Beneath The Ashes - Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Ivy's POV
The morning sun spilled through the kitchen windows, casting soft golden light across the room. Yesterday night we all spent time watching a movie. Though I fell asleep right after 5 mins and woke up miraculously in my bed.
As I went downstairs the smell of coffee and toast lingered in the air, and the low sound of conversation drifted around the table.
There was a tension in the air — they were Focused. It felt like they were mentally somewhere else.
Massimo was the first to break the silence. "Ivy." His voice was steady, but there was a softness in it that wasn't usually there.
I looked up, blinking. "Yes?"
He set his coffee down, folding his hands in front of him. "We've got a long day ahead of us. All of us."
"All of you?" I repeated, glancing at Vale and Jaxon. "Even them?"
"Unfortunately," Jaxon muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "They're making me work today."
Vale smirked. "Guess we all have our burdens."
Massimo shot them a look, and they both immediately shut up. He turned back to me. "It's important."
That was it. No further explanation. Just those two words, heavy and final.
I glanced around the table, expecting at least Zayn to complain, but no one did. No sarcastic remarks. No bickering. Just quiet acceptance. That alone made me realize this wasn't just a regular day of work. Whatever they were doing, it mattered. A lot.
I nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll be a good girl and wait here." I tried to keep my tone light, even adding a little smile, but inside, I was curious. More than curious.
Zayn chuckled, ruffling my hair. "That's what we like to hear, Sunshine."
We finished breakfast in silence. The occasional scrape of forks against plates filled the room, but my mind wandered.
What do they do, exactly?
I knew they were wealthy. That much was obvious from the house alone. Not to mention the cars parked outside and the suits that looked like they cost fortune. But money didn't just fall from the sky. Massimo had mentioned once that they'd sacrificed and fought a lot for this life... but what kind of fight?
Were they involved in something dangerous? The thought made my stomach twist. But then I glanced around the table again. These boys — my brothers — weren't cruel. They weren't heartless. Sure, they had sharp edges, but there was warmth under the ice.
Still... there was a weight to them. A darkness I didn't quite understand.
——————————————-
The boys started gathering their things. Massimo stood by the kitchen door, buttoning his sleek black suit jacket while Zayn adjusted his cuffs with a casual flick of his wrist. Declan rolled his sleeves up, his expression unreadable as always, and Jaxon and Vale looked like they'd rather be anywhere but heading to work.
I leaned against the counter, watching them, still trying to piece things together. I could feel the weight of whatever this day meant hanging in the air, but before I could ask, Massimo's deep voice cut through the quiet.
"There's something else." He glanced toward the hallway, his sharp gaze flicking to the corner like he expected someone to appear. "Maria is on leave for a few days."
I blinked. "Maria?"
"The head of the staff," Declan clarified quietly. "She manages the workers and the house."
"Oh." I bit my lip. I hadn't even realized someone ran things around here. The house was always so spotless, but I'd never seen anyone else except the boys.
Massimo crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "In her absence, her niece is taking over."
He turned slightly and called out, "Lucia."
A few seconds later, soft footsteps echoed down the hall. A girl appeared in the doorway, standing tall, her hands clasped in front of her. She looked slightly older than me — maybe twenty-four or twenty-five — with dark brown hair pulled into a neat ponytail and dark, hazel eyes. She wore a simple black uniform, but there was a quiet strength in the way she held herself.
"Lucia," Massimo gestured toward me, "this is Ivy."
Lucia gave me a shy smile, and I immediately perked up. "Hi!" I waved enthusiastically. "It's nice to meet you."
She blinked, then smiled a little wider. "Hi." Her voice has confidence.
I bounced on the balls in my mind, excitement bubbling up. Finally, another girl! As much as I loved the boys, they weren't exactly the chattiest bunch when it came to casual conversation.
Massimo, however, wasn't done. His gaze hardened as he turned back to Lucia. "You'll handle things while Maria is gone. I expect the house to run as smoothly as always." His voice dropped a degree colder. "One mistake, and it'll cost you. Understand?"
Lucia swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Vitalo."
I frowned, glancing at Massimo. Did he always have to be so intense? The poor girl looked like she was about to faint.
"Also," Massimo added, his tone softening just a fraction, "if Ivy needs anything, you help her. No excuses."
Lucia eyes hardened. "Of course."
Massimo's gaze flicked to me, and for a moment, his expression softened. "You'll be fine?"
I smiled, giving him a playful salute. "I'll be the best-behaved person in this entire house."
Zayn snorted. "Now that I'd pay to see."
I stuck my tongue out at him.
Massimo just sighed, running a hand down his face. "We'll be back by evening." He stepped closer, his voice dropping low. "And Ivy?"
I tilted my head. "Yeah?"
"No climbing trees."
I gasped, pressing a hand dramatically against my chest. "I'm offended you'd think I'd do something so reckless."
Jaxon let out a loud bark of laughter. "You literally climbed a tree yesterday."
"Details." I waved him off.
Vale leaned closer, smirking. "She's just trying to give Massimo a heart attack."
Zayn nudged me with his elbow. "We'll see you later, Sunshine. Don't burn the house down while we're gone."
As they filed out the door, Massimo gave me one last long look. It almost felt like he wanted to say something, but after a beat, he just nodded.
"Stay safe."
Then they were gone, the heavy sound of the front door closing behind them.
The silence that followed was almost deafening. I stood in the middle of the kitchen, blinking at the empty space where they'd been just moments ago.
————————————————
Now, the emptiness stretched through the hallways, leaving only me and Lucia in the massive kitchen.
I turned toward her with a bright smile, already bouncing on my heels. "Okay, so... since it's just us girls today, what do you say we make the most of it?"
Lucia blinked at me, her brow furrowing slightly. "What do you mean?"
I clasped my hands together. "I mean, I'll help you with your work, and then we can have a girls' day! You know, do something fun." I gave her a hopeful grin. "Maybe watch a movie or bake cookies or... I don't know?"
Lucia's expression shifted instantly, her hazel eyes cooling. She turned away without sparing me another glance, grabbing a cloth from the counter and wiping at an already spotless surface.
"I don't need help," she said flatly. "I have a lot of important work to do."
I blinked, surprised by the sudden change in her tone. "Oh... okay. Well, maybe later then?" I tried to keep my voice light, but the awkwardness was creeping in fast.
Lucia paused, her grip tightening on the cloth before she slowly turned to face me. Her gaze raked over me, sharp and assessing, like she was seeing me for the first time — and not in a good way.
"You know..." She let out a quiet scoff, shaking her head. "I'm not some twenty-ish-year-old who acts like a teenager."
My stomach dropped. "What?"
She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "This isn't some slumber party. The Vitalo house isn't a place for games or giggling over cookie. Maybe that's fine for you, but I have actual responsibilities."
Her words hit like a slap. I stared at her, mouth slightly open, searching for something to say, but all I could feel was the sting of her judgment.
"I-I didn't mean to offend you," I said softly. "I just... thought it'd be nice to get to know each other."
Lucia scoffed again, turning back to her work. "Right." She wiped the counter aggressively. "Well, again I don't have time for that."
The silence stretched thick and heavy between us. My heart sank, the bright excitement I'd felt earlier dimming into something hollow.
"Okay," I whispered. "I'll just... leave you to it then."
She didn't respond.
I slipped out of the kitchen, my chest tightening as the distance between us grew. I'd been so excited to make a friend, to have another girl around, but instead, I'd just made things awkward.
As I wandered down the hallway, I bit my lip, forcing a smile back onto my face. Maybe she just needed time. Not everyone warmed up right away.
The garden had quickly become my favorite place. It was quiet, peaceful, and it felt like I could breathe here — really breathe. I lay sprawled out on the soft grass, arms stretched above my head, watching the clouds drift lazily across the sky. The sun warmed my skin, the gentle breeze rustling the leaves overhead, but none of it reached the heaviness settling in my chest.
I sighed softly, tracing the shape of a cloud with my finger, imagining it was a dragon or maybe a ship sailing across a sea of blue. But even that little game didn't lift my mood. My mind kept circling back to Lucia's words from earlier.
"I'm not some twenty-one-year-old who acts like a teenager."
Was that what everyone thought of me? Was that how the boys saw me too?
I bit my lip, my heart sinking deeper. Maybe they did. Maybe they thought I was childish. Immature. Always smiling, always bouncing around like nothing ever hurt me. Maybe they expected me to be more... put together. More like a proper adult.
But how could I be?
My eyes fluttered shut as the memories tugged at me, pulling me back to a different time — back when things were simpler, back when Dad was still alive.
I used to go to school. I had friends. We'd laugh at silly jokes and pass notes in class. I'd sit on my dad's lap after dinner, telling him about my day while he'd hum softly, running his fingers through my hair. He used to say I was his guiding star. That no matter how dark the world got, I'd always light it up.
But then he was gone.
Everything changed after that. I was only fifteen when it happened, and suddenly the warmth and safety I'd known my whole life vanished overnight.
One day I was in school, dreaming about the future. The next, I was packing my bags and moving into Marco's cold, lifeless house with my mother.
I never went back to school.
Marco wouldn't hear of it. "What's the point?" he'd said. "She'll be more useful here." And my mother... she never fought for me. She just stood there, quiet and distant, as I was pulled from everything I knew.
The only education I got after that was from the dusty old books in Marco's library. I'd sneak in when no one was looking, losing myself in stories and pages of knowledge, desperate to hold on to something. But it wasn't the same. I missed having teachers, classmates, a normal life.
I was fifteen when my life stopped moving forward. And now... now I was twenty-one, but I still felt like that scared little girl. Like I'd been frozen in time while the rest of the world grew up around me.
Maybe that's why I never felt as mature as other girls my age. The ones who had their lives figured out. The ones who were in college, working jobs, building their futures. I never got that chance.
My eyes opened slowly, focusing on the sky again.
Would the boys see me that way too? Would they think I was childish — a burden they'd been forced to take in?
I pressed my lips together, feeling the sting of tears behind my eyes. No. I wouldn't let them see me like that. They'd already given me so much, taken me into their home, treated me like I mattered. The least I could do was try to act more mature.
Maybe Lucia was right. Maybe it was time for me to grow up.
I rolled onto my side, curling my knees up to my chest as the sun dipped lower on the horizon.
I just wished I knew how.