Page 23 of Delilah In Discretion

He chuckled as he stepped in a bit closer. Quite frankly, I was still a little iffy on how to navigate conversation with a man as unhinged as he was, and sadly, my lack of interest in him and defiance only made him gravitate towards me more.

“And my presence in here alone should be enough indication that I go where I please.”

“And why are you in here?” I pressed.

“I came to see you.”

“Why?” I asked, holding back a flinch as his hand reached out, brushing a strand of hair from my face, his touch lingering longer than it should.

“You’ve been avoiding me. That’s not something I appreciate.”

I blushed as he was right, but I shook my head in denial. “No, I haven’t.”

He nodded silently, and I felt his arm wrap around my waist. I tried pushing him away, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Luca, what do you want?”

“Who is Archer to you?”

The question caught me off guard, though I tried to mask my expression. “That’s none of your business.”

His grip tightened, pulling me closer. “You’re certainly making it my business. I don’t like competition.”

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady. “He’s not competition, Luca. And neither are you. This isn’t a game.”

“And yet, you’re somehow the prize,” he muttered, and a smile broke out on his face as I successfully pushed him away.

“I would’ve never guessed I would’ve found such joy in taming such a spoiled princess—” he began, but the word “princess” struck a nerve. Archer called me that, and I had convinced myself it didn’t bother me, that it was just a term of endearment from him—one that was almost somewhat annoying. Yet hearing it from Luca twisted something inside me, turning it into a sharp, insulting sting.

My hand moved before I could fully process my emotions, landing a hard slap across his face.

The sound of the slap echoed, and Luca’s eyes widened in surprise. His hand let go of mine, and he touched his cheek slightly as he processed what had happened. However, I wasn’t that stupid to sit and wait for him to say anything else in response.

Grabbing my belongings as he stood there in thought, I made a beeline for the exit, ignoring his small smirk and the low chuckle that escaped him as the door shut behind me.

Luca

Making my way to the office, I stopped as I heard a voice from behind.

“Luca.”

I turned around to see a girl in Delilah’s dance class. “Natalia... to what do I owe this pleasure?” I asked as she stared me right in the eyes.

Many of the students found it in their favor not to look me in the eye, but from previous experience, she had no problem with doing so.

“You’re not going about this the right way,” she said, and I tilted my head.

“I beg your pardon?” I asked, and she continued.

“Russel’s daughter. If I remember clearly, Archer told you to stop.”

I bit my lip and slowly inched my way over to her. She slowly started taking steps back, but she hit the wall.

“I would be careful if I were you, sweetheart... What I do is none of your concern. Choose your next words wisely,” I threatened, though she didn’t seem to take the hint.

“You’re losing control of the school.”

“And why do you say that?” I asked.

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