Contemporary Milan, Italy.
In the dazzling world of Vincitore Academy, Margherita, a half-Korean firebrand from humble beginnings, ignites a clash of wills with the P2, the city's elite quartet of dazzling and entitled boys.
Yet, privilege holds no...
Giuliano grinned, seeing through Margherita's lack of commitment.
Sam asked, "So, how far have you gotten?"
Lorenzo answered, flawlessly, "We walked all the way to the Navigli."
Sam rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on! You slept together, in the same bed, on a Saturday afternoon, and—"
"Hey." Re leaned against the doorway, sullen, drawn, a shadow of his former self. "Why are you here?"
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He'd meant Margherita, but the question could have been for Francesca, who was days early, or the P2, who would normally not have dinner at the mansion without Re around, least of all speaking about Pescatore having sex with Lorenzo.
Karma sucked.
Nausea rose within Re. Blood roared in his ears, making him lightheaded and generally confused. At least his chest did not ache anymore. In fact, he was utterly numb. His eyes stuck to a distant spot on the golden wall, refusing to look at Pescatore.
Francesca rose to hug him. "Where were you? I've been looking everywhere!"
"What for?" Re hugged his sister and feared bursting into tears, right then. His battery was rapidly declining to unprecedented lows. With whatever energy he had left, he mumbled, "I—I forgot my phone at school," which was a lie.
Reparations, appearances: Margherita was lost, but he could at least try to save his pride and his face, salvage whatever shards of his soul were left and move the fuck on.
But how?
Margherita dating Lorenzo was a nightmare, but the two of them hanging out at school and now at his own house, with his best friends and his sister, talking about the sex they'd had, was pure hell.
Re had nowhere to hide.
Sam and Giu exchanged an alarmed glance. Why wasn't the king raging? Meanwhile, Margherita absorbed Re's sadness as if it were her own. She did not regret going out with Lorenzo, but watching Luca, she would have taken it back. This was not worth it. Lorenzo's ashen face revealed how distraught he was at the sight of the broken king.
And then Francesca did what Margherita least expected.
She straightened from her brother's embrace and said, looking him in the eye, "Luca, Margherita and Lollo are together now. If you're a man, take it like a man. You understand, right?"
Giuliano grimaced, and Sam blurted, "Don't blow your top, man! It's not worth it."
Luca sat on an upholstered chair a few meters from the dinner table, expressionless. "Good for them." Everyone stared at him. "Right?" He asked, wondering if his reaction had been the appropriate one. "Way to go."
Sam beamed at him. Giuliano paled.
Francesca patted Re's shoulder. "See? You're an okay guy, after all."
