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“Couple of things?”
“About how to practice empathy.”
Bran smiles. I don’t.
I know I won’t like this one fucking bit. In fact, my beast roars at the idea of being shackled, even if temporarily, but if it’s the price I have to pay for my little muse, then so be it.
26
MIA
“Good one. You’ve somehow managed to trap me.” Mr. Whitby—Frank, as he insisted I call him—nods in approval at my move.
We’re sitting in the empty club, only accompanied by the howling wind outside. Since it’s early afternoon, I’m safe from encountering the other members' snobbishness.
Let’s say the women became even more dismissive of me after they saw me coming here with Landon. Apparently, I’m the ‘snob’ who doesn’t deserve the ‘exceedingly charming’ Landon’s company.
He’s got them all buying into his act. Hook, line, and sinker.
At any rate, to avoid any inevitable confrontation, I texted Frank and asked if he was free for a quick game. Since he’s the perfect gentleman, he agreed. Pretty sure I hauled him from his very important gardening class, considering the smudge of dirt on the edge of his cuff.
“It’s much safer to give up now. This game has already been decided and it won’t be long before the checkmate,” I type and then show him my phone.
“I wouldn’t be so sure. It’s a mistake to underestimate one’s adversary.”
“Too bad for you that I came here fully intent on destruction.”
He smiles like all polite British people do, when I’m sure, deep inside, he wants to call me crazy. I’ve been in this peculiar mood since Landon made his spectacularly catastrophic appearance at my birthday party a week ago.
Not only did he advertise our relationship to the world, but he also had the audacity to announce that he wascourtingme.
In front of my family.
To say Nikolai hasn’t been taking it well would be an understatement. His manic state deteriorated from bad to worse in just a couple of days. Usually, he’s able to go back to normal in a week or less, but that’s obviously not the case this time.
Killian shook his head at me and said he was disappointed in me. Those words hit me worse than I could’ve imagined. Gareth and Jeremy didn’t have to say it, but I felt the crushing disapproval through their patronizing gazes and excessive sighing.
Maya naturally found out about the recent talk of the town and has been acting butthurt. Unlike the others, she didn’t judge me, but she was mad that I hid something so monumental from her.
The only support I had was from none other than Bran. He texted to apologize on behalf of his ‘twat of a brother’ and asked if I was okay.
I definitely wasn’t, but I also didn’t want to bother Bran, who was clearly distressed throughout the whole night. On top of nearly being shown the door by Nikolai, he also got punched by him, although accidentally.
Glyn later came back and apologized as well before Killian whisked her away. Bran never returned. He probably kept Landon company so he wouldn’t try something crazy again.
Did that stop the asshole? Absolutely not.
He’s been showing up near my classes, without a disguise, as if he’s begging for his face to be beaten and crushed to minuscule pieces.
Naturally, I’ve avoided him and have even sent my bodyguards over so he couldn’t trespass into my space.
Though I should’ve known better. Landon and giving up apparently don’t see eye to eye, because he’s been in my vicinity every day over the past week, carrying my favorite Frappuccino.
I don’t take it, but that doesn’t deter him from his morning ritual.
Then, in the evening or whenever my classes finish, he offers to give me a ride in his show-off car. He’s always blocked by my bodyguards, who accompany me home instead.
It’s clear he doesn’t like that, and I often expect to be reintroduced to his ugly side, but he surprisingly just leaves. Yet not without telling me he’ll be back or that this push-and-pull only manages to turn him on.
