Beneath The Ashes - Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Third person POV
Sun was going down when the brothers arrived home, earlier than usual. They stepped into the house relaxing a bit.
Declan was the first to notice the open books scattered across the living room couch and coffee table. Jaxon frowned, stepping closer, flipping through the pages.
"These are the ones I gave her," he murmured, his brows pulling together. "She was reading them this morning."
Massimo's gaze swept over the room, his frown deepening. "She's still reading them?
"Ivy!" Zayn called out, his voice echoing through the house. No answer.
Jaxon tried next, sharper this time. "Sunshine, where are you?"
Silence.
Their stomachs twisted with unease.
They moved to the kitchen, expecting to find her snacking or maybe chatting with the maids. But the kitchen was empty, the counters spotless, the air still.
Just then, Lucia stepped out from the hallway, wiping her hands on a towel. "I heard yelling, Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked, raising a brow.
Massimo turned to her, his expression cold and unreadable. "Have you seen Ivy?"
Lucia shrugged. "Not since lunch."
The air in the room seemed to shift.
Lucia let out a sigh. "She got upset over her meal. It wasn't her favorite, so she stormed off in a mood."
Declan's jaw ticked.
Zayn scoffed. "Try again."
Lucia blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Ivy wouldn't throw a tantrum over food," Declan said quietly, but there was an unmistakable sharpness in his tone. "She eats whatever is given to her. Hell, she's the one who lectures us about being grateful for every meal."
Massimo's eyes darkened. "So what really happened?"
Lucia's lips pressed together, but before she could answer, Jaxon stepped closer, towering over her. "Don't lie to us." His voice was low, threatening.
Lucia swallowed. "I did see her at lunch," she admitted, shifting uncomfortably. "But after that, I don't know."
The brothers weren't convinced. But right now, they had a more important issue.
"We need to check the house," Massimo ordered.
They split up, searching every room, every hallway.
Declan strode toward the garden doors, pushing them open. The cool evening air rushed in. "Zayn, did you check the garden?"
Zayn was already shaking his head. "First place I looked. Even went to the oak tree she likes—nothing." His fists clenched.
Massimo exhaled through his nose, his patience wearing thin. He pulled out his phone and dialed his security team.
"Get me the perimeter footage," he ordered. "Now."
Ivy wouldn't leave the house on her own.
Which meant something had happened inside it.
—————
The security footage loaded on the large screen in the main office, a black-and-white timestamped recording showing various angles of the estate. Massimo, standing rigidly in front of the screen, fast-forwarded through the footage, his sharp eyes scanning every frame.
"There," Declan muttered, pointing.
The camera nearest to the back garden showed Ivy, a blur of movement as she ran—not walked—toward the tree line.
Zayn frowned. "Why is she running?"
The next camera angle caught her disappearing beyond the tall trees planted to block the mansion's view from the outside. The footage cut off just as she vanished into the dense foliage.
"She went past the garden," Jaxon observed, brows furrowing. "That's not like her."
Massimo didn't waste another second. "We're going to get her."
They were already moving, striding out the door and through the estate at a clipped pace.
"Ivy!" Zayn called out first, his voice carrying through the open garden.
No response.
Declan's jaw clenched. "Ivy!"
They kept moving, further and further, past the neatly trimmed hedges, past the manicured pathways Ivy usually lingered on. The evening light was dimming, shadows stretching long across the ground.
Then they saw her.
Emerging slowly from the trees.
Her posture wasn't the same—no bright smile, no excitement in her eyes. Her head was slightly bowed, her arms wrapped around herself like she was shielding herself from something unseen.
The brothers halted.
Jaxon was the first to step forward. "Sunshine—"
Before he could finish, Ivy spoke, her voice soft and distant.
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience," she murmured. "I was just wandering and lost track of time."
It wasn't the words that made their stomachs twist. It was how she said them.
No warmth. No usual curiosity.
She didn't even ask how their day was.
Zayn, ever the observant one, narrowed his eyes. "You lost track of time?" His tone was careful, probing.
Ivy nodded but didn't look at them. Instead, she kept her eyes on the ground.
This wasn't their Ivy.
Declan exchanged a glance with Massimo, whose expression remained unreadable, but the tightness in his posture spoke volumes.
Jaxon ruffled her hair lightly, trying to break the strange tension. "You didn't bring your phone, huh? Could've called you back."
Ivy gave a small, hollow smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.
They let it go. For now.
Maybe it was just a bad day. Maybe she needed space.
So, they tried to cheer her up.
Zayn cracked jokes on the way back, exaggerated stories of the ridiculous clients they dealt with today. Jaxon nudged her shoulder playfully, complaining about how she missed a perfect opportunity to mock Declan's grumpy face. Even Vale, offered her a smirk and an easy comment about how they should take her out for dessert.
But Ivy mostly stayed silent.
And smiled occasionally
Dinner rolled around, and as they gathered at the table, she hesitated, her fingers grazing the back of a chair.
"I'm not really hungry," she said quietly. "I think I'll just go upstairs."
Silence.
The brothers shared a look.
Ivy never skipped meals.
As Ivy turned to leave the dining room, Vale leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. His voice was casual but soft.
"Ivy...The maid said you didn't eat this afternoon."
The air tensed.
Ivy stopped mid-step but didn't turn around immediately. "I wasn't hungry," she said lightly. "I had a heavy breakfast."
Vale hummed, tilting his head. "That so?"
Massimo, who had been silently observing the exchange, pushed back his chair and stood up.
"Then I'll have a talk with Lucia," he said, his voice sharp with authority. "Because she told us something entirely different. She said you didn't eat because you didn't like what was on the menu."
Declan's eyes darkened, his gaze shifting to Ivy.
Ivy stiffened. She knew exactly what Lucia was trying to do—paint her as ungrateful, spoiled, and childish in front of the brothers. Trying to drive a wedge between them. But she wasn't going to let it work.
She turned quickly, shaking her head. "It's my fault," she said softly. "I must have sounded wrong earlier when I was talking to her. I was just tired. Maybe that's why she misunderstood."
A beat of silence followed.
Jaxon's jaw clenched, and even Zayn, narrowed his eyes slightly.
Massimo didn't move, his expression unreadable, but the weight of his stare felt like it could strip away any lie.
Ivy turned away before they could push further.
Zayn, ever the peacekeeper, tried to lighten the mood. "Alright, then," he said, forcing an easy grin. "If you're not hungry, why don't we put on a movie? Something ridiculous. Maybe one of those trashy action flicks where everything explodes for no reason."
Ivy gave a small, tired smile but didn't meet his eyes. "You guys can watch whatever you like," she said.
Then, without another word she turned and left.
No goodnight.
No usual warmth.
Just silence.
Declan leaned back in his chair, arms crossed as he watched Ivy disappear down the hall. His fingers tapped against the table in thought before he suddenly pushed his chair back, standing.
"I'll be back," he muttered.
The other brothers glanced at him, but no one stopped him.
He followed Ivy down the in the corridor. Just before she could open her bedroom door, he spoke.
"Ivy."
She froze, her hand on the doorknob. Slowly, she turned to face him.
Declan shoved his hands into his pockets, tilting his head slightly. "I'm not watching a movie them, they bore me," he said flatly.
A flicker of something passed through her eyes—amusement, maybe, but it was gone in an instant.
"So I was thinking..." He leaned against the doorframe beside her. "What if we have another one of our 'talking sessions'? You know, just us."
Ivy hesitated.
She finally shook her head. "I don't want to waste your time with that," she said quietly. "You already gave me 2-3 hours last time."
Declan frowned, but she kept going.
"Besides," she added, her voice softer now, "I'm not exactly an expert. If you do want to open up, that's on you. And honestly? You're already doing that. You're improving."
Then, before he could say anything else, she stepped inside her room and shut the door.
Declan exhaled sharply, staring at the closed door for a moment.