Chapter 164
Chapter 164: Kissing Catherine in Front of Everyone
Catherine’s POV
I woke up before the alarm even had a chance to go off. The engagement news worried me more than I wanted to admit but I promised myself that I would put my emotions in check.
Was I really expecting that Julian and I would workout?
After rolling my eyes, I got out of bed and dressed in complete silence. I chose a simple outfit that wouldn’t draw attention, focused only on one goal: leaving the house before the time for breakfast bell.
I didn’t want to sit at the table with any of them. Even my mother was a disciple of Richard. Jeez! They all suck!
I slipped out the side door, and for the first time, I chose to let one of Richard’s drivers take me to campus.
Lucy wasn’t in class for the first lecture. As much as I wanted to know why, I felt relieved about it.
By the time the mid-morning break rolled around, the atmosphere at the university was unbearable. The news had traveled faster than I thought possible. Every hallway I walked through felt like a gauntlet of whispers and side-eye glances.
I was heading toward the Art department building when a black SUV with tinted windows pulled up to the curb, right in the middle of a no-parking zone. Two large men in suits stepped out first, scanning the area with professional coldness before opening the rear door. Lucy emerged, looking less like a student and more like she was arriving for a coronation. She wore a tailored designer dress that cost more than most people’s tuition, her head held high as she walked between her bodyguards. She wasn’t just here to attend classes; she was here to establish her reign.
During the break, the tension finally reached its peak. I was standing in the central courtyard, trying to focus on my sketchbook, when a crowd began to gather near the marble fountain. Lucy was at the center of it, flanked by her guards. She held a thick stack of cream-colored, gold-embossed envelopes.
“It’s going to be the most exclusive event of the year,” Lucy told a group of wide-eyed sophomores. “The Vaughn Foundation doesn’t do anything halfway. I want to make sure the right people are there to witness the official start of our life together.”
She began handing out “save the date” cards for the engagement gala. She moved through the crowd with arrogant grace, handing them to the sons and daughters of wealthy donors while ignoring anyone she deemed beneath her. Then, she turned her sights on me. The crowd parted instantly, sensing the opportunity for a spectacle.
“And of course, we can’t forget Catherine,” Lucy said, her voice projecting across the entire courtyard. She stepped forward and held out an envelope, her eyes gleaming with visible malice. “I know you already live under the same roof, but I wanted you to have a formal invitation. It would be quite a shame if you forgot your place and missed the celebration of Julian’s commitment to me. You are, after all, part of the scenery at the estate.”
A few students snickered. I felt my face heat up, my fingers curling tightly into the edges of my textbook. I was seconds away from snapping when a shadow fell over me.
Gabriel appeared out of nowhere. He didn’t look at the crowd; he walked straight to my side and took my hand in his, pulling me gently but firmly to his side. The contact was grounding, but the look on his face was what stopped the room. He looked at Lucy with a cold, detached authority that made her smirk falter.
“That’s enough, Lucy,” Gabriel said. His voice wasn’t raised, but it carried across the courtyard in a commanding tone. His gaze turned to the surrounding students. “I’ve spent my life watching people use their family names as a weapon to diminish others. It is the weakest, most pathetic form of power there is. Bullying is not a Vaughn trait, and I suggest you all remember that before you choose a side. Catherine is not ’scenery.’ She is a member of our household, she is an intelligent student, and she deserves more respect than a cheap, public stunt meant to satisfy someone’s insecurity.”
There was complete silence in the courtyard. Gabriel looked down at me, his eyes softening. “Don’t let anyone who is terrified of their own lack of worth try to pull you down to their level. You are capable, you are resilient, and you don’t need a card to belong in the house you already live in.”
The students began to whisper frantically. Some were nodding, clearly moved by Gabriel’s defense, while others were still looking toward Lucy, confused about where the power truly lay. Lucy’s face turned a mottled, angry shade of red. She was fuming, her jaw locked tight, but she couldn’t snap back at Gabriel. Not in front of everyone, especially since he was a true Vaughn. Crossing him in public could term her as ungrateful, unwise, disrespectful and a boundary breaker.
“Oh, Gabriel,” Lucy forced a loud, artificial laugh, tucking the remaining envelopes against her side. “Don’t be so dramatic. I was just playing around with Catherine. We’re going to be sisters soon; surely she knows I’m just teasing. Right, Catherine? Tell him we’re just joking.”
I scoffed, my chest tight with rage, but before I could say a word to dismantle her lie, the entire atmosphere of the courtyard shifted. It was like the air pressure changed. Heads turned in unison toward the entrance, and the whispering died down to a stunned, breathless silence.
Dante was walking toward us. He didn’t look like a student or a donor; he looked like a predator entering a playground. He moved with a slow ease that made every other man in the vicinity look like an amateur. He was dressed in a dark body hug long sleeve that fit him like armor, he didn’t look at a single person other than me. The reaction from the students was fast.
“Wait, who is that?” a girl near me whispered, her voice trembling. “He looks like he just stepped out of a dark romance novel. Is he even real?”
“Look at his face,” a guy muttered, his eyes wide. “That’s a Greek god. I think I’ve seen him on the news once. He looks like he could burn this whole city down and not blink.”
“I think I just forgot how to breathe,” another girl added, clutching her friend’s arm. “His jawline is literally sharp enough to kill. I’ve never seen a man that handsome in person.”
“Is it just me,” one student asked loudly, “or is he significantly more attractive than Julian? I mean, Julian is hot, but this guy… this is the first time I’ve seen a man actually hotter, more handsome, and more attractive than Julian Vaughn. It’s not even a competition.”
“He’s drop dead handsome,” another whispered, mesmerized. “I don’t care who he is, I just want him to look at me once.”
“Is he single? Does anyone know him?” a girl from the Art department asked, her voice filled with hope. “He makes everyone else in this courtyard look like a child.”
Then came the most jaw dropping comment. “Oh my… I can feel panties soaking wet for him. Only a night in his bed would be enough to create a memory that will follow me to the grave.”
“That boy is mine, no lady should take him.”
I stood frozen as Dante approached, my mind racing. I wondered what he was doing here and if this was the “effective” plan Kiera had. The crowd was completely captivated, some were going crazy over his beauty while some others’ curiosity reached a fever pitch. Dante didn’t acknowledge the staring or the comments. He walked straight past Lucy, treating her like she was invisible, and stepped directly into my personal space.
With one great, fluid move, Dante broke everyone’s heart. He moved to me and took my hand, his grip warm and possessive. He unintentionally pulled me out of Gabriel’s hand and toward him.
“Hey, girlfriend,” his voice was a low, gravelly hum that seemed to vibrate in the very air between us.
Before I could ask him what he was doing here, he leaned down, cupped my face with his free hand and planted a soft kiss on my lips.