Filed to story: Bring It On My Mafia Life Novel (Rhea & Lukas)
Oh no, Lukas’s heart quickened when he remembered Rhea. How long has he been here? Did Adele take the bait and went after Elijah? Lukas had so many questions, but most of all, he needed to go back to the base. He had to know what was going on.
“Listen…” Lukas said this time, “I didn’t come here to cause trouble or something. I too have other important things than to intentionally cross their territory and cause trouble. However, I came here to take my sister home and nothing else. If things had gone to plan, you wouldn’t even have heard a whiff of me and we would be gone already.”
“To take your sister? You mean the one that you were unable to take care of?” Mama Reina was finally showing her claws and Lukas stared back at her as she continued, “Chloe told me everything that I needed to know.”
“No family is perfect,” Lukas told her, “But I did my best and came back for her. Things are different now and she would never have to go through what she experienced before. I need my sister now.”
“He’s right. The girl’s a Luciano, she can’t stay here,” Niklaus was surprisingly on his side. If only.
Reina’s head whipped to her husband and she retorted, “Or maybe you just don’t want her here. I thought we talked about this already and I told you it’s all in the past. Moreover, the girl is not Daniel. It’s time to move on.”
“With all due respect, mother, not everyone easily forgives as you do. My siblings nearly died that day…” Isabella pointed out, “I almost died that day. I believed if we had died and you survived to see a day like this, this would have been a different case.”
“But then you didn’t die, none of you did and it’s years ago. Come on, Chloe is a young girl who needs the love and attention this…” Reina pointed at Lukas, “Cannot give her. No offense.”
“Offense taken,” Lukas reminded her, “She’s my sister.”
“Adopted sister,” Reina corrected him firmly, “There’s always room for re-adoption.”
How Could Feelings Change That Easily?
Lukas and Rhea stared at each other so hard that electricity literally crackled in their gazes. Lukas liked Reina in the beginning until she became interested in Chloe and automatically made herself his enemy. She had many children already, why does she want his sister too? He was not going to share his sister with the woman.
While Lukas was trying to assume his rightful place in Chloe’s life and perform his brotherly role, Reina was all motherly instinct and felt Lukas was undeserving of Chloe; the girl would be better off without him. She was a mother and would give the girl a better life and future.
The tension in the room was so thick it was like they were on a battlefield with the lines drawn, except that in this case Lukas was outnumbered, and neither was reinforcement coming. He was all alone and had not made accommodations for this scenario because he never thought Chloe would refuse to come with him.
Winters had warned him, but he was too headstrong to listen. Lukas had assumed that things had not changed much and that both of them – he and Chloe – would come back to the way that things were between them – before Daniel decided to be an ass.
“Both of you are right in your ways,” Sakuzi finally stepped in and the room went silent. He looked at Lukas, “Because you are without ill intent, we would spare your life, however, we would not condone you stepping into our territory again without an invitation.”
Lukas let out the breath that he had been holding in, so he was not going to die? He gave Isabella a smug grin and she snorted, looking away. While Isabella’s gaze was cold and calculated, Lukas no longer felt that murderous aura from her, he was safe – for now. Niklaus was the only one whose open distaste over their decision was obvious.
But then, Lukas couldn’t rejoice much because the battle was not over and Chloe’s matter was still unresolved.
Sakuzi continued, this time, his focus on his daughter, Reina, saying, “Your husband, Niklaus is right, the girl is a Luciano and doesn’t belong with us,”
“But father -” Reina protested, however, Sakuzi put up his hand and the rest of her words died away. She growled low in her throat, her gaze flickering to Lukas with a threat in there and he sighed. Why was everyone planning on killing him today?
…..
“However,” Sakuzi said and went on,
“Our family is bound together by love and we can never give up on a child in need of help.”
Lukas could see the low smile making its way to Reina’s face. She thought that she had won the fight and that made him clench his fist in anger. He didn’t care about their humanitarian services or their good samaritan values and all, for all Lukas knows, they were just a nosy bunch of people poking into other people’s affairs.
They had no right to decide for him. As far as he was concerned, Chloe was his family and business. None of them was made lord over his affairs. He was leaving here with Chloe whether they liked it or not, and if they wanted war, he would give them one.
Emerald was the one that spoke up this time, “We have no right to butt into your business, however, every life matters and that is why we would let the girl make the decision. Whether she wants to go with you or not?” The giant stared into his eyes with a finality that made anger bubble inside of him.
He doesn’t accept this, however, Lukas decided to wait and see how everything turns out. Patience was a virtue.
With a signal to the soldiers standing guard, one of them left, only to return minutes later with Chloe behind him. Lukas tried to move only to be held back by the binds and when Chloe saw that, she lowered her head in shame.
Even without being told, the guilt gnawed at her. She betrayed her brother and now couldn’t look him in the eyes. Chloe didn’t mean it though and had she known that the consequences would be this severe, she wouldn’t have outed it. But her emotions got the best of her and in a spur of the moment, the words left her mouth.
It’s just that she had made real friends in this place – something rare at the base – her brother was too overprotective of her and wouldn’t let her hang around much. So when Lukas came on too strong, all that crossed her mind was the thought of losing her friends – and her boyfriend. Even Reina was a nice woman and reminded her what it meant to have a mother.
Chloe was very young when Penelope died and aside from the photos, she couldn’t conjure what the woman looked like. It was just her and Lukas all those years – and she betrayed him.
“You don’t have to be afraid, Chloe,” Reina spoke up, trying to assure the young girl as she saw the uncertainty in her eyes. “You have the chance to choose wherever and whoever you want to be with.”
“Really?”
Lukas saw the way his sister’s eyes lit up and his face fell at once. Had she really forgotten about him that easily? About what they had shared all this while? They might not be related by blood, but Lukas had loved her to the bones, just like any brother would, perhaps, even more. How could feelings change that easily? Lukas was truly hurt.
“So tell us little Chloe, who do you want to be with?” Isabella asked her with a little bit of cockiness, “My very maternal mother or your brother over there that looks like he might shed a tear any time soon.”
This time, Lukas didn’t even have the strength to glare at Isabella in response, all of his attention was on his sister as he waited for her decision, his heart pounding in his heart. He knew Isabella was only trying to rile him up and he would not give her that satisfaction. If she wanted entertainment, she better get it somewhere else.
Chloe looked between the both of them, biting her lips nervously. They had put a lot of tension on the young girl, but it had to be done. And to Lukas’s disappointment, Chloe walked over to Reina who welcomed her with open eyes.
She Can’t Leave With You
Music Recommendation:- Don’t break the Heart – Tom Grennan
It seemed like a dream to Lukas until he saw Reina hugging his sister with a huge smile of delight. What just happened? Lukas was in so much shock – and pain – he muted everything out. He just sat there in silence, watching everything go by.
How could she choose her? After everything that they had been through? He was her brother. He loved her. Was the human heart that easily inconsistent? How could she forget?
“I’m so happy that you made the right choice,” Reina hugged her from that position, leaning closer because of the table in between them, “I promise that you are not going to regret the decision you made today.”
“I’m not coming with you, Reina,”
“What?” Reina stiffened. Even the others by her side were stunned by her answer. They looked at her as if trying to study her and figure out the answer hidden in her head.
“Oh,” Reina finally realized it.
Chloe smiled at her gratefully, “Thank you so much for taking care of me during the time we were together. However, you also told me that no family is perfect and he is the only family I have left.” She pointed at him.
…..
That rascal!
Lukas finally released the breath he didn’t know that he had been holding in. He thought that she left him to be with her new fancy pants family. Lukas began to laugh so hard that one would think that he had lost his damn mind, but it was just out of happiness.
Chloe turned and ran to her brother, nearly knocking both of them to the ground from the momentum because Lukas was in bind and he could not brace himself from the impact. But thankfully, his weight stood the test.