Rivals To Lovers | ✔️

- 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 13 -

- Roxanne POV -

We we're all sitting down in the dining room eating food like a family. It was crazy how my dad was getting along so well with mark, it was almost as if they were friends. I'd say we we're all getting used to each other.

"So Roxanne, I heard about the brutal way you killed poor Mr.capos's best friend," Mark said while cutting his steak and taking a bite.

I look over at Mattheo to see him already looking at me and then back at Mark.

"I don't allow men to treat women like objects," I say as Mark smirked at me.

"That's my girl," my father says with a smile as smile back.

"Taylor what do you think about Roxanne," Mark asks him as Mattheo dropped his knife. I look over at him as he looks at his father died in the eyes. I knew this wasn't going to go well.

"I think she's an amazing and beautiful woman, but why do you ask?" Taylor asks looking at his father in confusion.

"Well, we're thinking of setting an alliance with both of our mafia's with you two marrying," My father says as I try to calm myself down.

"Father, I do apologize but I do not see myself marrying this man," I say looking at Taylor with anger and disgust.

"Why not, I think Taylor is a wonderful man." He says looking over at Taylor to see him pleased with the idea.

"Excuse me, I have important things I must take care, of," I say before taking one last drink out of my wine glass and leaving.

Nobody was going to force me into a marriage especially to a man like Taylor. I needed time to think of a plan.

leaving the dining room, I took a walk around the house exploring it. walking down a hallway that leads to which seemed a garden. I walk into the garden seeing a bench, I walk over to it taking a seat. The night looked beautiful as the moonlight and the stars reflected just right.

"Beautiful isn't it" I heard a voice say from behind as I turn around to see someone hiding in a shadow

"I'm sorry, who are you?" I asked as the man walked up closer to me as I got a full view of the man. He was very good-looking but not as good as Mattheo.

"My apologies, I'm Lucas Miller. A friend of the family." He says with a small smirk.

"Right, and how do I know you're not lying to me?" I say as he chuckles.

"Good point," He says walking over and sitting next to me on the bench.

"I'm not though, I promise," He says as I look at him in the eyes to make sure he's not lying which he wasn't. Part of my training was to know when people were lying or not, that's how I knew.

"Who are you?" He asks me.

"Roxanne Knight, Italian Mafia," I say as he looks impressed.

"I thought you guys were enemies?" He says looking at me.

"Yeah that's what I thought too, I guess life has its own mysterious ways of changing the past," I say as he laughs making me smile.

"So family friend, what were you doing in the dark over there?" I asked him as he looked up at the sky.

"Just like you are, trying to get my mind off of things and admiring the view," He says as I look at him. how'd he know he what I was doing?

"Was it that obvious?" I asked with a chuckle.

"A little, I mean every now in then It's good to be alone." He says with a smile then quickly faded away.

"Roxanne" I hear Mattheo say my name as I look over at him.

"Lucas, what do you think you're doing?" Mattheo says walking over towards us.

"Sorry, I was just talking to this beautiful lady," He says with a wink.

"Leave" He demanded Lucas as I eyed Mattheo.

"Nice meeting you Roxanne" He placed a kiss on my hand as I smiled.

"You too," I say as he smirked then left.

Someones jealous.

"Did you have to be so rude to the guy?"

"We need to stop the alliance from happing," Mattheo says as I stand up from the bench and face him.

"I know, but that's not going to be easy. they seemed to grow some sort of friendship with each other" I say rolling my eyes.

"I think I might have an idea, but it's a dangerous one," He says as I smirked.

"Lucky for you dangerous is my middle name," I say.
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Author note: short chapter I know, I'm sorry 😔. I've been going through a lot of stress and anxiety this past week and this book kinda helps me. I wanted to give a shout out to hennyyy_23
She's such a life saver and gave me a wonderful idea for the book. That you so much for all the love and support on my book that everyone gives, it means so much to me. 🥺🤍✨