Alpha Kane's Obsession

Chapter 24

Carlisia hadn't spoken a word since she arrived at Gabriel's house last night, aside from a 'no' when Gabriel asked if she would like some dinner.

She had then resigned to her room and had woken up late the next morning to find breakfast already on the table and Gabriel nowhere in sight.

Carlisia hadn't bothered leaving the house even though it wasn't locked and had mostly chosen to stay in her room and catch up on lost work from school. She had no interest in exploring her surroundings not because she wasn't curious but because she didn't know how she would react if she had more revelations like the one that got her in this mess in the first place.

She didn't let her thoughts roam much as she highlighted a line of text, the cap in her mouth, skimming over her notes.

Her bed was littered with books and papers, and she sat in between, rummaging through them every now and then.

SATs were getting near, and Carlisia needed a good score to get into a good college. She would not let this ordeal cloud her judgment.

Instead, she decided to use it as a motivation to get out of this place and away from Gabriel.

Would he even let her leave?

The intrusive thought slithered in, and the thought grew before Carlisia could calm herself

What if she doesn't amount to anything and ends up attending community college in Fircrest?

Carlisia's hand tightened around the highlighter, which would never be an option, but the thought lingered close by.

With every page she turned, every sentence she read, and every word she thoughtlessly highlighted, the thought grew.

Her brain was everywhere instead of where it needed to be.

Carlisia grabbed her head in her hands, her state of mind was getting her nowhere. She would read one sentence only to forget it the minute she moved to the next.

On cue, there was a knock on the door. Carlisia didn't bother replying.

She wanted no company.

After exactly two minutes, there was a much louder knock. There wasn't a third as the door opened.

"I see you are tired."

Gabriel's voice was cool and collected. Carlisia looked up at him, she didn't realize her eyes were watery until she was forced to blink back her tears.

She stared at Gabriel with a frown etched on her face.

He was dressed in a suit, clearly, he was gone for business which was weird since it was a Saturday.

"I am." Carlisia finally replied as she grabbed the book closest to her along with the highlighter.

"A stressed mind isn't going to store any of that information you know," Gabriel said as he walked around the room, he grabbed her bracelet on the dresser and began examining it.

Carlisia clutched the highlighter tighter before going back to her book, pretending to study so that he could leave and Carlisia could sob her frustrations out in peace.

"You know, whatever you are stressing over, I can make it go away," Gabriel said after a while and Carlisia looked up.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, finally placing the bracelet back and leaning against the wall.

"What are you studying for?"