before breakfast to speak to Nathan.

"We can do this. Please don’t raise your voice. He’s really tough," Malvin warned Alexander. He knew the man could be very rigid and unfeeling.

Alexander said nothing. They walked to Nathan’s room. He knocked on the door.

His brothers behind him stood like a small army, though they lacked their usual confidence. They held their breath, prepared for screaming, thrown objects, or a slammed door.

When the doorknob turned, Nathan appeared.

He looked impossibly calm. His eyes were clear, his hair was neatly combed, and his expression was neutral.

He didn’t even look angry.

"Well," Alexander began, his voice a bit stiff. "We need to talk to you."

Nathan’s gaze swept over his brothers. He saw the genuine seriousness on their faces. They were here to negotiate; he knew that.

Nathan stepped back and opened the door wide, gesturing for them to enter.

The brothers exchanged confused glances. They had been ready for a fight, and this invitation felt like walking into a trap.

Seriously?

Alexander led the way, stepping onto the plush carpet, followed by the others, who filed in cautiously.

Nathan sat down on the leather sofa, crossing his legs comfortably. He looked up at them as they gathered in the center of the room. Alexander made a move to sit on the sofa, but Nathan’s voice stopped him.

"If you want to apologize, do it properly," Nathan said. His voice was steady, almost cold. "I want you to do it on the floor."

Alexander frowned. "What?"

"In the orphanage, if you did something truly wrong to someone, you didn’t just say sorry. You did it on the floor. It’s how we show respect and earn back trust."

It was a complete lie. The orphanage had never had such a rule, but Nathan knew his brothers didn’t know that.

He knew he couldn’t actually hurt them or make them pay for the trauma they had caused him. In the end, they held all the power. But if he was going to lose the war, he wanted them to suffer a little bit first.

Alexander stared at Nathan. He looked as if he had been slapped. No one had ever asked Alexander Salazar to kneel. Not his business rivals, not the authorities, and certainly not his younger brother.

"That’s going too far, Nathan," Alexander said.

Nathan shrugged, reaching for a textbook on the side table. "Then you can leave. I don’t want to talk about it. If the apology isn’t worth a bit of discomfort, it isn’t worth my time."

Alexander felt a knot of pure frustration in his stomach. He looked at Malvin, who was swallowing hard.

Malvin looked ready to drop to his knees immediately just to end the tension, but he was watching Alexander, terrified that his older brother’s pride would make Nathan run away again.

Alexander closed his eyes, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. He was a man who ruled a country, yet he was being held hostage by the whims of a seventeen-year-old.

That little brat, Alexander muttered under his breath.

"Fine," Alexander said, his voice tight. "We’ll do it your way."

To save face, he tried to make the movement look deliberate and controlled. He lowered himself to his knees on the carpet in front of the sofa. One by one, the other brothers followed. Malvin, Leo, Lucas, and finally a smirking Roger all ended up on the floor.

Nathan looked down at them, a small, mischievous smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He felt a fleeting sense of victory.

"You know that what you did to me wasn’t cool," Nathan began, his tone shifting back to serious. "You scared me. You made me terrified for my life and for Nael’s. And you think you can just justify it by saying you were trying to ’protect’ me? It wasn’t."

Alexander looked up at Nathan and let out a deep sigh. He hated feeling like he had lost control of the situation. "We know—"

"You know, and yet you still think an apology fixes it?" Nathan interrupted. "You know it’s unforgivable to treat me like I’m under your control."

Alexander’s patience was wearing thin. "You made us kneel. We’re doing it. And you’re saying you still won’t forgive us?"

"I never said I’d forgive you just because you sat on the floor," Nathan retorted.

Alexander’s fists clenched tighter. He made a move to stand up, his face darkening with anger. Malvin reached out a hand, subtly pressing on Alexander’s knee to keep him down.

"Please, Alex. Calm down," Malvin whispered.

Alexander took a long, deep breath to steady himself. "Fine. What do you want, Nathan?"

Nathan leaned back, his eyes curious and suspicious. "To forgive you? Nothing can buy that. But... you can make me forget it."

Alexander narrowed his eyes. "Go on."

"Let’s call it even," Nathan said. "I’ll forget everything you did, the kidnapping, the lies, all of it. But you have to help me. I want the land and the apartments I was looking at. I want them bought and put in my name. And I want a car. A normal car that I can drive myself. I don’t care if I’m not eighteen yet. I want to drive."

"That’s impossible," Alexander said immediately. "You don’t have a license. You’re not old enough."

"Well," Nathan said, looking back at his book. "If you don’t care enough about me to make it happen, you can refuse."

Nathan was pulling the ultimate guilt trip.

Roger let out a quiet chuckle from his spot on the floor. He hadn’t expected Nathan to be this calculating. He found the whole thing amusing.

"Don’t laugh!" Nathan snapped, pouting at Roger.

"Okay, okay," Roger said, holding up his hands. "I’m not laughing, Your Majesty. I promise."

Nathan turned his attention back to Alexander.

"Just give it to him," Malvin whispered to Alexander.

Alexander hated this. He hated giving Nathan things that were beyond his control. He didn’t want to spoil the boy or give him the means to disappear.

"Why do you need it now? You can have all of that the day you turn eighteen. Why are you in such a rush?"

"I want it now," Nathan said. He didn’t offer an explanation. He just stared at Alexander with a stubborn set to his jaw.

"We can’t give you a car, Nathan," Alexander tried again.

"Then get out," Nathan said. "Never talk to me again."

"Nathan—" Alexander started.

"I know I’m being a brat," Nathan interrupted. "I won’t change. You hurt me. You did stupid things to destroy me. Now I’m asking for material things, the things that mean nothing to you, and you still can’t give them to me. I don’t see any value in your apology."

Alexander let out a long, defeated sigh. He felt completely defeated by a teenager.

Just then, the door pushed open slightly. Jack walked in, looking for Alexander about something serious.

He stopped in the doorway, his eyes widening. He stood frozen, staring at his master kneeling on the floor.

"Oh... well," Jack said, his voice full of awkwardness. "It seems it’s not the right time. I’ll... I’ll come back later." He backed out and closed the door quickly.

Alexander sighed.

Nathan didn’t even look at him. "Don’t waste my time. I still need to study. If you think this is enough, just get out. Please."

Alexander lowered his head, taking one more deep breath. Damn it.

"Fine," Alexander said. "I’ll buy you the land and the apartments. But not a car. You’re too young to be on the road alone."

"With a car," Nathan insisted. "No exceptions."

"No. You’ll go with Louis. You already have a sports car in the garage."

"I don’t want a sports car. I want a normal car. And I want to drive it myself."

"Nathan—"

"No bargaining."

Alexander finally gave in. He had never surrendered like this in his life. He stood up, smoothing out his trousers. Nathan watched him, expecting Alexander to walk out and end the discussion.

He was already preparing himself for the disappointment.

But Alexander’s next words stopped him cold.

"We will give you what you want," Alexander said.

Nathan looked up, his mouth dropping open. He had been so confident in his demands that he hadn’t actually expected them to be met. "What?"

"You will get the land, the apartments, and the car," Alexander repeated. "But there is a condition. You have to forgive us completely. No more cold shoulders, no more running away. And you have to come on the family camping trip after your final exams. All of us. Together."

Nathan stared at him, stunned. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "Well... okay. Deal."

Alexander looked at his brothers and signaled for them to get up. They stood, looking a bit stiff and embarrassed, but the tension in the room had finally eased. The heavy cloud of anger that had hung over the room was gone, replaced by a strange, uneasy peace.

"Focus on your studies. And you’ll have to learn to drive before I let you drive."

Alexander walked out, followed by the others. Roger gave Nathan a quick wink before closing the door.

Nathan sat on the sofa, staring at the closed door. He had won. He had humiliatingly made them kneel, and he had secured his future independence.

He had his land and his car, but the tightness in his chest hadn’t quite gone away.