War of A Rose

War of a Rose • Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen
Rosaelia

Niccolò had me warm up by running on the treadmill for half an hour. When he finally let me on the mat I warned him not to go easy on me. He told me not to dream of it and began throwing punches. The first few were easy to dodge. The ones after came too hard and too fast. I landed maybe four solid hits before Niccolò swept my feet out from under me. The sound of my body slamming against the mat echoed throughout the room. Waves of pain radiated throughout my body and I forced myself to get back up.

Niccolò did not step back and wait for me to pull myself off of the floor. He swiped his leg behind mine and I was back on the mat. Annoyed, I glared up at him. He only stared back. I pushed myself back onto my elbows and acted as if I was going to try and stand up again. Just as I suspected, Niccolò made the same move, and this time I was ready. I wrapped my arm around the back of his knee and flipped his body over mine. The crushing weight of his body was only on top of me for a few seconds even though It felt as if he landed on top of me.

I pushed myself up before he could get a hold of me. A few other men watched us from the sides of the mat. Niccolò smirked from the floor, "Not bad, but never get cocky." Just like that I was back on the floor and pinned beneath him.

The air was knocked from my lungs from how hard he slammed me against the mat. My chest heaved as I worked to calm my breathing. Niccolò's arms kept mine pinned above my head. A smirk was still on his face, his breaths completely calm. I let my eyes travel from his grey ones and to his lips that hovered over my own.

Niccolò's eyes followed my own and before I could even blink he was off of me. I lay there for a moment. Still trying to catch my breath. All of the men watching us had dispersed as soon as Niccolò looked their way. I did not come here to kiss Niccolò. My motives truly were to train, but when I was pressed beneath him a thought popped into my brain that I couldn't shake. If I wanted to claim my rightful place in this world then I would have to climb to the top. That meant getting rid of anyone who stood in my way. It meant that Alessio, Liliana, and Niccolò would have to be taken down.

What better way was there to hurt Alessio than by hurting the people he trusted most? Or by taking down his family one by one. If I let him believe that I fell in love with him only to betray him with his most trusted associate. I could kill two birds with one stone. Liliana and I had been enjoying each other's company, but a friendship was not worth sacrificing my birthright. For a split second, I allowed myself to feel guilty for Niccolò and Liliana. Then I remembered that Liliana herself had betrayed me before for her own sake.

The hardest part of this plan would be getting a man who has never loved before to love me. Part of me doubted if that was even possible. I wasn't entirely sure if Alessio even had the capacity to feel love for anyone other than himself.

When I took my seat at the dining table that evening, I realized how hard this was going to be. Liliana and Niccolò chatted amongst themselves as I focused on the empty chairs. Alessio had not joined us for dinner. When I asked Liliana why he never came down for meals she shrugged it off saying that he must have been busy in his office. I would need to get him out if this was going to work.

When Natalia came to gather my laundry I told her to tell Alessio that I wanted to speak with him. Her eyes widened slightly but she only nodded in response before leaving my room. The next morning Alessio joined us for breakfast.

"Good morning." I smiled at Liliana as I took my place beside her. Niccolò sat beside Alessio.

"Morning!" She beamed from beside me. I turned to Alessio with a smile, hoping to meet his gaze. His eyes never left his plate.