War of A Rose

War of A Rose • Chapter 5

Rosaelia

Gabriele sat across from me, clutching a glass of whiskey. "Soon, you'll be taking a wife as well." I poked at my cousin.

"Marriage is not something I see myself participating in, Lia."

"Well, I said the same thing. Now, look at me." Except it wasn't all the same. That's where our genders made us different. As a woman, I was expected to be married off. For Gabriele, he could wait as long as he wanted without looking for a wife. Of course, the only thing that would quicken that was our family. My parents, to be exact. His had died when we were just children, so he was raised by my mother and father—his aunt and uncle. I knew mother and wanted a woman for him, but not in the same sense father did. She wanted him to be loved and to allow himself to love. Deeply and limitless. The same way she had it wanted for me. The way she had wanted for herself.

Father wanted Gabriele to take a wife to deepen our family name. Gabriele was his chosen heir, and he needed to have his own when the time came. Father was still young and healthy enough that he hadn't made such a deal of it yet. Though that didn't mean he wouldn't mention it eventually. For him, it was a power play. Always was. He needed to carry on the family name. I was the only one who didn't care either, whether Gabriel took a wife or never did.

My cousin was an independent man, much like me. We understood each other when it came to relationships. Honestly, neither of us had the emotional connection for one. We were both so out of touch with ourselves; maintaining a relationship with another person would never work.

Although Gabriele has minimal intentions of settling, he has all the intentions of entertaining himself with various women. I hadn't made an effort to judge or blame him. Truthfully, if I had not been promised to another, I wasn't sure if I would do the same. Seek comfort from strangers.

"Mamma would die of sadness if you never bring a woman home."

"Plus, my father needs more blood family." The family was family regardless, but blood was something thicker. It had deeper roots in our legacy, and as long as our blood still ran, our empire would continue to expand.

"You'll be giving him a grandchild soon enough." Neither of us had processed the comment initially. Then it clicked for both of us. I grimaced at the thought of carrying Alessio's child. Gabrielle dropped his fork and sank into his chair. He knew I did not want to bring a child into this world. Of course, if I ever became head of the family, I would need an heir. In that scenario, I had hoped that Gabriele's heir would carry on the family name. The kind of power I wanted to obtain in this world was not meant to be wielded by someone who carried the greatest weakness in our world. No matter how much the idea of becoming a mother intruded on my mind, I could never do something as selfish as bringing an innocent life into this cruel world.

"He would be under Alessio's throne." Only if he lived long enough, both families have sinister plans for this wedding. They wanted to bind the families. But the alliance would never work in the end. They were both power-hungry men, and they'd bring the world down so that they could win.

If it came down to it- I wasn't sure who would come out alive in the end.

"Let's pray that never happens. Instead, I'll be waiting for you to carry down our name." I had never thought of Gabriele being a father.

None of us were meant for parenthood. It was genuinely selfish to bring an innocent child into a world like ours.

"You'll be the one succeeding my father's place anyways."

Talking with my cousin made me wonder about the future. He would not be by my side anymore. We'd always have each other's backs, but it would be different now. I'd be with Alessio and his men. At the same time, Gabriele resumed his place in America. Only he would be taking a step up into mine.