Next in Line (Monarch of the Kohler Mafia) Book 5 of the Köhler Series

𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕣𝕥𝕪-𝔽𝕠𝕦𝕣

Xerxes sat up in the watching Riley as she slept. Thinking about how she was about to be his wife less than three days, something he thought would never happen. It made him think about the road it took them to get here. The mistakes that their parents made along with his own because he was mad at the world.

He could have done things differently if he knew that he was meant to marry Riley besides Jia Lia. Xerxes did Riley wrong in so many ways because of the simple fuck up all because of the day when his dad told him he had to marry someone he didn't know.

That day still replayed in his mind, and each time he thought about it made him mad. All they had to do was tell him the truth besides lying, and he would have played the lie out with them. The four of them knew the truth, and they all played him and Riley as fools in their fucking game to conquer. Which made him think back on that day fourteen months ago that changed his life.

-Flashback

Fourteen Months ago

Xerxes was sitting in his room finishing up a mid-term essay for his English class. People told him that college would be hard at his age, but they were wrong. It was a walk in the park, just like school was for him. That's why he decided to double up his classes without telling his parents. That also meant all work and no play for him, which he was cool with.

It wasn't like Xerxes was out running around like Luca and Elijah plus Melody, who was about to give birth to a boy baby whose father wanted nothing to do with her or their son. He had one person on his mind at all times, and that was Riley. She was his, and he was waiting until she was ready for that next step. One of the reasons he was waiting himself. Yes, he was still a virgin and proud of it. Xerxes refused to have sex with anyone but Riley.

Halfway through his paper, a knock came at his door. His two Cane Corso's Duke and Bruno lifted their heads looking over to him. Both knew who was at the door before he walked in. "What's up, Dad?" Xerxes asked as his father walked in without him breathing the words come in.

He was always yelling, 'This is my fucking house. I don't need to wait for a come in to enter your fucking rooms.' Luca Kohler didn't care what the fuck they were doing. He walked into the room and stared at you like you lost your mind. The thing was, they all were used to it, so all of them knew no walking around naked still Neveah and Heaven did it to pissed him off.

"I need to tell you something I should have told you a long time ago," He said, making Xerxes sit his laptop over to the side. It sounded serious, and he was almost scared to hear it. He nodded, looking up at his father as he sat in the chair across from his bed.

"Okay."

"You have to marry after in a few months––"

"Wait, marry who?" Xerxes said, cutting his father off. He better been telling him he was marrying Riley. "Xerxes, if you let me fucking finish, you would damn know–– You will be marrying Jia Lia."

"HOLD THE FUCK UP! THAT BITCH FROM THE CHINESE MAFIA THAT ALWAYS TRYING TO TOUCH ON ME! I'M NOT MARRYING THAT HOE! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND? DAD, PLEASE TELL ME YOU ARE LYING! THIS HAS TO BE JOKE RIGHT!"

His father just sat there shaking his head no, causing Xerxes to pick up the closest thing to him and threw it at the wall. "This some fucking bullshit, and you know it. I came to you about my fucking feeling about Riley, and you didn't say shit about this? Why? Why me? Make Lucas marry her or Elijah. Why fucking me?"

"Because you are the Next in Line for Don, and in three months, son, you will be my Co-Don."

"Fuck you and your fucking Co-Don. I'm not marrying that fucking bitch and that final," Xerxes said as his father stood up in front in front of him. He was so mad he didn't realize that he was standing until he pushed to get past him.