Chapter Fifty Three
< Nina’s POV >
I don’t want to show my fear yet, the thought of Clarence spreading it to the whole school and worse, to the whole town that I’m involved with Luca de Milano. And I just started being comfortable around him now!
Clarence stares at me for a second before his face brightens, like an imaginary light bulb lits up above his head. Then he leans to grab my chin, rather forcefully.
“My, Nina, do you really think of me that way, huh? Well, I can’t blame you after what I did to you recently.” He chuckles, darkly.
I push his hand away as I glare at him. “Then, what do you want from me then?”
Clarence hums a bit, walking around in circles. “I honestly wanted to be on Luca de Milano’s good side but I guess that’s already crossed out from the list.” He then faces me with a grin.
“Say, parvenu, I started to like you. You have been such an entertainment from the very beginning.” He pauses for a while as he leans dangerously closer to me.
What’s up with this guy and his intrusion to personal space? I grimace as I try to back away, only for his arms to snake to hold a grip of my back, making me closer to him.
“Ah!” I let out an embarrassing gasp and he held my chin once again. I am trapped by his arm around my waist and the tight hold of my chin.
“Why don’t we start dating, eh?”
<<<<>>>>
< Luca’s POV >
No matter how I look at it, he is without a doubt, the son of the B-Emperium, most likely heir. Nina said he meant no harm but why would she defend someone who…obviously has ulterior motives?
It has been bothering me at work that I’ve realized I wasn’t paying attention to the scope of the meeting. Ah, well… I’ve already made up my mind to reject this offer, anyway.
Yu notices my lack of attention then he lightly taps my shoe with his. With his ever-plastered glare on his face, I can only smile before giving my own opinion toward the start-up.
As soon as the meeting is done, Yu grabs my shoulder as he smirks. “Bored, boss? They were backed up by some of our acquisitions, you know?”
“They may be favored by our partners but in the end, we still have the final say whether or not we lend our hand to these companies, no? But personally, they rely too much on connections that they forgot to add value to our interest.”
“Fair point,” he says. Then he lights up a cigarette. “So, have you tried taking Nina to school today?”
And this is the reason why Yu is my wife, no questions asked. I just give him a somber smile. “Unfortunately, Yu, she’s too independent to rely on my help even if I insist.”
If I insist enough, I might have scared her away, is what I try to say.
“Well, you’ve done enough now that you guys are talking normally these days, right?”
“When you meant normal, you mean me acting like her father while she still looks on the ground, debating what to say,” I answer. “I wish I have your skills to make her smile but I guess you have a knack for it, Yu.”
“She’ll warm up to you, don’t worry,” Yu says. We are walking to his office, stenched with tobacco mixed with his favorite cologne so it won’t distract any of our clients while I was away.
“Yu, I met that B-Emperium kid again.”
“I’m surprised that there are no headlines of you beating him up,” Yu says while giving a stifling laugh.
I frown as I jab on his shoulder. “I’m not like you.”
“Whatever, boys scout,” he says.
Then we both sit on our designated chairs. “So, I take it that Clarence Benz walked with Nina?”
“Yeah. When I told her that he has ulterior motives and…” My eyes widen as I quickly turn to him. “What if he does something to Nina right at this moment?”
“Calm down, Luca,” my best friend says. “You have to trust Nina with this. Before you started acting like her guardian now, she hasn’t caused any trouble before, right?”
Of course Yu’s right. Nina hasn’t done anything that can put herself into trouble. She can handle herself.
But my instincts are telling me something is amiss.
“Say, Yu. Investigate each of her classmates for me, especially Clarence Benz.”
<<<<>>>>
< Nina >
“W-What?” Did I hear that, right? I try to struggle to get away from him. And since I was absorbed by his words, I realized a little too late that students are now entering the boulevard. I turn deep red as I struggle to get away from him harder only for him to tighten his grip.
When students catch us in a compromising situation, they stop their tracks and their jaws drop. For them, it seems like the mouse has finally been caught by the cat.
Well, technically, it seems I have really lost this chase.
“Do I have to spell it out to you, parvenu?” He says with a wide smile on his face. “I am telling you to be my woman.”
He says loud enough for the prying passersby to gasp. He is intentionally making it known, making it difficult to get away from him.
I wish I had known what his intentions are, for doing this in public.
But there is no way that I will just accept it!
“I…” Think, Nina! Think!
Just then my phone vibrates in my pocket and I know that Gene is usually calling me at this hour.
Gene, yeah, that’s right!
But a part of me will definitely regret this soon.
Gene…forgive me for this.
“I have a b-boyfriend, Clarence!” I hastily take out my vibrating phone as I show him the caller ID.
“He’s c-calling me as I speak!”
