Elijah stormed off, ignoring the murmurs around him.
'What just happened?'
He was furious.
His jaw clenched so hard it hurt, sending a dull ache spreading up towards his temples.
'That woman—that girl—she should've been grateful to me that I even took notice of her.'
His thoughts churned violently.
Students moved out of his way as he walked through the corridor, sensing the storm in his expression.
Some whispered. Some stared. A few pretended not to see him at all.
He hated that.
At first, it had been nothing serious.
Just a passing interest.
She was different from the others—quiet, soft-spoken, not constantly chasing after him, unlike the rest.
That alone had intrigued him.
Over the past few months, he had started to like her—her behaviour, her easygoing nature, her cute yet beautiful face.
She didn't fawn over him.
She didn't try too hard.
She spoke normally. Sometimes even bluntly.
He had even talked to her. She had responded, even smiled.
She had shown interest in him… or at least, that was what he thought.
He believed it would be easy. She came from a poor family. So there was no way she would even think about rejecting him.
That was simple logic.
He had status, money, and influence.
What did she have?
A scholarship.
A so-called crippled brother.
Nothing that could compare to him.
She was a shy girl—but today…
Just remembering it made his hands tremble.
The way she looked at him.
Not flustered.
Not nervous.
But furious, like she was looking at someone beneath her.
Beneath her.
The thought burned.
"That bitch…" he muttered under his breath
Even when she rejected him, he thought she was just flustered.
He had assumed she was embarrassed, maybe overwhelmed.
Girls often did that—playing hard to get.
So he thought about trying again.
He had even planned it properly this time.
Something more public. Something she couldn't easily refuse.
But she mocked him. Rejected him.
Screamed at him.
Cursed him.
Threatened him.
And for just a moment—just a moment—he had felt fear.
That realization made his stomach twist.
'Fear? From her? From a slum dog like her?'
His thoughts twisted.
'Unacceptable.'
He would make her pay.
***
Lia finally calmed down and sat back in her seat, resuming her meal as if nothing had happened.
As if the incident from a few minutes ago never existed.
She picked up her fork again, taking a bite slowly.
But her expression told a different story.
She was irritated by that man's behaviour, and also by the strange feeling churning inside her.
When he had threatened her brother, an overwhelming wave of anger had consumed her—so intense that she couldn't even comprehend it for a few seconds.
It felt… explosive.
Like something had snapped inside her.
But it faded quickly.
Now, only confusion remained.
Her friends hesitated for a moment before sitting down again, exchanging glances, unsure whether to speak or let the moment pass.
Around them, students gradually dispersed. Some returned to their meals. Others pretended not to stare. But whispers lingered in the air.
"Wow, Amelia," one of her friends finally said, her eyes shining in admiration.
"You were amazing."
"Seriously," another chimed in.
"How did your personality change all of a sudden?"
They leaned closer, eyes sparkling with excitement.
They had never seen her like that.
She looked domineering—terrifying. Overwhelming.
Like someone completely different.
Lia swallowed a bit of food and looked away.
"I didn't change," she replied quietly, slightly embarrassed.
"He was annoying me, so I gave him a piece of my mind."
Her friends laughed.
"That was more than a piece."
"Now I understand why you rejected him. He was kind of an asshole, pushing you like that."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Elijah always acted as if he could get anything he wanted—and to some extent, that wasn't wrong. He was rich. Influential. Privileged.
People rarely said no to him.
But today?
Today, he had crossed the line.
One of her friends smiled mysteriously.
She was the one who had recorded the footage of Elijah threatening Lia's family.
"I can understand why you weren't swayed by his looks," one of them said.
The others turned to her, puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
"Haven't you seen her brother? He looks like one of those models," she said dreamily.
The table went silent for half a second.
"Oh, yeah! I've seen him. He always comes to pick her up."
"But wasn't he paralyzed some time ago?"
"He got better. Not just better—he looks like nothing ever happened to him."
Lia smiled gently.
"Well, he is my brother. Of course, he's the best," she said softly.
"Is he single?" the girl who spoke earlier suddenly asked.
The others immediately leaned in, curiosity lighting their faces.
Lia stared at them.
Outwardly, she smiled.
But inside—
'These bitches.'
She was seething.
'These bitches think they can have my brother,' her chest burned with irritation.
'He's mine.'
Her lips twitched in frustration as she tightened her grip on the fork.
"Why are you all so focused on my brother?" she asked, irritation slipping into her voice.
"We're just curious," one replied innocently.
"You always talk about him, so we want to know him too."
"Mhm."
"Hm."
"Yes."
Brrrriiiing…
The bell rang, its sharp voice cutting through the tension.
Lia sighed in relief.
"Recess is over," she said, standing up quickly.
"Let's go to class."
She hurried away before anyone could say anything else.
"Wait—she's running!!"
Her friends chased after her, laughing.
***
'What is happening over here?'
Lucian thought as he stared blankly at the five girls surrounding him.
He was standing near the college gate, waiting to pick Lia up.
Other students—especially boys—clicked their tongues in envy, muttering things like "Unfair" or "It should've been me."
Even more girls were heading his way—but they stopped.
Not with Lia staring at them.
Her expression clearly screamed: Don't you dare come near, bitches.
The girls backed off.
But it was different for her friends—they were already used to her behavior.
"So you are Lia's brother. You really look like a model."
"See? I told you."
Lucian turned to them.
"Thank you for the compliment," he said politely, though he didn't quite know how to respond.
Why was he being surrounded like this?
He had simply come here to pick up his sister.
"Um… c-can I have your phone number?" one of them asked suddenly.
Her cheeks were slightly pink.
"That's not fair! Me too!"
"I want your number as well!"
"We could even meet sometime."
Lucian was taken aback.
How high is my charm? He asked internally.
[Charm – 8]
[It is high enough for a normal human being.]
Was this because of his charm? He wondered.
He couldn't help but think so.
"Why do you want my number?" he asked honestly.
"So we can call you," one of them replied.
"We can even tell you if Amelia gets into trouble."
Lucian paused.
That made sense.
If something happened, they could inform him.
"Oh… okay then."
He gave them his number.
The girls were thrilled.
They waved enthusiastically as they left, whispering excitedly among themselves.
Lucian turned toward Lia.
She was sulking, her arms crossed tightly against her breasts.
"Oh, finally remembered me?" she said sarcastically.
Lucian chuckled.
"How could I forget my sister?" he said softly.
"You are one of the most precious people to me."
"Hmph."
Her cheeks turned slightly red, though she tried to hide it.
She entered the car.
As Lucian was about to follow, he felt a sharp stare.
His hands stopped midway as he held the car door.
Turning his head, he saw a blonde boy glaring at him.
Elijah.
Their eyes met.
Hatred flickered in Elijah's gaze.
He still remembered the humiliation—and this was the source of it.
'So this is her brother.'
Seeing his face, Elijah clicked his tongue and stepped into his Rolls-Royce.
"Drive."
The driver nodded, and the car pulled away.
Lucian stood there, frowning.
'What happened to him?
Is it because of what Lia did yesterday?'
[He looked like he was about to kill you.]
'He did.' Lucian thought as he got into his own car.
He started the engine.
On the way home, he asked Lia if something had happened at college.
She denied it, saying everything was fine.
He studied her for a moment.
Seeing that she wasn't going to talk, he dropped the subject.
She would tell him if she needed help.
He trusted her that much.
Lia stared out the window silently as the buildings blurred past her.
She didn't tell him anything—not wanting to burden him.
And it wasn't as if anything major had happened.
She rubbed her fingers absentmindedly.
"Hm?"
She looked down.
The ring on her finger had faint cracks running across it, thin lines spreading subtly along the metallic surface.
She frowned.
There hadn't been any cracks before.
'Did I accidentally damage it when I was angry?'
She considered it for a moment, then shook her head.
There was no way.
Not when the ring was made of metal.