Chapter 7 – The Morning After
The sun had barely risen when I began to clean.
The mansion was a disaster. Empty bottles of vodka, rum, and whiskey were scattered everywhere—on the floor, the counters, even inside the sink. Pizza boxes were piled in corners, some with cold, half-eaten slices still inside. Plates with dried sauce, chicken bones, and smeared dips covered the dining table and kitchen counters.
The pool was worse.
Bras floated on the surface. Underwear clung to the poolside. Beer cans bobbed in the water. A wig hung from a nearby bush, and a used condom was stuck in the pool filter. The air smelled of chlorine, perfume, and something sour.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and kept moving.
The music had stopped hours ago, but the chaos remained. Crushed cigarettes littered the floor. Lipstick stains marked the walls and mirrors. A broken lamp lay in the hallway, its pieces hastily taped together. And the worst part?
The boys were still asleep.
I peeked into the living room and sighed.
Ronan was half-naked on the couch, one leg dangling off the side. A girl with blue hair was passed out on his chest, her top missing and one heel still on. Elias was sprawled across the floor with two girls beside him, both completely naked and tangled in a blanket that looked stolen from a guest room. Darius had his head back against the recliner, arms folded, and a girl in a tight red dress was curled up on his lap, snoring.
Kael, as always, was on the side. He had his hoodie on, sitting upright with his eyes closed, like he hadn’t even been part of the madness. But there were lipstick marks on his neck and a bottle beside him.
I kept cleaning.
Then I heard the sound.
The car.
Not just any car.
Her car.
The black luxury SUV rolled to a stop outside the gate.
Mrs. Ravenwood was home.
“Oh no,” I whispered.
The maids scrambled. Everyone moved fast. The ones who were still awake tried to shake the boys. One of the younger maids kicked an empty beer can under the couch. Another grabbed a mop and started scrubbing the floor with panic in her eyes.
But it was too late.
The front doors opened with a loud creak.
“What in the GOD’S NAME happened here?” a sharp voice rang through the hallway.
Mrs. Ravenwood.
Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she stepped in, tall, thin, dressed in a white designer pantsuit with a diamond necklace that could blind someone. Her hair was perfect. Her makeup sharp. But her eyes? Full of disgust.
She turned to one of the maids. “What is this filth?!”
The maid bowed quickly. “Ma’am, we’ve been cleaning since morning. We—”
“Clearly not hard enough!” she snapped. “The air stinks of alcohol and poor decisions!”
She walked past the broken lamp, the lipstick-smeared walls, the mountain of empty cups on the counter.
Then she reached the living room.
“Oh… my… GOD.”
Darius opened his eyes first. He blinked and groaned, rubbing his temples. The girl on his lap shifted and tried to cover herself.
“Mother?” he said, voice hoarse.
Ronan sat up next, confused. “What time is it?”
Mrs. Ravenwood’s eyes widened. “Get… these… WHORES… out of my house!”
The girls scrambled up, grabbing their clothes and shoes, tripping over each other as they rushed to cover their bodies and leave.
“You should be ashamed of yourselves,” she said coldly. “Sleeping like rats in a mansion. No class. No shame.”
One of the girls tried to say something but Mrs. Ravenwood pointed at the door. “Out. Before I have security drag you by the hair.”
They ran.
Elias laughed, still lying down. “Calm down, Mother. It was just a party.”
“Party?” she shouted. “This is a disgrace!”
“We just wanted to have fun,” Ronan mumbled, still half-asleep.
“We were celebrating,” Darius added, standing now. “We just got back. Is that a crime?”
Mrs. Ravenwood looked like she was going to explode. “Fun? This is your idea of fun? My living room turned into a brothel? My pool filled with underwear and vomit?”
“It’s not that deep,” Elias said with a smirk.
She turned to Kael. “And you? Are you part of this mess?”
Kael shrugged. “Didn’t stop it.”
Mrs. Ravenwood placed a hand on her forehead dramatically. “We have guests coming in two days. The mayor’s daughter is visiting. Do you want her to step on condoms and beer bottles?!”
She turned and stared right at me.
“You,” she said.
I stood straighter. “Ma’am.”
“This place better shine in an hour. If I find even one cigarette butt under a couch, I’m kicking you out.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She added, “And if I ever walk into my house and see this nonsense again, I swear I’ll burn the furniture and start over.”
She stormed upstairs.
When she was gone, the silence fell heavy.
The boys didn’t say anything.
They just stood there, slowly realizing how bad things looked in daylight.
“I need coffee,” Elias muttered.
Kael rubbed his face. “We should’ve cleaned before sleeping.”
Ronan sat back down and sighed. “Totally worth it.”
Darius stretched, looking at the mess. “Yeah. It was wild.”
I bent to pick up another bottle and kept moving, silently counting how many hours I had left to make the house look normal again.