(Continued – Luca's POV)
I walked out into the night, the air cool and biting against my flushed skin.
Not in love? Please.
The words kept chasing me like hounds, biting at the edge of my pride. I wasn't in love. I didn't do love. That was for people who didn't know better. People who hadn't learned how fast loyalty turns into leverage and how easy it is to lose yourself in someone else's orbit.
But when I closed my eyes, all I saw was her—the way she'd looked in that hearing room, chin lifted like a queen with nothing left to lose. The way she brushed me off after the intruder, refusing to show weakness even when her hands were shaking.
I climbed into my car, slammed the door harder than necessary, and gunned the engine.
Respect. Admiration. Concern.
That's all it was.
Then why did the thought of her sitting in her dorm alone with another note, another threat, twist my stomach?
---
I didn't go home.
Instead, I drove straight to the edge of campus, to the old clock tower. It was where I used to hide when my father's lectures turned from motivational to manipulative. Where I went to think.
The moonlight fell across the path like silver lace. My phone buzzed—three messages from Alex, a meme from Ethan, a quiet "you okay?" from Julian.
I ignored them.
Instead, I opened my notes app and stared at the cursor.
A blank message to Lilly.
Typed and deleted. Then typed again.
> You were incredible today. I meant every word.
No send.
Deleted.
Coward.
---
Lilly's not your responsibility, a voice whispered in my head.
But another voice, quieter and more dangerous, replied:
*She's not your responsibility. She's your weakness.
---
I heard footsteps.
Turning sharply, I caught the shadow of someone walking down the far path, hands in coat pockets. Someone too familiar.
Samantha stood under the tower's shadow, lips glossed, hair perfect, eyes sharp. Her heels clicked slowly as she stepped closer.
"You following me?" I asked.
She smiled. "Maybe I missed you."
I narrowed my eyes. "What do you want?"
"Relax." She stepped in, placing a hand lightly on my chest. "We used to have fun, remember?"
I caught her wrist before she went further. "That was a mistake."
She pouted. "Is that what she told you? That I'm trouble?" She leaned in, voice low. "Because I remember a time when you weren't so... reserved."
"Samantha." My voice turned cold. "We're not doing this."
She leaned back but didn't drop the act. "You think she's better than me? That little maid with big dreams?"
I stiffened. "Don't talk about her like that."
Her eyes narrowed, and for a second, the facade cracked.
"Oh, Luca," she whispered darkly, stepping back. "You think this is about her. It's always been about you."
I watched her turn to leave, but she tossed a final glance over her shoulder.
"You've already made your choice. Just remember—she's not untouchable. Not here."
---
I stood there, pulse hammering, rage simmering beneath my skin.
I wasn't stupid. Samantha wasn't just bitter—she was warning me. maybe I was curious;
"Curious?" I folded my arms. "About what?"
"About how far you'd fall for her." She tilted her head. "The cleaning girl with stars in her eyes."
"Don't," I said sharply.
"What?" she purred, closing the distance. "Jealous of the way she looks at you? The way she makes you feel things?"
"Samantha—"
She placed her hand against my chest. "You weren't always so noble, Luca. Remember freshman year? We were fun."
I caught her wrist. "That wasn't real. You know that."
Her eyes darkened, but her smile held. "It could be. Again."
"No." I dropped her hand. "You think this is a game. She's not."
A pause. Then a flash of steel in her gaze.
"She doesn't belong here. People like you—like us—we live in glass towers. People like her? They clean them."
I stepped back, a pulse of disgust tightening in my jaw. "You think power makes you better?"
Samantha's voice dropped to a whisper. "No. I think power is the only thing that matters. And she threatens yours."
I stared at her, at the coiled elegance, the manufactured charm, the venom hidden beneath the gloss. "You tried to use me. Again. And you failed."
Her expression cracked—just for a second. Then she smiled, too calm. Too knowing. "She's not untouchable, Luca. Not here. Not at this university. You've made her a target."
She turned and walked into the shadows, disappearing with practiced grace.
---
I stood there long after she was gone, heart racing.
I wasn't just protecting Lilly anymore.
I was defending her from a world I'd helped create.
And the worst part?
I didn't know who else was waiting in the shadows to strike next.