the sun was beginning to set over the water as rafe stepped onto larissa’s boat with his usual confidence, the crisp sound of his boots on the wooden planks was the only noise. instead of finding larissa, he spotted you leaning against the helm. rafe’s brow furrowed as he approached, his steps slowing. “you’re not larissa,” he said flatly, his tone tinged with suspicion.


you tilted your head slightly, meeting his blue eyes with a calm, steady gaze. “you must be rafe?,” you replied, your voice carrying the same kind of calculated confidence that larissa was known for.


his jaw tightened as he sized you up, a hint of annoyance already creeping into his expression. “where is she?”


“she’s not coming,” you said simply, uncrossing your arms and pushing off the helm to stand a little straighter. “sent me instead.”


rafe blinked, clearly not expecting that answer. his lips twitched into a humorless smirk. “sent you? what, you’re her assistant or something?”


you let out a low laugh, shaking your head. “hardly. I’m her daughter.”


that made him pause, his smirk faltering for just a second as he took you in with fresh eyes. “daughter?” he repeated, his tone skeptical.


“right,” you confirmed, stepping closer, the boat gently rocked beneath your feet. “an’ before you start questioning whether or not I can handle this, let me save you some time. i know exactly what I’m doing. she wouldn’t have sent me if I didn’t.”


rafe raised an eyebrow, his arms crossing as he tilted his head at you. “youre a little cocky, aren’t you?”


you smiled faintly, unbothered by his judgment. “maybe. but confidence gets shit done. now, are we gonna do this, or are you gonna keep standing there, questioning whether I’m good enough to be here?”


rafe’s smirk returned, sharper this time, and he took a slow step toward you, the tension between you thickened with each passing second. “alright, sweetheart. but if you screw this up, im not gonna be half as forgiving as your mom.”