The Rebel's Heart

Chapter Five

Kara sat stiffly at the long, polished table, her fingers trembling ever so slightly as she gripped the spoon. Plates of rich, savory dishes were spread before her —aromatic spices, and delicate garnishes. She didn’t waste a second, scooping up spoonfuls with single-minded focus, the tangy flavors barely registering as she shoveled in bite after bite.

Across the table, Matteo watched, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. “Careful,” he murmured, his voice laced with genuine concern, “or you’ll choke.”

She ignored him, her eyes locked on her plate, pretending he didn’t exist.

He leaned back, arms folded across his chest, observing her with a blend of curiosity and caution. “You’re safe here,” he began, his tone soft but probing, “for now, at least. If you’d just… open up a bit, I could help...”

The door burst open, and Raffaele strode in, his face darkened by a storm of anger. Kara barely had a second to look up before he reached her side. His hand slammed down on the table, rattling dishes and sending silverware clattering. Her spoon froze in midair, her heart racing.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Raffaele’s voice was venomous, each word dripping with disgust. Without warning, his hand swept across the table, sending plates flying. The jarring sounds of shattering porcelain as the once-pristine dishes crashed to the floor reverberated across the hall. Bits of food scattered, staining the carpet in splashes of sauce and shredded herbs.

Amidst the ruckus, Kara’s face remained calm, her expression hardening as she watched the chaos unfold. Beneath the table, her hand moved with practiced subtlety, slipping the spoon up her sleeve.

Raffaele turned to her, fists clenched, and his eyes blazing with unchecked fury. “You think you’re clever? First, you humiliate me in front of my men at every chance, and now you think you can just sit here with my brother, and act like you belong?”

Kara’s eyes narrowed, barely hiding her contempt. She didn’t flinch as he took a step closer, his hand raised as if to strike her. With a defiant glare, she let the spoon slip down, gripping it firmly, her knuckles white. She lifted it, aiming directly at him, her jaw set.

He froze, taken aback by the audacity in her stare, but a scoff escaped him, and he lunged forward.

Kara moved quickly, ducking under his arm and jabbing the spoon into his side with enough force to make him grunt in pain. He stumbled back, his face twisting in anger and disbelief. She stood one step ahead, every movement restrained, but calculated, as she focused on dodging each of his furious swings. The room rang with the sound of their struggle, her makeshift weapon clanging against his watch as he tried to corner her.

Matteo, leaning against the wall, watched with a bemused smirk, one eyebrow raised in admiration. “Quite the show,” he remarked, chuckling softly as she landed another jab on Raffaele’s shoulder. His laughter grated on Raffaele, who turned to glare at him, his rage intensified by Matteo’s reaction.

“You’re dead,” Raffaele growled at Kara, and with a swift, desperate motion, his hand went to his side, drawing a gun. The metallic click of the safety echoed.

Kara froze mid-movement, but her face remained impassive, her gaze locked on him. She didn’t move, didn’t blink, even as he leveled the barrel of the gun and aimed at her heart.

“Really?” Matteo’s voice cut through, his tone mocking as he stepped forward. “You’re pulling a gun on her, Raffaele? That’s… embarrassing. It’s a douche move.” He tilted his head, amusement flashing in his eyes. “Even for you.”

Raffaele’s eyes flashed with resentment, his grip tightening on the weapon. A slow, deliberate clap sounded from the doorway, and they all turned simultaneously to find the Don observing them.

Their attention fixed on him, he stopped clapping and fixed Raffaele with a dark stare, lips twisted in a scornful smile as he stepped into the light. His movements were controlled, a calculated calm that made both brothers tense. He stopped before Raffaele, and without warning, his hand shot out, landing a hard slap across his face. The c***k resounded in the silence, and Raffaele staggered, his face a mix of shock and humiliation. “What was that for Father?”

“A woman bests you, and you pull a gun?” his father spat, each word dripping with contempt. “That’s a coward’s tactic.” He chided.

Matteo scoffed, and the Don turned slowly to face him, causing him to go from smirking to wary, his posture straightening under the scrutiny. “And you —cheering and jeering from the sidelines, as if you’re not part of this mess. Is this the legacy I left you boys?”

Matteo’s jaw clenched subtly, the amusement slipping from his face as he met his father’s stare with an obedience that seemed forced, like he was caught between allegiance and resentment.

Raffaele seethed, his jaw clenched, but he managed to choke out a defense. “She’s feral...a wildcat with no respect. She doesn’t know her place.”

Karla watched the old man laugh —a harsh, mocking sound. “Oh, she knows her place well enough. It’s you who seems to have forgotten.” He paused, his gaze shifting to Kara. For a brief moment, his eyes lingered on her with a strange glint that was unreadable, causing her to squirm. As if satisfied with the effect he had on her, he turned again to Raffaele. “If her ‘place’ concerns you so deeply, then you’ll rectify this situation yourself.”

Raffaele’s shoulders stiffened, his eyes flashing with renewed anger. “That’s exactly what I was doing father, she needs to be tamed, and I know just the right…”

The father’s tone cut through his speech, a final decree. ““You will either marry her or face exile.”

The color drained from Raffaele’s face and Kara heard Matteo gasp.

“Perhaps a woman with that much fire or some time-out in exile is exactly what you need. You’ll learn dignity and self-respect, one way or another.”

The words hit like a blow, and the silence that followed felt heavier than stone. Kara’s stomach dropped, horror flooding her veins as she stared, wide-eyed, at the man who’d just sentenced her to a different nightmare. This had to be a sick joke.

Raffaele’s face twisted with anger and disbelief, and he spat the word, “Marry her?” His gaze flicked toward her, filled with barely concealed disgust, as if the thought alone repulsed him.

Matteo looked stunned as he tried to process the ultimatum. His gaze flicked between Kara and Raffaele, unable to mask the disbelief but with an undercurrent of something else—perhaps satisfaction or relief that his brother was finally getting punished. Still, his eyes held a complex, conflicted look as he watched the scene unfold.

Kara’s fists clenched, her fingers digging into the skin on her palms. The ultimatum was unexpected, and she felt suffocated by the weight of every eye in the room boring into her, expecting a reaction, a surrender.

But as her pulse pounded in her ears, a spark of defiance flared within her. She wouldn’t be forced into this without a fight. The battle ahead would be brutal, but she wasn’t about to give them the satisfaction of submission.