AUGUST ATHEN LAURENT wore smiles behind sharp, cold eyes—unfriendly and daunting, reminding you that compared to him, you are insignificant. Being the heir to the second most successful business in the world, I felt small. With one word, he could ruin me before I could plead my case. Notorious for his groundbreaking accomplishments, he certainly didn't lack in the appearance department either. Despite his unsightly personality towards others, he was extremely handsome. Handsome in the sense that you would pay to meet him, grovel at his feet, and thank him for allowing you to do so. The sight of him made females drop their panties in a hurry.
Initially, I believed he couldn't be as terrible as the rumours went, had I not witnessed firsthand. When I accidentally bumped into him, he had sneered and claimed how 'dirty' I was, then proceeded to dump his kale smoothie over me. And to make matters worse, I happened to hate kale. With my luck of having him as my pair for a ridiculous event, it was as though the world wanted to see me emotionally suffer.
Though, I couldn't help but hate him. I hated when he would enter the dining room with superiority and watched as he looked down on others, degrading them. His gaze would find me among the crowd and taunt me of my standing. This action alone caused others to envy me. To others, it might have looked as if he was acknowledging my existence when in reality, he was looking at me like I was trash.
What drove me insane was I couldn't understand why I deserved to be humiliated. I remained in my own space and only spoke to Asra and Zavian. And even then, there were times when they were away for business trips. I had grown used to this and learned that students involved with family businesses were often away.
I let out a sigh, laying my head on the desk with exasperation. "What's on your mind? You look both scared and confused," questioned Asra, too busy to look up as she furiously jotted down notes.
"That's my thinking face," I retorted, slightly offended. "And I'm just thinking about how I'm two weeks ahead of everyone. I'm so bored."
She snorted, "Not everyone can be a dignified nerd such as yourself," and although she never spoke of it, I knew that she had tried to disperse rumours and protect me. Even with her status in society, there were things you couldn't erase. They resorted to cornering me when Zavian or her weren't around instead and made sure to keep the news from reaching them. I thought it was rather entertaining to see how far they would go.
"You better use these four hours diligently. You have a week's worth of homework from fashion studies," I laughed, using a hair tye to pull the messy wave of curls out of my face. Too lazy to use contacts, I'd gone with glasses since I doubted anyone would bother to pay attention to me. "I would love to help, but unfortunately, I can't sew."
With my words dripping in sarcasm, Asra stuck out her tongue and flipped me off. "Why didn't you convince me to finish before I left for that trip?" she pointed an accusing finger as though I had betrayed her.
"I did. You told me that you would do it during your trip," I shrugged, scrolling through social media when an ad of Liana in a beauty commercial came up. Although she was a horrible person, she was gorgeous.
When Asra noticed, she rolled her eyes and smugly said, "If you tried a little harder, she would be dirt next to you," and when I saw the mischievous flash of excitement in her eye, I immediately stood up and backed away.
"I'm heading outside for the remainder of the break," I excused myself before she could protest. With a final wave, I darted away and hoped that I wouldn't encounter any trouble.
Sighing, I slipped through the corridors, wary of students and headed straight to the clearing by the football field. It was a secluded area with the right amount of shade accompanied by a perfect view. And since the academy sat on a hill, this spot was a hidden gem.
With the sun at its peak, I bathed in the warmth and cherished the light breeze. Taking a seat at the base of the tree, I sprawled my legs outwards and could almost hear my mother scold at how my behaviour was unladylike. Thankful for the shade, I stretched my arms and let out a quiet yawn as I leaned my head back. A day free of harassment is a breath of fresh air, I thought with relief.
Plugging in my AirPods, I hummed to a song from Blackbear and closed my eyes. It wouldn't hurt to take a short nap. And just as life couldn't get worse, I could vaguely hear a row of footsteps draw closer from the field. It seemed that they within earshot, and if I decided to move, it would blow my cover. "Natalia, how many fucking times do I have to tell you before you comprehend my words?" he grimaced, agitated and tired of how clingy this female was. "I'm not in the slightest bit interested in you, nor do I have any plans on marrying you."
Ouch, what a harsh friendzone,
Her voice was wavering, clearly in denial of rejection, "Nicolas, this isn't just a business transaction, "I have genuinely fallen in love with you!"
You've got to be fucking kidding me. Out of all the possible places to argue or express love confessions, it had to be here. "Do you want to know why I'm not interested?"
Natalia replied hurriedly, "Yes, of course!"
"Because of her," he answered, and I assumed he was pointing at someone. "I'm a taken man, sorry."
Mistakenly, I had peeked my head out purely from curiosity, only to find two pairs of eyes intensely staring me down. There was no way this idiot would pull me into his personal affairs. I cursed under my breath when I finally came to the realization. How dare he!
And even with his declaration, she merely gasped in happiness as if I would be an easy love rival. Although I felt oddly offended, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was offended for the wrong reason. "That pathetic girl hiding behind the tree is your girlfriend?"
Pathetic? How had I even gotten myself in this situation? Dread filled me, and I suddenly wanted to cry my sorrows away in a corner. Being pulled into a lover's quarrel wasn't my ideal break. Inhaling, I pulled myself together and poked my head out timidly to reassure Natalia I wasn't a threat. "He's lying. I have never met him in my life."
"That pathetic girl hasn't even met you, Nicolas." I was trying to suck up to her, and yet she hadn't hesitated in insulting me. If it weren't for the fact that I had no intention of making more enemies, especially since I was still recuperating from my humiliation recently, I would have given her a piece of my mind.
Nicolas abruptly coughed, sending me an airy smirk as he strode towards me. His hand reached into the pocket of his blazer, flipping out a blade that pressed against my cheek. It wasn't threatening but a warning. "My love, there's no need to lie about our relationship,"
"W-We can continue our conversation another time," giggled Natalia carefully, and without another word, she bolted. I squinted my eyes, reaching out as to tell her to come back. Did Nicolas seriously use me in his ploy?
Massaging my temples, I sent him a dry look. When he pushed the blade closer, my instincts kicked in. My hands wrapped around his wrist, twisting it as I pressed my thumb to the center of his bicep. It was a simple and effective pressure point that made his grip loosen on the blade. And when it had fallen to the grass, I drove my knee to his stomach. "Next time, I'll be sure to aim lower,"
His face paled, bending over as he clutched his stomach in pain. After the realization of my actions and the severity of it, I profusely apologized, "Wait, I'm so sorry. It was just my instincts, and I seriously didn't mean to do it," I helped him take a seat, "This is a total misunderstanding–"
In the midst of my rambling, he covered my mouth with his palm that ushered me to shut up. "You've got killer instincts, but it was my fault for triggering them," straightening himself out, he laughed amusingly. "Nicolas Pierre, beautiful, what's yours?" Remaining quiet, I exhaled in stress. I had kneed a Royal. It was over for me, and I even planned to hand in my withdrawal forms. "I've got an amazing idea that will benefit us equally."
"Does this include me withdrawing from the academy?" I sighed in defeat.
Nicolas frowned, "Not at all," he tapped his chin. "Although you have decent looks and no important business connections, you have the spark," when he observed my body from head to toe, he was nodding in approval. "I can tell you have a good figure though," at this point, Nicolas was speaking to himself. "With your fiery personality, you'd be a perfect candidate."
"How about you discuss with me the delusions you're having?"
His finger lifted my chin, "From today onwards, you're my girlfriend," he stated, showing his pearly whites. "You and I are both participating in the Heartbreak Society Games. Won't this make it interesting?"
"I won't get targetted temporarily," I muttered, "But on the one condition that you have to try to woo me."
He smirked, leaning forward until I could smell the mint from his breath. If I hadn't noticed how outstanding he looked, I did now. Mesmerizing green eyes and typical slicked blonde hair, he was the type that you would want to bring home to meet your parents. "Consider yourself wooed."
THERE WERE MANY things that I regretted doing, and one of associating myself with Nicolas. When news spread that he wanted to pursue me, even actively sending me roses whenever he could, I'd become a walking target. As he waited for me in the dining hall, I had taken the initiative to flee before he saw me. Unfortunately, I ended up being hunted down by Liana.
Using the method of drugging me asleep, I had found myself in a similar position on the rooftop again. Futile attempts of escaping, I resisted the urge to cry. Natalia gripped my face angrily, "How dare you intervene with my relationship with Nicolas, you home-wrecker?" she snapped, her pale skin turning bright red with rage. "If you think for a moment that Nicolas will protect you, you're deadly mistaken!"
While Natalia screamed her heart out, Liana stood back and watched the scene play out. Her eyes held mockery, and there was nothing I could do. "I have the power to make you disappear, and not even Nicolas can do anything about it." Rich people were able to get anyway with anything as long as they had the funds.
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"Because I have the power to do so," she laughed, crossing her arms and eyeing me like I was a bug. "I love that despairing look that you all have when I crush everything in front of you."
My ability to remain quiet was long gone. "Do you treat others this way because you suffer from feeling inferior?" as the words slipped, I didn't regret them. I could sense the looming danger, but I was just tired and fed up.
And when my head snapped to the right, a burning sensation to my cheek following, I wondered how many pitiful girls had gone through this mistreatment. Another searing pain shot to my left, yet I still refused to give Liana the reaction she wanted. Having lost count, I could only feel the numbness on my face that was sure to leave bruises.
"Untie her, Natalia," Natalia did as Liana said. "Get on your knees and beg for forgiveness."
After I ignored her, Natalia grabbed a handful of my hair, forcing me to kneel. Her foot crushed my fingers and kept my head lowered. "What do you think you're doing?" interrupted a cold voice.
"A-August, I was just teaching this bitch her place," stuttered Liana, and I nearly laughed at how quickly she could change faces.
I hadn't bothered to look up. "Get out," August demanded tediously. Listening to the door click shut, I didn't realize I was holding my breath. He stood unmoving for a moment, observing me. Clicking his tongue, I waited until he had left before bursting out in tears.
Slumping back into the chair, I bawled in my palms. With dozens of prestigious schools that would be willing to accept me, why was I still here? I asked myself this when I knew the answer. If my father found out, he would continue to keep me sheltered and away from society. I would be proving his doubts right.
"Shit, what the hell happened to you?" gritted Nicolas, his fingers gently caressed the bruises. There was an unspoken sense of affection that made me uncomfortable.
I leaned my head against his chest, "Why is this happening to me?"
Nicolas never bothered to reply, but I assumed that it was because he couldn't. Instead, his arms slid around my waist and lifted me into a bridal carry. I ignored the resentful stares thrown at me while he walked down the corridor, peeking my head from his shoulder to find August frowning. His expression turned impassive, but for a brief second, I swore that I had seen a flash of concern in his eyes.
Perhaps I had seen wrong, especially when August hooked his fingers around Liana's waist, leaning down to kiss her as he continued to maintain eye contact with me. I couldn't help but think that this guy had a personality issue. I shut my eyes, too tired to care and snuggled closer to the scent of aftershave.