Chapter 83 UNCONTROLLED EMOTIONS
••Roman••
The silence in the car was suffocating. I could feel it. Luci had been quiet ever since we left the milkshake shop, her face a mask of cold indifference. I kept glancing at her as I drove, trying to read her, but she remained steadfastly unmoving, staring out of the window as if the world outside was more interesting than whatever was going on inside the car.
My gut told me something had happened in the restroom. I didn’t know what, but I could feel the shift in the air. Her usual fiery spirit had dimmed into something else, something colder, more closed off. I was about to ask her about it, when my phone buzzed, snapping me out of my thoughts. It was Theo.
I answered quickly, expecting a simple check-in, but what he said hit me like a punch to the gut.
“Roman, you need to be careful,” Theo’s voice came through sharply. “I just got some information. Maya… she’s Marco’s sister. The one Luci had the run-in with.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, my heart rate kicking up.
“Maya, she’s Marco Valerio’s younger sister. She’s been trying to provoke Luci, and now, I don’t know how, but she got into the bathroom with Luci. She had an encounter with her. Luci punched her in the face. There’s a cut on Maya’s cheek. This could escalate quickly. Marco isn’t someone you want to piss off, and I’m worried we might be playing right into his hands.”
I felt the blood rush to my head as my grip tightened on the wheel. “Are you serious?” I muttered, more to myself than to Theo. “Maya is Marco’s sister? This is just… just fantastic.”
I looked over at Luci, still so composed, so detached, as if she hadn’t just set off a chain of events that could bring us all to the brink of disaster. “I’ll call you back,” I muttered before hanging up.
I turned to Luci. Her expression remained unchanged. I was boiling inside, but I tried to keep my voice level. “Luci, did you know the gravity of what you just did?” I asked, trying to remain calm, but it was hard.
Her eyes flicked toward me for a split second, then returned to staring straight ahead. “The bitch tried me first,” she replied nonchalantly, her voice flat.
I could feel my anger rising to an uncontrollable point. "That bitch is Marco’s younger sister, and you do know what that means, right? War. War, Luci, because you couldn't control your stupid anger." My voice was sharp, dangerous, as my temper flared. “Do you understand the mess we’ve just walked into?”
“Are we not preparing for war already?” she shot back casually, like it didn’t matter. The calmness in her voice made my blood boil even more. It was as if she was completely unaware of what was at stake.
“Luci,” I said, voice tense with frustration, “you don’t know what Marco is capable of. What the hell is wrong with you?” My fists clenched around the steering wheel. “Why do you keep making everything harder?”
She leaned back in the seat, eyes narrowed, a biting smirk forming on her lips. “The bitch pulled my hair first. I wasn’t just gonna stand there and take it.” Her tone was challenging, defiant.
I gritted my teeth. “You could’ve just walked away,” I snapped, the words coming out more forcefully than I intended. “You didn’t have to show everyone how much of a bitch you are, Luci. It doesn’t work like that.”
Her eyes flashed, “So, because she said some rude things, I should just walk away? Don’t fucking joke with me, Roman,” she spat.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, but the words kept pouring out. “Then you’ll take responsibility for this,” I said sternly, my voice colder. “If Marco’s people get to any of my family or my men, you’ll have yourself to blame for this.”
I saw her stiffen at my words, her face hardening. “Oh, so now I’m the bad one?” Her voice was laced with venom. “You kill people and do a lot of things to them without being checked, but because I just punched a bitch, I’m the crazy one?”
The hurt in her voice was unmistakable, but my own emotions were running high. “You’ve never understood, Luci,” I shouted, slamming my fist on the dashboard. “Why do you always have to make everything more difficult than it needs to be?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, her lips curling into a sneer. “Oh, so now I’m the one who’s making things difficult?” she retorted, voice dripping with sarcasm. “It’s just me, right? You don’t have any part to play in this mess.”
"Stop the car." She said but I didn't answer. "Roman, stop the car."
I kept on driving, "I said park the car." She suddenly swerved the car from my hold and I had to quickly take control and pressed brakes.
My anger was now boiling over, rage clouding my thoughts. I slammed the car to a halt, parking it roughly on the side of the road.
Without saying another word, she threw open the door and stormed out of the car. My heart was pounding in my chest as I watched her walk away, her figure disappearing into the night. I honked the horn, but she didn’t look back.
“Luci!” I called out, my voice pleading now. “Stop. Don’t walk away.”
But she didn’t listen. She just kept walking, her back stiff and her posture rigid with anger. I felt the knot in my stomach tighten. I couldn’t let her go like this, but I was so fucking angry at her, at the situation, at everything. I stepped out of the car, the air sharp and cold against my skin.
“Luci!” I shouted again, my voice more desperate now.
But she didn’t turn around. I took a few steps forward, my feet moving of their own accord, and then I stopped. My chest was heaving, my anger and frustration threatening to tear me apart, but I wasn’t going to let it. I took a deep breath.