Reborn for one more lap with my ex’s mafia uncle

Chapter 7

Anastasia’s POV

I wiped the sweat dripping from my forehead and released a deep breath.

I was in the workshop today. After last night, I couldn’t face Matteo and left for work early.

Sergio might’ve left the table upset last night but I knew we pushed him to take matters into his own hands.

The only thing is, I don’t know when.

I’ve been tinkering around with a few engine parts and I can’t help the way my heart flutters when it growls.

The engine power is ten times stronger than what I normally worked with at Santoro Motors, and I don’t have to worry about stuffing packs of illegal drugs among the wires.

I slammed the car bonnet shut and wiped the engine oil off my hands.

“I don’t want to go up to her first.”

“Well, you lost the bet first.” A deep voice muttered, till I heard the first voice yelp.

I furrowed my brows at the unfamiliar voices and spun on my heel to face a man in a suit.

He wasn’t as tall as I was, which I found cute because I’m 5’6. His dark hair was styled neatly and he had big circular glasses propped on his nose.

“Hi?” I asked with a raised brow and he shifted in place till his smile fell to a frown.

“Hi, we didn’t expect to meet a female… I mean woman, here in the garage. My name is Jerry.” He stuttered, scratching the back of his head.

“Why? Women aren’t allowed here?” I asked with crossed arms and his eyes widened in realization.

He opened his mouth halfway but I bent over laughing.

“I’m kidding, but what bet did you lose? I didn’t think I was that scary to look at.” I said and his cheeks heated up.

“Oh, you heard that. Well, it wasn’t about you, Daniel and I wouldn’t do that.” He said looking at his feet.

“Daniel?” I asked softly and I heard a sharp hiss come from behind me.

I looked over my shoulder and dirty blonde hair was poking from behind the opposite side of the car I just worked on.

Yeah, there was another person here.

“Okay….and Daniel couldn’t come speak to me himself?” I smirked. Jerry froze with his eyes shut.

I rolled my eyes and walked around the car slowly and came face to face with Daniel.

“Hey.” He waved, standing straighter, considering I found him crouched behind a car I was just working on.

Daniel seemed more manly compared to Jerry. His dirty blonde hair had engine oil in it and he had on the same tracksuit I was wearing. Except the top part was dangling off his waist and he was wearing a white tank top with engine oil stains on it.

“Jerry and I were amused that the management was able to recruit a girl and we wanted to say hi.” He shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“What do you mean, ‘girl’? Haven’t you heard of women working in mechanical fields?” I frowned.

“No, no, no.” Jerry said quickly, waving his hands in the air. “That’s not at all what he meant. We’re just shocked to see someone as pretty as you involved with the dirty work.”

“So only ugly women get involved with the dirty work.” I scoffed, propping my hands on my hips before a dry laugh drew me back to Daniel.

“Well, I mean, isn’t it obvious? It’s harder for some women to get jobs than the majority can.” Daniel shrugged, walking closer to me, until his mischievous eyes were towering over me.

“We aren’t judging, in fact we respect that.” He smiled, but clearly I didn’t find anything they said amusing.

“By majority, you mean ‘skinny’.” I rolled my eyes, storming past them.

I could hear Jerry trying to call my attention but I didn’t care. I walked out of the engineering room and stormed out of the building.

I walked through the field with clenched fists. My blood boiled but my eyes stung with tears threatening to fall.

I can’t catch a break without anyone mentioning my weight.

Maybe if I just lay next to this tree, everything would go away.

I shut my eyes, but the sound of someone clearing their throat made my eyes fly open.

I sat up immediately, met with the alluring figure of Matteo.

“I couldn’t find you this morning.” The sound of his voice drove chills down my spine.

The difference between his and Sergio’s voices was that Sergio had to use words to instill fear in me. But Matteo was different, his baritone voice was always calm and emotionless.

Like he knows he’s right.

“I had work to do,” I murmured, getting to my feet. I dusted off the grass from my thighs and was ready to walk away.

Before I could take a second step, Matteo gripped my arm and pulled me to his view.

His eyes were empty and cold.

“For someone that specializes in mechanical engineering, I would’ve thought you’d have more use for that brain of yours.” He scowled, tightening his grip on my arm.

“You’re hurting me.” I hissed, clawing at his wrist to release me.

He didn’t look fazed, he looked at me with furrowed brows, staring into my eyes with a hard gaze.

I’ve been in a toxic relationship before, filled with threats and power imbalances. And I wasn’t ready to put myself through that again.

“Next time, we will wake up together and enjoy breakfast together. We don’t need Sergio believing that this relationship is fake.” He released my arm, leaving me to cradle it.

“That’s because our relationship is fake,” I growled.

And I was regretting it. I didn’t know bipolar disorders ran in their family, otherwise, I would’ve run the other way the moment I met Matteo.

“If you had told me, Sergio had a hidden vendetta against you. I never would’ve taken you up on your offer in the first place.”

“Have you forgotten that you proposed to me?” He asked with a raised brow, and I mentally face-palmed.

“And it would only hurt more if he saw you with a man he never wanted to see again.” He said with a straight face.

“Yeah, thanks for that. Now you just placed me higher on his hit list.” I said with flared nostrils, still cradling the sore part of my arm.

“Trust me, with you by my side. Sergio knows better than to touch what was mine.” He frowned with a locked jaw.

His eyes lingered on my arm for a bit before he put on his sunglasses and walked towards the building.

A whimper passed through my lips, then I remembered the massage oil I had lying in my car.

Cassie needed it as a surprise for her ex-boyfriend until she stumbled in on him and a girl wrestling naked in bed.

The poor girl was traumatized.

I walked towards my car and got into the driver's seat. I reached into the glove compartment for the oil, before a hand was wrapped around my throat and my eyes grew wide.

The memory from the balcony flashed in my head and my breathing grew heavy.

The cold tip of a pistol was pressed to my forehead, before soft lips pressed against my ear.

“Tell me the truth. What do you and my uncle have planned?”