Chapter 165
Chapter 165: Acknowledge Your Sister’s Boyfriend
Catherine’s POV
The silence that followed the kiss was broken not by the students, but by Gabriel. I felt his hand tighten on my arm, his fingers digging in with a force that bordered on pain. The protective, calm older brother I had seen moments ago vanished, replaced by a man whose jaw was set so hard I thought it might crack. He didn’t just step forward; he lunged, pulling me away from Dante with a jerk that nearly knocked me off my feet. His eyes were dark, fixed on Dante with a hostility that was far too personal to be mere brotherly concern.
“Get your hands off her,” Gabriel hissed, his shoulders bunching under his coat. He looked like he was a second away from swinging.
No! I couldn’t let this escalate like the other night when they first met. If Kiera sent him here, it was for a good reason, which I couldn’t jeopardise.
“Gabriel, wait!” I leaned in close, my voice a frantic whisper intended only for his ears. I grabbed the lapel of his blazer to get his attention. “Stop. It’s an act. It’s part of a plan to deal with Lucy. Please, do not cause our act to be exposed. Just play along.”
I watched the transition happen in real-time. The visible tremors of rage in his arms stilled, though his knuckles remained white. He took a long, shuttered breath, forcing the predatory tension out of his stance. It was a terrifying display of self-control. Within seconds, he smoothed his expression into a polite smile and stepped toward Dante, his hand extended for a shake.
“You are lucky I’m a brother who listens, else I wouldn’t have forgiven you so easily,” Gabriel said, his voice dripping with forced civility. “Next time, courtesy demands you greet your girlfriend’s brother first, before creating such a… dramatic romantic scene in public.”
Dante’s smirk didn’t fade. He took Gabriel’s hand, the two men locked in a grip that looked more like a test of strength than a greeting. “My apologies, Gabriel. Considering how madly in love I am with your sis, I tend to always forget every other person’s existence but this won’t happen again.”
Gabriel didn’t stay for long. He gave Dante one final, hard stare; a look that was filled with genuine dislike that I felt the temperature between them drop. He turned and walked away without a word to me, but the tension in his back told me he didn’t like the idea of this being an “act”.
The moment Gabriel was out of range, Lucy seized her chance. She smoothed her red dress, her eyes roaming over Dante with an intensity that made me feel irritated.
Did she want him too? I wouldn’t be surprised.
She stepped forward, ignoring the save-the-date cards still clutched in her hand, and offered him a polished, manicured hand.
“I don’t believe we’ve met formally,” she said, her voice dropping into a sultry register. “I’m Lucy Clement, Julian’s fiancée. It’s always a pleasure to meet someone who actually has… presence.”
Dante didn’t even look at her hand. Instead, he reached out and hooked his arm around my waist, pulling me flush against his side. He looked down at me, his eyes dancing with dark amusement. “My love? Do you permit me to shake the lady’s hand?”
A few students in the front of the crowd burst into laughter. They already knew Lucy couldn’t stand not having things her way and she proved us right yet again.
Her hand stayed suspended in the air for a humiliated beat before she jerked it back to her side, her fingers clenching into a tight, trembling fist. Her face turned pale with fury.
I leaned into Dante, enjoying the heat of Lucy’s rage. “I don’t think so,” I said, my voice clear enough for everyone to hear. “I don’t want you to be friends with her. She’s a desperate girl, and that kind of energy is contagious.”
The murmurs intensified. A group of girls behind us started giggling openly. Lucy’s eyes widened, her chest heaving as she hissed my name through her teeth. “Catherine!”
I turned to her and let out a light giggle, waving a hand dismissively. “Oh, calm down, Lucy. I’m only trying to pull your legs. Don’t be so sensitive.”
The crowd shifted again as a new figure approached. Julian had arrived. The whispers started up instantly, a frantic comparison of him and Dante.
“Look at them together,” a girl whispered. “Julian is classic, but Dante… Dante beats him hands down. That face card is lethal.”
“Exactly,” her friend replied. “Julian looks like a prince, but Dante looks like the king who conquered him.”
A few of Lucy’s new sycophants, girls who had already started acting like her lapdogs in hopes of an invite to the gala, tried to loud-talk over the crowd. “Are you kidding? Julian has the better body. He’s much more refined. That other guy is just… too much.”
Lucy didn’t waste a second. She hurried to Julian’s side, locking her arm firmly in his and leaning her head against his shoulder. She practically dragged him toward us, her eyes darting to the crowd to make sure they were watching her “power move.”
“Julian, look,” her voice dripped with fake excitement. “It seems Catherine’s boyfriend has also transferred to the school. Isn’t that wonderful? We’ll all be one big, happy family on campus.”
I watched Julian’s reaction. He sucked in a sharp, audible breath, his chest expanding as he stared at Dante’s arm around my waist. His eyes were dark, filled with pain and disbelief. He looked like he wanted to turn and walk away, to disappear from the spectacle, but Lucy held him back with a strong grip.
“Julian, don’t be rude,” Lucy prodded, her smile sharpening. “Be a good brother and honor Dante’s presence. Acknowledge him.”
I stepped forward, deciding to push Julian’s buttons while I had the advantage. If he could play the role of the devoted fiancé, I could also play a dutiful loving girlfriend, to make it as uncomfortable as possible. “Yes, Julian. Acknowledge him. It’s only polite, right?”
Julian’s throat worked as he swallowed hard. He looked at me with a silent plea in his eyes that I ignored. Slowly, with visible effort, he stretched out his hand toward Dante for a formal handshake. He looked defeated, his posture stiff and formal.
“Hey man.”
The crowd leaned in, expecting a tense exchange of pleasantries. But Dante didn’t stretch his hand out. He stayed perfectly still, leaving Julian’s hand hanging in the air for a second that felt like an hour. Everyone gasped, sensing the blatant disrespect.
Then, Dante moved… to the shock of everyone.
Instead of the handshake everyone expected, Dante threw his arms around Julian in a sudden, boisterous hug. He clapped Julian on the back with a heavy thud.
“Hey, buddy!” Dante exclaimed. “It’s been a while!”
Julian froze in the embrace, his arms dangling uselessly at his sides. The shock on his face was mirrored by every student in the courtyard. Dante pulled back, still holding Julian’s shoulders, a wide, shark-like grin on his face while Julian looked like he was standing on the edge of a cliff.