5

Scarlett Mila Rodriguez

I couldn't get so much sleep last night. I kept thinking about what challenges I'm about to face today. And what did Rowan mean by losing?

It's not long until the nice lady knocks on my door. "Miss, the Marino's are waiting for you in the training hall. Be ready in five minutes. There are clothes inside the drawer." She says from outside the door.

Then she goes to the next door. One of the other girls is staying next to me.

I open the drawer and take out the clothes prepared for me. My fingers brush over the smooth fabric of the long sleeved shirt. It's a stealth suit for combat. I lift out a corset with its buckles and straps that tighten around the waist. The fabric is smooth but sturdy, built for movement and protection. With it they have given me black pants, stretchy and easy to move in.

All the women make their way to the training hall. Each of us are handed a dagger for fight. We all stand in the middle of the large, open hall. Everyone looks nervous. None of us excepted this. I thought the Marino's wanted a wife, not a fighter.

I'm not here to prove anything. I don't need to. But I won't lose if that's what Rowan thinks. I'll never back down from a fight.

"Lets see what you're all worth." Alessandro says as 5 guards walk to stand in front of each of us.

"I want to see your skills. Remember these are our best trained men, you don't have to win, just show us what your good at." Rowan speaks this time. Not win? Is he seriously thinking I'll lose?

"Don't worry ladies we'll go easy on you." One of the guards say. I roll my eyes at that.

"Looks like none of them are cut out for more than..." Another guard speaks, not bothering to finish his sentence. His laugh says it all. The insult, dripping with sexism. I feel the familiar surge of anger rise in my chest.

"Can I choose who I'm fighting?" I turn to ask Rowan. He nods, gesturing his hand towards the 5 men. "Go ahead pick." He says.

"I want to fight you." I say pointing at Rowan. He's clearly caught off guard.

The other women turn to stare.

For a moment there's nothing but silence.

Alessandro steps forward before his son. "That's not how this is done..." he starts but gets cut off by Rowan who's already walking towards me.

"You surprise me, Mila." He says standing in front of me. I give him a fake smile.

"I plan to." I say.

He's bigger. Stronger. And everyone knows it. But that's the thing about me, I'm used to fighting men like him. Hell, my father made sure of that.

Alessandro yells "Start" as we all begin.

The fight begins before I'm fully ready, Rowan launching forward with surprising speed, a low sweep of his leg aimed at knocking me off my feet. I dodge, barley, but his movements are sharp and calculated.

I can see it in the way he anticipates my strikes, blocking, dodging, waiting for me to slip.

But I won't give him the chance.

I go for him again, slashing at his side. He catches my wrist, twisting it hard enough that I feel the knife almost slip from my grasp, but I grit my teeth and hold on. I swing my leg out, catching him off guard with a kick to his lower leg. His grip loosens for a split second, and I wrench my wrist free, spinning behind him with the dagger raised.

He turns just in time to block, but I don't stop. I keep pressing forward, using speed to my advantage.

We exchange blows, and with each clash, I can see the faintest trace of respect creeping into his eyes.

He's not holding back anymore, not treating me like I'm just another girl in the lineup.

He's fighting me like an equal. And I can feel the shift in him, in the way he moves.

Finally, I see my opening.

I push Rowan against the wall as I press the dagger against his throat, my heart pounds with victory.

His eyes are locked on mine, but I don't let it fool me. I've won. I can feel the cold steel under my fingers, the tension in the air as everyone watches, waiting for him to yield.

I've got him.

I let out a relieved breath as I give him a smile. "Looks like I've won." I say.

Then, in the span of a heartbeat, everything changes.

Rowan's gaze sharpens. His body shifts, just the barest flicker of movement, and before I can react, his arm shoots up with lightning speed. His fingers wrap around my wrist, the one holding the dagger, and I feel a sharp, twisting pain that forces me to loosen my grip.

I barely have time to gasp before he spins me around with brutal efficiency, his body moving with a fluidity l've never seen before. It happens so fast, too fast.

One moment I'm the one in control, and the next, my back is slammed against the cold stone wall, the breath is knocked out of me.

The dagger clatters to the ground, forgotten, and Rowan's arm is now pressed against my throat. Making it impossible for me to move.

His chest is so close, his breath ghosting across my face as he leans in, that same unreadable look in his eyes. His grip is unrelenting, strong, like he's been holding back all this time, just waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Never assume you've won until your opponent stops breathing" he murmurs, his voice low, as if this was all a lesson, a lesson I should've known, but didn't.

I struggle, my mind racing to process what just happened. l've trained my entire life, learned every trick, every maneuver, but this...

I've never seen anyone move like that. His precision, his speed, it's as if he was toying with me the entire time, letting me believe I had the upper hand.

I grit my teeth, refusing to look away. Even as the humiliation burns hot in my chest. "I had you." I manage to whisper.

He finally lets go of me, letting me breathe. "Told you, you'd lose." He says. Fucking ass. He's won. At the very last second he's won.

And I hate him for it.

I know Rowan's a bitch right now but he'll get better...trust me.

Loved writing this chapter.

Also loving my Girlboss Scarlett!