@alkti continued from [x]
Hannibal’s young eyes drift to Mycroft, distant with thought and
recollection. He’d been present for this meeting between political
minds, although rendered silent by his adoptive father’s insistence.
There had been a tension between the two adults, although they
spoke with clarity and politeness.
Hannibal hadn’t liked it. Their words held the same sharpness as
a threat did– and nobody threatened Mycroft.
But the boy simply nods, although his eyes drift away beforehand,
taking with them the exploration of punishment for the man that had
just dared to overstep his bounds.
“Good boy,” praised Mycroft. The sooner than Hannibal learnt that trust was foolish, the sooner he could succeed in life.
“People are going to smile to your face and then stab you in the back the second you turn around. Do not let them have the satisfaction of doing such a thing. Predict their moves, and block them before they can be carried out.” Essentially, stay alert. Don’t trust, don’t relax - don’t feel safe. Somebody that you classed as a friend could betray you at any time.
By allowing Hannibal to sit in on some of Mycroft’s meetings, he had hoped that the boy would realise all this and see how cutthroat the world could be. If that hadn’t happened just yet, well, Mycroft would just have to drag his son along to more of his business discussions, wouldn’t he? The boy was clever; he’d pick the message up eventually. Right now, it was just a matter of pushing him the direction of doing such a thing.