I sat across from Papa in his office, staring at the mountain of papers on the desk in front of me. Contracts, reports, profit margins—all the thrilling joys of running a company. This was supposed to be part of my "training," learning how to manage the legal side of things, but so far, it just felt like death by paperwork.

"Why didn't you send me home to stay with Luca?" I asked, crossing my arms as I leaned back in the chair. "I would've been great at it. You know, moral support, snacks, keeping him entertained—things I'm actually good at."

Papa didn't look up from the document he was signing. "Because, Ricardo, you're supposed to be learning how to run this company, not. running from responsibility."

"Luca is responsibility," I argued, gesturing dramatically. "Important responsibility. Family responsibility. Surely that takes precedence over profit margins."

"Profit margins keep the family afloat," Papa said calmly, flipping to the next page. "And I sent Alessio and Marco home. Between the two of them, I'm sure Luca will be just fine."

I snorted. "You sent Alessio and Marco? Together? Papa, they can't even agree on what movie to watch without turning it into a wrestling match. How is that a better idea than me?"

Papa finally looked up, one brow arched in that signature way of his Ouch.

"Fine," I muttered, slumping back in the chair. "But the twins are gonna burn the house down, I am sure" I smirked ---

Papa pushed a thick stack of papers toward me, and I stared at them like they might bite. "What's this?"

"The quarterly financials," he said simply. "I want you to analyze them and come up with a plan to increase profitability in the next fiscal year."

"Analyze them?" I echoed, picking up the first page. "Papa, I'm not a computer. This is—what—even is this number? Are there supposed to be this many zeros?"

"Welcome to business," he said dryly, smirking, leaning back in his chair. "And if you think this is bad, wait until you get to the legal contracts."

I groaned, letting my head fall back against the chair. "Why couldn't I just stay with Luca and talk with him instead? That's way more fun than this."

"You think running a company is about fun?" Papa asked rolling his eyes,

That shut me up. —————

"Now," Papa said, sliding another file toward me, "let's see how well you handle drafting a proposal. And don't think I won't check your work."

"Of course you will," I muttered under my breath, earning another one of his smirks

As I reached for the file, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I glanced at the screen to see a text from Alessio.

**Alessio:** *Marco's already complaining. Pray for us.*

I couldn't help but laugh quietly. "See papa" I Showed him the message he laughed but then he looked at me "Wait, Alessio is the one who ate Marco's doughnut?" Oh.Oh did he accidentally read our message before this one. Sorry Ale. ---



Sitting on the couch in the living room after getting home and it was just me Alessio and Marco (which I couldn't know which one is Marco or which one is Alessio) in home and it was kinda Awkward . I really really wanted to be in my room.

"Hey Lukey would you like to eat now?" Alessio asked or I think so, I mean he is the nicer twin. I just shook my head staring on the ground after a moment if awkwardness he talked again "Well I will uhh make food for me and Marco and I will make for you later then" I just nodded. I really really want to be in my room now, Maybe I could ask someone to help me upstairs?

I looked around me and it was Marco who was sitting on the other couch but wait..........he doesn't like me , but I really want to be upstairs I will ask him and I really really hope he won't hit me.

"C-can y-you h-help m-me t-t-to go t-t-to my room?" I asked him and of course I stuttered , Why do I always stutter?

He looked at me and nodded his head quickly and stood up "yeah sure"he said and I took out my crutch from under my leg and stood up, He gave me his hand and I actually didn't want anyone to touch but I really wanted to get upstairs so I took his hand, And his hand were warm actually .

We got upstairs and he opened the door room and crouched in front of me, "Hey I uhhh I am sorry for yesterday when I saw you I am sorry for that I was glaring didn't even greet you, I was just ......having a bad day but this is no excuse, I am sorry again Luca"

He apologized and I nod my eyes widened maybe Massimo was right Marco was just having a bad day.

Well this was actually nice.

He smiled, stood up, and left. For a moment, I remained frozen in the room, unsure of what to do next. My eyes wandered across the room, taking in the familiar space that felt like my only sanctuary. The quietness enveloped me now, broken only by the faint echoes of Marco and Alessio's voices drifting up from downstairs, making the stillness in my room feel even more oppressive.

I hobbled over to the bed, each step heavier than the last as the exhaustion of the day weighed on me. My crutch thudded gently against the floor before I leaned it against the wall. I collapsed onto the bed, letting the mattress envelop me. For a while, I simply sat there, staring at my hands resting in my lap, trying to calm the storm of emotions threatening to consume me.

Marco's apology had caught me off guard. For a fleeting moment, I'd felt a sense of lightness—maybe even hope. for what? I do not know , But I just felt that . But now, sitting alone, all the feelings I had been suppressing began to creep back in. A lump formed in my throat, and my chest tightened with an ache I couldn't put into words.

I lay down, onto my side. The pillow beneath my head was cool and soft against my face, but it couldn't stop the tears that started to fall. They came slowly at first, but soon, I was sobbing, my entire body trembling with the weight of it.

Why did everything have to feel so hard? Why did I have to deal with my stutter? Why did I need help just to manage something as simple as getting upstairs? And why, no matter how much I tried, couldn't I shake off these feelings?

I buried my face in the pillow, trying to muffle my cries. I didn't want Alessio or Marco to hear me, . My tears soaked into the fabric as I squeezed my eyes shut, desperately wishing for all the awkwardness, frustration, and helplessness to vanish.

I clutched the pillow tightly against my chest, hoping it might somehow ease the loneliness, but the hollow ache remained.

I cried until my throat was raw, and my breath came in uneven, shallow gasps. Eventually, the sobs quieted into soft sniffles, leaving me feeling utterly drained. My head pounded, and my eyes burned, but at least the tears had stopped.

I lay still, my face pressed into the pillow, too heavy and exhausted to move. I wasn't sure how long I stayed like that, but eventually, my eyelids grew heavier. As I drifted into a restless sleep, one thought lingered in my mind—maybe it will be better. Maybe.

————————————-

Hey guys small chapter because I am gonna start my exams soon and btw I don't know what to do anymore I mean I love this book very much but tbh the comments are low and the votes , ya know, do u like the story so far? And tbh there is another story in mind that I really want to write now so I don't know what to do actually (I don't mean that I will stop writing this, I won't) So Tell me ur opinion but sorry if I will publish the story slower I was actually gonna put Marco's pov but I wanted to post it quick, So don't forget to comment and vote,like comment a-lot-and btw what do u think of the new aesthetic??