Filed to story: Bring It On My Mafia Life Novel (Rhea & Lukas)
…..
“Elijah…” Rhea lifted a warning brow, her body taut and ready to make a move if he dared to take another step towards her.
Elijah stopped and lifted his head, his eyes narrowed with suspicion as he said, “It’s Lukas, isn’t it?”
Rhea didn’t say a word nor refute his claim. If anything, she dropped her gaze and that was all the affirmation
Elijah needed. She acknowledged the truth.
He nodded his head in understanding, his jaw clenched hard as reality dawned on him.
“You couldn’t wait for me?” He accused her and hot rage shimmered through Rhea. How dare he accuse her of that? She had waited for him for months! Not to mention that Elijah was the reason she didn’t accept Lukas’s feelings for her sooner, because she had respected what they shared even if it was for a short time. She held back because of him and this is all he has to say to her.
“Says who?” Rhea hissed with so much venom in her tone. She forgot all about drawing boundaries as she covered the distance between them and stood face to face with Elijah. Her gaze was burning with molten anger and if Rhea could shoot out fire from her eyes, he would be long dead.
“I patiently waited for a month, where were you, Elijah?!”
“I was trying to -“
“Had he killed me would you have the guts to ask me that question?” She asked him furiously, not caring about guilt trapping him.
She went on, “I was tossed and moved around like I was a fucking commodity, so don’t fucking tell me you didn’t have the opportunity to get me out of here. So don’t blame me for deciding to be with your enemy while you were taking your sweet time.”
“I never gave up on you, Rhea,” Elijah said. He then grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest, “Why do you think I risked everything to come see you now?”
“To stop me from seeing Lukas because you can’t stand the thought of the both of us together, wasn’t that the message you were sending at the party that day?” Rhea said crudely as she snatched her hand back.
Elijah paused for a moment upon seeing Rhea had it in for him today. This wasn’t how he imagined their union to be. They weren’t supposed to be fighting.
“Fine, I admit it,” He confessed, “I was mad, but you can’t blame me, Rhea. Of all people, why Lukas?! I never stopped pinning for you. Did you really have little faith in what we shared?”
Rhea looked him straight in the eyes, trying to figure him out. However, no amount of reason could change the present. It was all in the past.
“No, I treasured what we shared, Elijah,” She confessed, “However, people change, you should have thought of that when you left your ex-girlfriend with a handsome man like Lukas who turned out to be the opposite of what I thought him to be.”
For a moment, Elijah didn’t say anything until he burst into laughter. A long hysterical laughter that told Rhea that whatever she just said sounded like a joke to him.
“Handsome man like Lukas?” Elijah scoffed, “Are you kidding me?” He couldn’t believe her.
“Do you even know who Lukas is or has he blinded you with his sugary words and maybe a few moves in bed?” His tone dripped with so much venom. The thought of Rhea and Lukas in bed blinded Elijah with so much fury he wanted to end the fucking bastard.
“You would not speak of Lukas like that?!” Rhea defended him, “What we share is genuine -“
“Wake up, Rhea!” Elijah snapped at her with a ferocity that startled her, “Look around you, Rhea, you are merely a toy he would use and discard when he’s become bored.” He warned her.
“And you wouldn’t?”
“What?”
“For someone who claims to be genuinely interested in me, you were quick to abandon me at the airport,” She reminded him of their separation.
Elijah groaned, “I did it so I would be able to come back for you. Come on, Rhea, the both of us knew that I would be dead had Lukas caught me that day.”
“Of course, I know that. However, that’s the huge difference between you and Lukas. While you would run away to save your life, Lukas would rather the both of us die together just to keep me safe. He has a strong sense of loyalty, nor am I blaming you for your choice since it’s human instinct to want to preserve one’s life. However, your decision that day was a life changing one and like every choice, it comes with a cost. ” Rhea told him, “I can’t leave Lukas. Not even for you, Elijah. “
It’s Your Choice
Those words were like a knife stabbing Elijah in the chest and he couldn’t breathe. Rhea was his dream – one that was slowly fleeting away. No, he can’t give up on her. If she could fall for Lukas, perhaps, he could make her love him again.
He grabbed her arm, “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Rhea! You have clearly been bewitched by Lukas!”
“Don’t treat me like a child, Elijah! I’m an adult and I know feelings!” She scolded him, trying to pull her arm free all to no avail.
“You can’t be with Lukas,” He commanded her
“Yeah, why not?” Rhea scoffed at the authority in his tone. She was not his sister or girlfriend – not anymore.
“Absolutely not, Lukas!” He refused to let the both be together. Lukas was not worthy of Rhea. He would only make Rhea miserable just the same way his father Daniel ruined his Aunt Natalie’s life.
Rhea was merely blinded by Lukas’s charms and the motherfucker has had no problems deceiving many women in the past. Just like Clara who he just dumped, Rhea would no doubt meet the same fate and he couldn’t let that happen. He would rather die than see the both of them together.
Elijah would rather have Rhea hate him for the cruel choices he would make and the both be together than let her spend the rest of her life with Lukas in suffering. Just like his father Daniel, Lukas would never make her happy. A monster only begets a monster. Rhea just hasn’t seen what Lukas is capable of and he would make sure to show her that.
He pulled Rhea to him by that arm so that their bodies were pressing together and the alarm went off in her head once again. They were crossing into dangerous territory and Rhea couldn’t let anything happen between them. The first time might have been a mistake, but not the second one. The second time would be a choice made by her.
…..
“Let me go!” Rhea struggled all to no avail and all Elijah did was lock her arm behind her so she couldn’t move. With his free hand, he lifted her chin but Rhea glared at him defiantly, daring him to kiss her again and see if she wouldn’t bite his lip off.
As if Elijah knew what was best for him, he didn’t touch her and said instead, “It’s quite funny, Rhea, you call me your ex but the both of us know that we never broke up. You were the one that made that decision on your own and I never gave consent.” He pointed out and all blood drained from Rhea’s face.
“Yeah, you thought, right,” Elijah smirked wickedly, “As far as I know, you are still my woman and I don’t acknowledge anything going on between you and Lukas.”
Rhea tried to speak up but Elijah pressed his finger against her lips, hushing her.
“However,” Elijah continued, “I’m no saint either, which means your sins are forgiven. But then, you should prepare yourself, I’m taking you out of here, and there’s nothing you can’t do about it.”
Rhea’s heart sank, but at the same time, anger filled her. She shook her hand and was able to pull out of his grip. Glaring up at him, she said, “You have no right to make decisions for me. I told you that I’m happy here, why can’t you respect that for Christ fucking sake?!”
“Happy as a prisoner?” Elijah found it laughable, “He went on to say,” Fine, let’s admit that the both of you are indeed together, what happens when the both of you break up? Would you remain there as his prisoner or would he toss you to the street like a rag?”
Rhea groaned in annoyance when she thought of how to explain it to him,
“Lukas would never do that, okay? He’s not as cruel as you think he is. He takes good care of me -“
“Yeah, by keeping you caged?” He sneered, “Could you hear yourself, Rhea? Would your past self think like that?”
Rhea’s brows furrowed together as she found out that indeed that there was truth in what he said. Being together with Lukas had changed her thinking somehow. Or was it Stockholm syndrome speaking? No, Rhea pushed the thoughts to the back of her head. She has gone over this issue already and this was the choice she made.
