Filed to story: Bring It On My Mafia Life Novel (Rhea & Lukas)
“I have a date with Clara,” Lukas grunted out as if it was a herculean task and not an evening of chilling and relaxing.
“Oh.” was all Victor said, having understood a bit of Lukas’s situation because the thing with Clara is that you have to look perfect. Not a thing out of place unless you want an earful of her shrill voice. His cousin was a wise man by choosing the tie despite his huge dislike.
Lukas didn’t say anything and instead battled with the tie he had no idea how to fix.
“Easy,” Victor said and stepped in to save the day before his cousin decided to take out the frustration on someone else.
“It’s as easy as pie.” He told Lukas as he tightened the tie enough and pressed it down his chest, brushing invisible dirt off his suit, “You’re good to go.”
“I don’t think I’m going to survive this.” Lukas unconsciously lifted his hand, ready to pull the tie off as usual but his cousin was there to give him a warning Tsk.
“Just breathe for a minute and you’d get used to the feeling,” Victor advised him.
This was the time to cure someone’s abnormal fear of ties. Unlike the others, he was the only one who knew the reason for Lukas’s fear of ties on his body.
…..
Lukas shut his eyes and tried not to think about the memory of that woman’s hands on the ties, trying to suffocate him to death. It was very difficult at first to shake off the feeling of having his breath cut off, but that was until his imagination changed.
Instead of that evil woman strangling him, he conjured an image of Rhea kissing him ferociously, her hand digging into his hair and the other pulling on the tie to draw him closer to her.
“Okay, you are doing fine,” Victor said, staring at the stopwatch he had started on his phone. However, his brows couldn’t help but furrow as he watched his cousin the next moment.
Instead of the deep furrow he had seen seconds ago, there was now a lopsided grin on his face. What the hell was the bastard thinking? He didn’t want to know, even though he had an idea already.
“Good!” Victor shouted, cutting Lukas off from the good imagination he was having. He showed his phone to him, “Instead of a minute, you lasted two minutes, all thanks to whatever shitty thoughts you had there. And please, don’t tell me. This is my holy day.”
But Lukas snorted at him haughtily, “Who even wants to tell you?” He checked his silver cufflink and picked up his phone just as it lit up with a notification. It was time to leave.
“I wish you, good luck,” Victor told him, yet said with a lowered tone, “I wonder how long you are going to keep up with the act though?”
“Until I find Chloe.” Lukas answered, having heard him, “You of all people know my cooperation is the reason why my sister is still in one piece. She’s not his blood, that man wouldn’t care. “
Victor didn’t have a sympathetic look as many people would in this situation, however, he placed his hand on Lukas’s shoulder and squeezed tight, offering support.
“Don’t worry, we’ll focus on finding her now. I’ve missed the brat already.” and pause the whole find Elijah thingy, Victor didn’t add that part.
With Lukas’s sensitivity to issues concerning Elijah, he would probably deal with him if he heard that.
“Thank you, Victor,” Lukas said to him sincerely and a smile split his cousin’s face.
“The great Lukas thanked me, that should make the records.”
“Whatever.” Lukas returned to his normal aloof demeanor, shrugging his hand off his shoulder.
One time, Lukas had contemplated asking Clara to cooperate with him and help him find his sister. However, he knew his fiancée would want something in return for herself of equal value, if not more than. Hence, dealing with her was like doing business with the devil.
Moreover, he didn’t trust her, not when she was best friends with his father. Who knows what that man would tell her and she betrays him in the blink of an eye. Lukas hated betrayals, so to avoid such an inevitable fate where he puts a bullet through her head, he kept the offer to himself.
In no time, Lukas was out of the house and stepping towards the car where the chauffeur was already waiting when he suddenly turned and looked up at Rhea’s floor.
The light was on which meant that she was up. Well, it was evening. Lukas suddenly had the urge to drop all of this and just go upstairs to her room.
And do what?
Well, spend time with her.
Aside from the fact he was giving her the space she needed, he was busy with work and only heard she had become best friends with Beatrice as he wanted.
But Lukas knew to separate pleasure from work, so even though he was craving Rhea’s presence, he forced himself into the car and left for the date without seeing her step into the window at that moment.
“He comes and goes as he wants while I’m the bird in the golden cage,” Rhea muttered as he watched Lukas’s car leave the heavily guarded base. Well, it won’t be long, she just had to gain his trust, she hoped.
It didn’t take long for Lukas to arrive at the location Clara had chosen which was out of town. As expected, it was a very luxurious hotel restaurant and she reserved the whole place for the night.
As soon as Lukas arrived, he was directed inside. However, no matter how prepared Lukas was, he definitely didn’t expect the sight of his father at the table with Clara at his side and the both of them happily engaged in conversation.
“Oh, God.” Lukas felt light -headed, the same moment Clara saw him and her smile widened.
Given Space To The Devil
“Lukas!” Clara’s expression brightened as soon as she saw him out of the corner of her eyes.
“You are here!” She abruptly ended her conversation with her Father in law to go and receive her fiancée.
Unlike her, Lukas had gone as still as a statue as soon as he laid his eyes on that man. At first, the shock had his lips parted but now, he was so livid that his hands were fisted on both sides.
Lukas liked to be given a fair warning before he lays eyes on his father, that way he could have a better hold on his emotion. At least in large social gatherings, he usually puts on the act of them being on good terms until they’re out of scrutiny.
They had a lot of enemies who wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of the friction between him and his father. That was why appearance was everything even in their world. Meaning conflicts were solved internally – or in his case, left to be.
But now because Lukas was taken by surprise, his emotion was out and everyone could read him like an open book. That was further evidenced by Clara suddenly taking cautious steps toward him upon seeing the look on his face.
His eyes were bloodshot and his body was a plenitude of suppressed tension. Clara began to doubt if she was even doing the right thing by going near him because he looked like he would murder her.
“What is he doing here?!” Lukas growled at her before she was even within five meters of him.
“It’s not what you’re thinking, Lukas. The both of you are so aggressive towards each other that I thought this dinner would be best to go over things together.” Clara had good intentions for doing so.
…..
“Well, sorry if I don’t appreciate the gesture, but that is something you do by informing me beforehand!” Lukas did not accept her pathetic excuse.
“Look here, Lukas, You told me to prepare everything and give you the location which is exactly what I did. You weren’t exactly open for conversation and there’s a good reason he’s here today.” Clare was not ready to acknowledge she was at fault either.
Lukas’s anger simmered down but not completely, it was there beneath the surface, waiting to flare up again if the need called for it.
“It’s okay, Clara,” Daniel finally spoke up, standing up to his feet, “My son has always been too short-sighted amid all of my efforts at training him, I believe we’d discuss that matter another day.” He was prepared to leave and give the young people the privacy he was infringing upon by being there.