Filed to story: Bring It On My Mafia Life Novel (Rhea & Lukas)
“So I heard,” Elijah answered, feeling a bit guilty inside he didn’t visit her. Unlike most of his siblings who had grown up by the time Natalie came into their lives, she was the closest thing to a mother Elijah had and knew, having practically raised him.
No, if it wasn’t for the age gap and the fact that his brothers kept his biological mother’s memories alive, he would have believed Natalie was his mother. She was so sweet towards him and he was extremely protective of her.
…..
That was why he preferred to add the title of “aunt” to her name, and the others picked it up. It served to remind him that as much as she wasn’t his mother, she was still family. Hence, it was a shame he didn’t visit earlier and had to be forced home. Fine, he would make it up to her after he’s done dealing with his current problems.
“We are getting married,” Eric announced out of nowhere.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s good……” Elijah trailed off when the implication of what his brother just said dawned on him. “Damn,” He cursed, already weighing the pros and cons of this union in his head.
Everyone in the family knew Eric has been simping on the woman for years, but to think his brother finally went after her was unbelievable. The thought of them getting married gave Elijah mixed feelings because he was used to thinking of Natalie as a mother figure, and now she was going to be his sister-in-law. Oh fuck, he was going to need time to adjust to this one.
“Does Rose even know of this?” He asked.
“My daughter approves and is eager to let her officially become part of the woman,” Eric answered, yet the way he shifted on the balls of his feet spoke of nervousness. Perhaps, it was pre-wedding jitters, Elijah thought.
“And Karen?”
“Karen would always be Karen, but she took the news surprisingly well. Her focus is on her daughter’s well-being and hopes she isn’t neglected with the addition of a family member,” his brother put it mildly, but Elijah could already picture the way Karen presented those words and winced inwardly. Even years of co-parenting couldn’t get the both of them to get along.
However, this couldn’t be the reason Eric called him home having thought it was an emergency and that was proved when his brother said,
“I know about the girl you’re seeing?”
For a moment there, Eric was tempted to ask which of them he was talking about, Rhea or Adele? When it finally dawned on him that ever since he hooked up with Adele, the line between them was beginning to blur. When did he even begin to consider her an option?
No, he had to get his head back in the game.
“Rhea,” Eric called her name, and nonetheless, his demeanor changed entirely. How did his brother know about… Ahh, Jason, of course. He was the only one that could tell him that.
However, why was his brother suddenly noticing the lady he dated? He never showed such interest before. Call it an itch or premonition, Elijah sensed something wasn’t right here. His sixth sense has never failed him.
“What do you want with Rhea?” Elijah narrowed his gaze suspiciously. He trusted his brother, but not when he was showing interest in the woman he loves. He was hiding something from him.
But Eric only lifted his head and as huge as his brother was, they still shared the same height and it pleased Elijah, a sign that he has grown up.
“Promise me you wouldn’t freak out when I say this,”
“Say what?” Elijah was eager to know and that was his problem, always eager to try everything.
“Rhea is Natalie’s daughter,” Eric confessed, expecting some sort of reaction from his brother, for him to say something but Elijah stood as still as a statue.
However, he tilted his head a while later, trying to understand something.
“Wait, Aunt Natalie has a child? A daughter?” Elijah first processed that piece of information. He was very smart and quick at understanding things, but for some reason, this very one befuddled him.
“And she is Rhea…?”
Call it recollection or recognition, Elijah got reminded of those forest green eyes. He always had this feeling that Rhea felt oddly familiar, but couldn’t place his finger around it until today. He just couldn’t fathom that Rhea would be family because he never knew Natalie was married nor to talk of having a child. But he knew now and it was devastating.
How Strong Was Her Love
Elijah was freaking out.
“No, no, that’s not possible. How do you know that she’s her daughter? Who said so? How does Natalie go from being a single woman to a woman with a daughter?! Is this some sort of sick joke or what?!” He was pacing up and down the room, trying to understand this, his brain full of activities.
“Elijah!” Eric shouted at the top of his voice and then caught him on the shoulder. Grabbing his head in his palms, he ordered him, “Calm down. Take long deep breaths. Yes, just like that.” He guided his little brother who wasn’t taking the news all too well.
“Now sit and let me explain everything,” Eric pushed him back down on his seat, directing him like a child nor did Elijah protest. He was too far gone in his thoughts to object.
“This is huge, but I want you to control yourself, Elijah, You’re a Draven and that’s what men in our family do, we stay in control.” He psyched him, preparing him for the secrets he was about to release.
When Elijah was calm enough, Eric began by telling him all about Natalie, her history with Edward, Rhea’s father, and then Daniel of course, and how everything went sour. He related the circumstances surrounding Rhea’s birth and then Natalie’s death, or so Daniel assumed and how their family came to her rescue.
By the time he was done, Elijah’s head was swelling with so much revelation.
He thought he knew about his aunt Natalie, or perhaps, Natalie now, but he was wrong. And to think he was in love with her daughter, Rhea, just how messed up was that.
Although there was no law prohibiting in-laws from marrying since they weren’t blood-related, however, that could mess up the family tree nor were some people accommodating to that. Heck, Elijah felt like he was going crazy from all of his thinking.
…..
“Natalie doesn’t know that I’ve found her daughter or the fact that the daughter she had given away to save her life is currently in the hands of the son of the man she loathes so much. Honestly, brother, I don’t know what would happen when she finds out,” Eric sighed, pinching the bridge between his nose. It was obvious that keeping this huge secret from his bride was taking a toll on him.
And yes, unlike his brother, Elijah knew what would happen if Natalie finds out about this, all hell would let loose. If he could feel this much rage over what he just heard, then Natalie would be a goddess of carnage when she hears her daughter is in the hands of the son of the enemy, Lukas.
Elijah always knew nothing good would come out of Rhea being with Lukas. He always felt it deep down in his bones that he wasn’t right for her, but like poison, Lukas was slowly seeping into her mind and she didn’t realize that. But not anymore, he now knew the truth and would get her out of there by all means, even if that is the last thing he would do for her. She would come to thank him later.
“We have to tell Natalie,”
“No!” Eric growled a warning. He dare not tell her.
“She has a right to know!” Elijah insisted.
“Yes, but not now! She barely survived the guilt of knowing she abandoned her daughter for years, Elijah. What do you think would happen when she realizes that all of her efforts had been for nothing? Years that she could have spent by her daughter’s side?” He tried to make him see reasons with him.
“You’re scared,” Elijah whispered, seeing through his brother, “You’re scared that she would call off the wedding plans, reject you and crawl back into her former shell.”
Eric clutched his shaking hands, feeling bare and exposed before his brother, and was unable to come up with an answer because it was the truth. He knew Natalie like the back of his hand and knowing the truth would break her.
Moreover, was it selfish of him to get what he wants for once? He wanted Natalie with every fiber of his being and he couldn’t stomach the thought of her rejecting him. A future without her looked bleak.
Elijah felt pity for his brother Eric when he saw the desolate look on his face. Having gotten a taste of it when he saw Lukas and Rhea together, he knew what it felt like and it wasn’t pleasant at all.
He stood up to his feet and went over to his brother, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezed affectionately. Eric had always been a pillar of support in the family, hence his brothers would have laughed their asses off if they had seen this scene of him comforting him instead.
“I understand your concerns,” he said,