Chapter 64

**Annika**

After everything that went down yesterday, I didn’t even chat with Raffaele for the rest of the day, and he didn’t reach out to me either. I have a feeling he intentionally came home late last night to dodge any conversation, but honestly, I wasn’t surprised.

This morning, he did talk to Enzo, even though he was still a bit shaken up from what he witnessed. At least he was starting to calm down after their chat.

"I want a lion," Enzo sighed.

"Where are you planning to keep a lion?" I asked.

"Dad could probably build a zoo for it in the backyard."

"That would probably suffocate the lion," I replied, making him pout.

"I'll take care of it."

"I'll hold you to that," I said. He grinned and dashed upstairs while I stayed downstairs, letting my thoughts swirl around when the door opened. I glanced over the couch and saw all the guys, including Raffaele, heading out.

I really hated this silent treatment we were giving each other. I could tell he was mad at me, and honestly, it wasn’t even my fault.

"Don’t be a peeper," Flavio said, startling me and making me jump.

"Why do you always do that?" I sighed.

"Because you’re the easiest person to scare."

"Did he say anything about me?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"I tried to bring you up, but he just changed the subject. He’s really good at that, you know?"

"I know," I frowned.

"Just let him cool off."

"I’ve been trying, but I hate it when we’re not talking, Flavio," I sighed.

"He does this with everyone. What happened yesterday wasn’t your fault; he’s just worried that Enzo might see him differently now. He’s been working on not taking his feelings out on others."

"I couldn’t tell."

"Hey, him not talking to you and taking time to cool off is his way of dealing with it. It’s better than having an angry Raffaele in your face. When he’s mad, it’s not pretty."

"I know, I’ve seen that side of him..." I trailed off.

"Just give him a little time."

"I've done enough of that," I said, standing up from the couch, leaving him puzzled.

“Where are they headed?” I asked Flavio.

“To the club.” That was it. I was done with this nonsense. I turned to Chiara, “Can you stay here with the kids?” Chiara shot me a grin, “Absolutely. Go show that idiot what he’s missing out on.”

Flavio came along with me.

"Annika, no," he cautioned, but I brushed him off and headed to the car. Flavio hopped in, and I hit the gas.

“Annika, I really think you should reconsider and go home. Just think about it.” I didn’t respond. I was set on teaching that jerk a lesson.

When we pulled up in front of the club, I jumped out. Flavio dashed to the door, blocking my path.

"Flavio, move."

"You're acting out of anger, Annika. This will only make things worse."

"Whatever happens is on me," I shot back.

"I can't let you do this."

With a quick shove, I pushed him aside with whatever strength I had and opened the door. I walked straight to the private booth Raffaele always claimed, feeling all eyes on me. They hadn’t started chatting yet, so I tried to ignore the stares while keeping an eye on Flavio trailing behind me.

As I approached his table, I leaned in close enough for only him to hear. "We need to talk, Raffaele." He kept shuffling papers, so I snatched them and tossed them aside. "We need to talk," I insisted.

"Annika," Flavio murmured, but I brushed him off.

"Flavio, could you please escort Annika out? We have business to discuss," Raffaele said, making my eyes widen.

"Annika, let’s just go," Flavio whispered, and I glanced between him and Raffaele again.

"You wanna act like a kid? Alright, let’s do it!" I grinned as I stepped out of his booth and plopped down with a bunch of guys who were drinking.

“Damn,” Flavio muttered.

“Annika?” Derek called out.

“Oh hey!” I beamed, diving into the chatter with everyone, flashing smiles all around.

I caught Raffaele glaring at me from the window, but I just brushed it off. He looked really mad.

Derek made his way over to Raffaele, who was still fixated on me. I ordered ten shots and a beer, laughing as obnoxiously as I could.

“Are you Greek?” I asked, grinning at one of the guys whose name I couldn’t recall.

“Say something for me,” I urged him with a smile.

“Eísai polý zestós,” he replied.

“And what’s that mean?”

“You are freaking hot,” he translated.

“Well, thanks!” I said, turning my attention to a Chinese guy. “Do you speak any other Chinese?” I asked, noticing him glance at my chest.

“I speak, yes…”

“Really? I’ve always wanted to learn Chinese. Can you teach me?” I said, batting my eyelashes.

“I could teach you; my dad was Japanese,” Elio chimed in.

I looked up again and rolled my eyes at Raffaele’s intense glare.

I’d never seen him this furious. I moved closer to the other guys, and they made room for me, putting me right in Raffaele’s line of sight.

I casually draped my legs over one of the guy’s legs, raising his eyebrows. I was pretty sure my underwear was showing, but honestly, I didn’t care.

If he wants to be childish, I can play that game too. I leaned back in the chair, crossing my legs over his, and I could hear Raffaele yelling from inside the booth, the window wide open, but his eyes were glued to me. “You have really nice hands, you know?” I called out, hoping Raffaele would catch that and took his hand in mine.

“T-thank you,” he stammered, smiling.

"You're Korean, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's right."

"Hm... you've got really nice features. I could stare at you all day," I said, grinning as I noticed his cheeks turning red.

Suddenly, I heard a loud bang that made me look up. "Everyone out," he commanded, causing me to roll my eyes and shift my legs off the guy.

The others scrambled out the door as soon as he shot them a glare. I caught Flavio whispering something to Raffaele.

Raffaele shot him a dirty look before walking away, giving me a nervous glance. I was about to leave when I heard him call my name. "What was that?" I asked.

"Get over here, now," he said with a fierce look. I slowly approached him, crossing my arms in front of me.

"What is it, Mr—" I started, but before I knew it, he lifted me up, and suddenly we were in his private booth. He set me down and pressed me against the wall, pinning my arms.

"Was that your plan? To strut around like some little tease? Flirting with them, showing off? You want them to check you out? Fine," he said, his tone rough.

“Raffaele—”

“Don’t ‘Raffaele’ me. That’s what you wanted, right? For them to notice you? Let them see you then," he snapped, his anger making me uneasy. Maybe I had pushed things too far, but honestly, he was ignoring me over something that wasn’t even my fault.

A tear slipped down my cheek. "What else am I supposed to do for you to talk to me, to actually notice me?" I asked, shoving him away. "I can't handle this silence, the cold shoulder you give me over one mistake. It wasn’t my fault! I’m sorry!" I yelled, pushing him repeatedly.

"Annika—"

"You never even bothered to ask how I felt about everything or why I wasn’t there when he went down to the basement. Do you have any idea how traumatizing that is? Watching a guy nearly beaten to death, bleeding out because you literally tore him apart, seeing that side of you? If I’m feeling this way, just think about how Enzo must feel. I barely got any sleep that night. Enzo was shaking the whole time, but you didn’t care; you just wanted to avoid the conversation. You blame me for what happened, but you can’t face the fact that it was your own fault." I cut him off right there.

He grabbed my hands to stop me, letting out a heavy sigh. "I do care."

"Well, it sure doesn’t seem like it."

"I knew he didn’t want to see me that night; he wouldn’t even look at me. Do you know what that feels like for a dad? Your own son looking at you like you’re a monster? Like I’d hurt him? Do I regret what I did? Not really, but for you to say I don’t care about my son’s feelings is just wrong. I didn’t want him to find out that way. I wanted to tell him when he was older. And for you to say I don’t care about you? That’s just ridiculous." He said.

"You hardly show it..." I replied softly.

"I'm trying, babe. I know that night wasn’t your fault."

I looked down as I heard him sigh. "I’m sorry," he said. I stood on my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck, letting him rest his head on my shoulder. "I’m so damn sorry."

"I love you," I heard him say, making my eyes widen. I slowly pulled away from the hug and looked up at him.

I smiled, cupping his face and giving him a kiss on the lips. "I love you too. I’ve always loved you."