Later in the day, the calm routine of work had settled in again. Ivy sat on the carpeted floor by the coffee table, her laptop open, fingers moving swiftly across the keys. Adrian lay upside down on the couch, half-scrolling through his phone and half-staring at her with boredom.
Suddenly, he sat up.
*"Sis-in-law,"* he called, dragging out the nickname just enough to annoy Lucian, *"teach me a few fight moves, will you? I wanna be cool like you."*
Ivy looked up, an eyebrow lifted. *"Cool like me?"*
*"Yeah, you're like a walking combat movie. I need at least three moves to impress people—or scare them."*
Before Ivy could answer, Lucian, still standing by the window going over digital reports, spoke without looking back.
*"No."*
Adrian blinked. *"Wait—what? Why not?"*
Lucian finally turned, his gaze cool. *"Because you'll either dislocate something or challenge someone and get thrown through a window."*
*"You make me sound like a golden retriever with limbs,"* Adrian muttered.
Ivy smirked and stood up, closing her laptop. *"I'll teach him."*
Lucian narrowed his eyes. *"You don't have to."*
*"I want to,"* she said simply.
Lucian's jaw clenched just slightly but he said nothing as Ivy walked past him toward the courtyard doors, Adrian practically skipping behind her.
—
In the courtyard, the air was fresh and quiet. Ivy pulled her hair up, kicked off her slippers, and took a stance. Adrian copied her—poorly.
*"Okay, show me something basic."*
*"Let's start with balance."* She swept his leg in one motion, sending him to the ground.
*"Ow—rude!"*
*"Lesson one,"* Ivy said, offering him a hand. *"If you're on the floor, you've already lost."*
Lucian, watching quietly from inside, shook his head once—but stayed at the window, eyes following every sharp, fluid move she made.
And maybe… smiling. Just a little.
Adrian dusted himself off, groaning as he got back to his feet.
*"Okay, okay, now I'm serious,"* he said, stretching his arms dramatically.
*"Teach me that sweep move again, but slower this time."*
Ivy nodded, her posture calm but firm. She moved beside him, demonstrating slowly.
*"Your stance is too wide. Narrow it just a bit so you're grounded but not locked."*
Adrian tried to mimic her. His knees bent awkwardly.
*"Like this?"*
*"You look like you're trying to sit on an invisible toilet,"* she deadpanned.
Lucian, watching from the window above, huffed a laugh through his nose.
Ivy circled him.
*"Now shift your weight to your back foot, use your front leg as a sweep. It's about timing, not strength."*
She demonstrated again, her leg slicing clean through the air in a graceful arc. Adrian tried—and fell. Again.
*"Damn, you make that look so easy."*
*"That's because I've done it a thousand times,"* she said, pulling him up once more.
*"You rely too much on your arms. Fighting starts from your center. Your core is your weapon."*
They went again—stance, sweep, fall.
Then again—stance, sweep, stumble.
Finally—stance, sweep, almost land.
Adrian stood, panting.
*"Did I do it?"*
*"You didn't fall. That's a start."*
Ivy reached behind her, grabbing two wooden batons from a nearby crate. She tossed one to him.
*"Now we train reflexes."*
Adrian's eyes widened.
*"Already?"*
She didn't answer—she struck. A quick, light swing he barely managed to block.
*"No warning?!"*
*"Neither do your enemies."*
He grinned, teeth showing.
*"This is actually kinda fun."*
They exchanged a few light blows—hers precise, controlled; his sloppy but enthusiastic.
Lucian finally stepped outside, arms crossed.
*"You'll break something."*
Adrian didn't stop.
*"She's amazing, right?"* he called, ducking a swing.
*"I'm getting trained by a goddess of war!"*
Lucian's gaze met Ivy's for a brief moment—her eyes were cool, but a faint smirk tugged at her lips.
*"You sure you're not regretting letting him live with you?"* she muttered, sidestepping another wide swing from Adrian.
Lucian's voice was low and unreadable.
*"Every day."*
But he didn't tell them to stop.
And Ivy kept training.
Adrian, breathless and grinning despite the bruises forming on his arms, leaned on his baton and turned toward Lucian, who was still watching from the steps with arms folded.
*"Okay,"* Adrian panted, *"Ivy's amazing. But now I wanna see something even better."* He pointed at Lucian with exaggerated drama. *"You. Her. One-on-one. Let's go."*
Lucian's brows lifted slightly, but his expression remained unreadable.
*"No."*
*"Oh, come on!"* Adrian protested. *"You're always going on about staying sharp. She's the only person I've seen who could probably dodge one of your bullets before you pull the trigger."*
Ivy arched a brow, wiping sweat from her neck with a towel.
*"Is this your way of saying I'm dangerous, or that your brother is just too slow?"*
Adrian laughed. **"Both."
Lucian finally stepped down from the porch, approaching slowly, eyes on Ivy.
*"It would be unnecessary."*
*"Unless you're scared,"* Ivy added, tossing the towel aside, voice calm but with an edge of amusement.
*"I understand. Some men like to keep their ego intact."*
Adrian gasped, hand over his heart.
*"Oh no she didn't—bro, you gotta say something!"*
Lucian looked at Ivy for a long second, his gaze dark but intrigued. Finally, he pulled off his blazer with a quiet sigh.
*"Five minutes. That's all."*
Adrian stepped back with a cheer.
*"Let's gooo!"*
As Lucian rolled his sleeves and took a stance, Ivy mirrored him—balanced, precise. No words. Just sharp eyes reading each other's breath.
Adrian muttered from the sidelines, already on his phone:
*"I'm filming this. History's being made."*
😝😝😝🥰🥰♥️