CHAPTER 70: YOU WERE ALWAYS MINE

"I took what was rightfully mine," Luca corrected Mathias, his voice dangerously low. "Now, leave before I have to ask the restaurant staff to kick you out for your misbehavior," he warned.

Mathias sneered, his gaze sweeping over Sara one last time before he finally turned and walked away from the table.

"What did you say? ’Rightfully mine’?" Sara muttered, her attention still on the retreating man. "I was supposed to marry him!? And do you two know each other?" she demanded, looking at Luca for an immediate explanation.

"He’s my cousin," Luca answered casually, lowering himself onto his chair as if nothing had happened. "The Picasso family is where my aunt got married."

"And they are mafias too," Sara asked, keeping her voice low.

"Yes," Luca answered.

"I have to make a call," Sara said, rising to her feet abruptly. She needed a moment to process this new, complicated piece of information about Mathias, who suddenly revealed an information which was unknown to her.

"Whom do you want to talk to?" he asked.

"My father," Sara replied, already stepping away from the table. She quickly chose a discrete spot away from the main dining area and any prying eyes, then dialed her father’s mobile number. As she expected, he didn’t answer her call.

She hung up and immediately called the landline at the house. After a few rings, a maid finally answered.

"I’m Sara. Is my father in the house? I would like to speak with him," she urged, trying to keep the frustration out of her voice.

"I’ll call Master from his study," the maid replied respectfully, holding the line.

Sara waited, counting the seconds. Eventually, the maid returned to the phone. "Sorry, Miss Sara. But your father refused to speak with you. I can’t do anything about this. I hope you understand."

"Hmm." She ended the call and let out a wry laugh. She then returned to the table where Luca was seated, patiently waiting for her.

"You should have started eating," Sara opined, sliding into her seat across from him.

"Not without you," Luca replied, a soft firmness in his voice, finally picking up his spoon. "Your father didn’t answer the call, did he?"

"No, he didn’t," Sara confirmed. She pushed the thought aside. "I want to buy myself a dress later. Help me out in selecting one," she requested, immediately diverting the topic before diving into her food.

Luca hummed before focusing his attention on the food on his plate.

After they finished eating, Luca settled the bills and they left the restaurant.

"What kind of dress do you want?" He asked as they got back into the car, not wanting the ride to be filled with silence.

"Something elegant," Sara answered. "I’ll be attending tonight’s event at my father’s home."

"What’s in your mind?" He mused, glancing at her.

"Dad was going to make me marry a man of his choice," Sara began, referring to Mathias Picasso. "And this man suddenly approaches me, claiming I was supposed to marry him. How would you feel if you were at my place?" she asked, tilting her head, watching his reaction closely.

"Angry," Luca replied.

"That’s what I feel," Sara stated. "And even pathetic. Dad never uttered a single word to me about marriage, yet he has been secretly planning to marry me off to a mafia family this whole time."

Leaning her head back on the headrest, she continued. "What was I exactly to my father? I am unable to understand it. The relationship I thought I shared with him all this time turns out to be a lie. It seems he truly saw me as a useful asset whom he could discard any time I would turn out to be useless."

"Don’t compare yourself like that," Luca told her, his hand briefly leaving the steering wheel to hover near hers. He contemplated whether he should confess that he had also known about the arranged marriage to Mathias, and that it was the precise reason he had trapped her, to ensure she had no choice but to agree to marry him instead. He opted for a safer line of questioning.

"You would have agreed to marry Mathias, I think," Luca stated, watching her reaction. "If none of this would have happened."

"No," Sara immediately refused, shaking her head.

Luca smiled faintly. "Are you sure? You never went against your father’s wishes, Sara. You would have married Mathias if all that hadn’t happened. You would have chosen his happiness over yours," he remarked, the observation hitting close to the bone.

"You’re right," Sara finally agreed.

"Glad I became your husband and you got reunited with your first love," Luca pronounced.

"You don’t have a good relationship with your aunt and her kids, do you? You two were ready to argue in the middle of the restaurant," Sara said, squinting her eyes at him.

"What exactly do you want to hear?" Luca replied, pulling his hand away from hers as he kept his focus strictly on the road ahead.

"Did you know Mathias would become my groom?" Sara asked, the question sharp and direct. "If you lie this time, I—I will not talk to you."

"Yes, I knew," Luca answered without hesitation.

"Then, would you have come to stop this marriage?" Sara queried, bracing herself for the answer.

"Yes," Luca admitted. "You were always mine," he affirmed, the possessiveness in his tone so intense that it made Sara’s heart skip a beat.

"Don’t lie," she whispered.

"I’m not. I can’t see you with another man," Luca stated simply.

"Yet you let me date Asher," Sara muttered. "You had your eyes on me all this time. You carefully watched what I’ve been doing. I have begun to understand you, Luca," she added, her tone shifting from accusation to realization. "You stalked me and waited for the right time to enter my life."

Luca’s hand clenched tightly on the steering wheel.

"I never stalked you. If I had, I knew every moment of your life in these seven years," he opined. "And I think I regret it now."