Chapter 6 Charlie
Charlie
Since that painfully awkward dinner the first night, I’ve been expertly dodging everyone. The mansion’s sprawling halls offer plenty of hiding spots, and so far, I’ve managed to stay under the radar, slipping into empty rooms when the brothers' voices are near.
At dinner, I’ve taken to having Pietro, the chef, deliver my food straight to my room, and thankfully Luciano hasn’t raised hell about it yet.
Every day, I pace the halls lined with the Carlisi ancestor portraits, their ghostly eyes boring into me, silently judging.
If they were here, they would call me an imposter.
I’m desperate to figure out where the hell I fit into this mess.
My mind’s been in overdrive since I got here.
Why did Dad and I scrape by, living hand-to-mouth for years, while Mum was living in this mansion, surrounded by maids and chefs?
Why hasn’t she ever reached out? Or did she try, only for Dad to shut her down?
What tore them apart? All I’ve pieced together is she was around for my first year and then poof, gone, erased from my life like she never existed.
Lost in my thoughts, I round the corner into the library, only to collide with Gabriele. His nose is buried so deep in a book, he acts like the world outside those pages doesn’t exist; that I don’t exist. I barely catch myself, nearly knocking over a vase that looks like it should be in a gallery.
“Ow,” I snap, clutching my arm as I hit the floor.
“Charlotte, what’re you doing down there?” Gabriele asks, looking down at me. Is he serious right now?
“You ran into me,” I growl, trying to adjust myself on the floor.
“Did I?” His tone’s flat, like he’s stating a fact, not asking. “Sorry!” he mutters while turning away and walking back down the hall, his nose buried back in the book.
“I’ll just pick myself up, no need to help,” I call after him. When I look up, I notice the office door is shut. Luciano must be in there and I just raised my voice outside. Shit!
Gabriele flicks me a lazy wave in the air, an unspoken ‘thanks’ without stopping. What’s wrong with these men?
Not wanting to be this close to Luciano, I decide some fresh air might help clear my head.
I’ve seen the backyard from my balcony every day, but walking through it might feel different.
The grass is so perfect, it almost looks fake.
The deck screams party, with a built-in kitchen and shimmering pool with a hidden rock cave, slide and swim-up bar.
This area was clearly made for fun. I wonder how often they throw parties—so far, I haven’t seen anyone out here.
Off to the side, a narrow path lined with garden lights catches my eye. Curiosity pulls me along it, faint music drifting through the air. I follow the sound and find a sleek, modern two-story house hidden from the main mansion’s view.
Glancing back to make sure I’m not being followed, I sneak around to the patio, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mystery voice that has a familiarity to it.
Before my eyes is a shirtless Mattia. His hair hangs loosely around his face while he’s lost in his guitar, strumming and singing like a carefree kid.
I get so drawn into his voice and the emotional lyrics that I don’t realize I’ve stepped on a stick.
Crunch.
His head snaps up, eyes locking onto me like a predator. The carefree kid vanishes, and now he’s a hunter sizing up his prey. A grin tugs at his mouth when he sees it’s me. “Look who finally made it outside the mansion today.”
“I thought a walk might do me good,” I mutter, feeling guilty for being caught spying on him.
“Well, don’t just stand there. Come on over.” He pats the spot on the outdoor couch beside him.
“Do you live here?” I ask, my eyes taking in the house in front of me as I walk over and sit beside him. Mattia slides closer, his arm snaking around my shoulders, pulling me in until I’m pressed snug against his side.
“Yeah,” he says casually. “Gabriele, Stefano, and Carlo do too.”
I raise a skeptical brow. “Full house, huh?”
He shrugs, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips. “We mostly just crash here. The main house is where all the action happens.”
I can’t quite pick it, but it feels like he’s hiding something. “Then why are you here now, and not at the main house?”
His voice softens, almost showing me a vulnerable side of him. He runs his hand along the edge of his guitar. “After a hard day, sometimes I like to be alone for a bit.”
Suddenly, I feel very awkward. “Shit, sorry. I’ll just go.”
But before I can move off the couch, Mattia’s laugh rings out around us. He grabs me by the waist and pulls me onto his lap. “You’re not going anywhere,” he chuckles dangerously.
I frown. It’s like he just flicked a switch and whatever’s bothering him has now been pushed away, turning on his playful side. “What’s the deal with you five, anyway?” I ask instead.
His eyes don’t give away anything. “They’re my brothers.”
“I know that already, but you’re so different from each other.”
He chuckles again. He pushes my hair back behind my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “What do you want to know?” He sighs as he leans against the back of the chair, stretching his arms behind his head.
“Gabriele said you guys were too old to be adopted,” I mention, looking at him in the eyes to make sure he’s telling the truth.
“True. Caterina took us in because none of us had family. She saw something in each of us—I think she knew we’d need each other to survive.”
“So you all just got along from day one?” I question, fidgeting with my hands.
His laugh had a bitter edge to it. “Far from it. Every time a brother was added to our family, it meant the doctor practically lived here, stitching someone up nearly every day.”
I stare blankly, slightly shocked. I could tell from the day I arrived, meeting them in the billiard room and then having dinner with them, that they were dysfunction, but I couldn’t see them harming each other.
“Carlo was the worst,” Mattia says quietly. “Full of anger, he took it out on everyone. But as soon as Caterina looked at him, he’d stop instantly like he was possessed and apologize. She had this calming presence that grounded us all.”
“And Luci?”
Mattia smirks. “You’re playing with fire with that nickname,” he snickers at me, shaking his head. “He was the first Caterina took in. Always acted like he was in charge, even though Stefano’s the oldest.”
Before I can respond, a harsh voice cuts through the air. “What the fuck happened today, Mattia?” Luciano bellows. His tone is cold, sharp, and dangerous.
Panic surges through me as I try to scramble off Mattia’s lap, my ass falling on the ground as he doubles over on the couch in a fit of laughter, but it isn’t quick enough.
Luciano storms out through the sliding glass door. His eyes are like twin daggers locking onto me. “I told you to leave my brothers alone.”
“I haven’t done anything… yet,” I shoot back, pushing every button I can find. There’s something about Luciano that makes my skin burn.
“I don’t have time to deal with you today. Back to the mansion,” he orders.
I smirk. “What if I don’t want to?”
Without warning, he grabs me, hoisting me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing, and marches straight back down the path toward the mansion.
Mattia’s voice rings out behind us. “You’ve done it now, Red.”
“I’ll be back, Mattia. We need to talk about today,” Luciano calls over his shoulder.
“I can walk, you know,” I huff from my position on his shoulder. My ass is that close to his face, he could turn his head and bite it. I squirm slightly in his grip at the thought of it.
“You can’t be trusted… One fucking week and you’ve already found your way into my brother’s lap.”
I smirk, trying to angle my face to get a better look at him. “Upset it’s not yours?”
His voice is venomous. “If you know what’s good for you, keep your pretty little cunt away from me, Principessa.”
In one swift motion, he tosses me into the pool like a rag-doll. “What the fuck, Luciano?!” I screech before my body is submerged under the water. He disappears inside the mansion without a glance backwards. Balling my hands up, I punch the water in frustration.
Water dripping from my now tangled wavy hair—that took me ages to straighten this morning—I look at my reflection in the glass window as I climb out of the pool.
I’m a soaked mess, but Luciano is forgetting that two can play that game.
I peel off my drenched clothes, standing practically naked in just my pink G-string and lacy see-through bra.
I leave wet footprints all through the mansion.
Bursting into Luciano’s office, I throw my dripping clothes at him. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” I yell at him.
A slow, amused smirk tugs at his lips. His eyes darken with desire as he takes in my body. He doesn’t need to say anything when his lingering eyes tell me all I need to know: he likes to play dirty.
“Answer me,” I demand. “Who are you to my mother? What businesses do we run and why the fuck do we have so many soldiers patrolling the estate?” I cross my arms in front of me.
He looks down at my chest and bites down on his lip.
“You’ll find out soon, Principessa.” He picks up my wet clothes off his chest and chucks them on his desk.
Oh shit, his white shirt is now clinging to his skin and has gone see-through, his muscular chest now on full display.
Is that a six or eight pack I can see under his tattoos?
I need to escape before I do something I’ll regret. I flip him the bird, spinning around on my heels, and storm out to my bedroom, my only safe haven here.