Chapter 168
Chapter 168: Both Brothers Hate Dante
Julian’s POV
None of the words of the lecture got into my ears or head. I sat in the back row, my eyes blankly fixed on the board, refusing to process a single word in forty minutes. My ears were tuned to a different frequency, all I could hear were the low, persistent hum of whispers coming from the rows ahead of me. They weren’t even trying to be discreet.
“Did you see the way he looked at her?” one girl whispered to her friend, her voice carrying easily in the room. “He’s easily the hottest guy to ever step foot on this campus. Gosh, I still can’t believe someone was able to make me crush on them so hard. It’s so sad that he’s dating that junior girl, Catherine or whatever.”
The other replied. “True. It’s so annoying. Someone posted a video of their kiss in the courtyard… it was like something out of a movie. That girl is so darn lucky.”
“I even heard he’s some kind of tech mogul or something. Girl, this guy makes his own money and he’s hot as hell. The perfect idea of a boyfriend. Ughh. I’m so jealous of the fact that he’s not mine.”
I gripped my pen so hard the plastic began to groan. Every time I stepped out into the hallway, it was the same story. Catherine’s relationship was the only currency the student body traded in. If they weren’t obsessing over how “lethal” Dante’s jawline was or how “wealthy” he looked, they were turning their pity on me. They whispered about how the golden boy had been dethroned, how his ward had found someone better, someone who was living on his terms and money.
And then there was the other side of the coin. When the gossip wasn’t about Catherine and her “Greek god,” it was about me and Lucy. People stared at my hand, looking for the ring they knew was coming. They talked about the “power couple” of the Vaughn and Lucy’s family as if we were a business merger rather than two people. I didn’t know which narrative sucked more; being the man who was replaced or being the man trapped in a gilded cage with a woman he used to think was a friend.
I left the lecture early, unable to take another second of the annoying, stupid rumors. I headed for the student lounge, hoping for a moment of silence, but Gabriel was already there. He was pacing near the window, his expression darker than I had ever seen.
What could have pissed him off this bad? Whatever it was, I was certain it couldn’t be as triggering as my reasons for coming here.
When he saw me, he marched over, his shoulders tense and his eyes burning with a familiar, sharp intensity.
“I can’t stand him, Julian,” Gabriel started without preamble, his voice low and jagged. “That Dante guy. There is something fundamentally wrong with his presence here. He walks around like he owns the sidewalk, and the way the dumb girls of this institution are jumping all over him… is just so stupid. If that guy happened to be a trafficker, these girls already made his job easy.”
I almost wanted to laugh, feeling relieved. It was really nice to see Gabriel rant about that dude. Finally, someone was seeing exactly what I was seeing. I sank into one of the chairs, rubbing my temples. “Glad I’m not the only one who feels this way. That guy acts like a predator. I have this feeling in my gut that he’s here for a reason, and it isn’t to get an education. He’s using Catherine to get under our skin, and it’s working. The whole campus is obsessed with him.”
“He’s an arrogant asshole,” Gabriel snapped, sitting across from me. “I watched him in the courtyard today. The way he ignored Lucy, the way he was trying so hard to create an impression… he’s playing a game, and he thinks he’s winning.”
“He is winning,” I muttered, the jealousy raw in my throat. “He has everyone convinced he’s some kind of hero. Even Catherine… she defends him. She looks at him like he’s the only person in the room who isn’t lying to her. His name is on everyone’s lips.”
Gabriel scoffed, leaning back and crossing his arms. “Catherine is just being naive. She’s so desperate to get away from the pressure of the Foundation that she’s willing to get herself involved with that guy. We need to find out who he actually is before he does real damage.”
“I’ve tried telling her to stay away from that guy,” I said, my voice cracking slightly. “She won’t listen. She thinks I’m the dangerous one while Dante is the better guy who loves her.”
“Loves her?” Gabriel scoffed. “That’s too fast. It’s not even been two weeks since they met each other. How can love suddenly grow? That’s total crap,” Gabriel continued. He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration was obvious. “I can’t wait for this their stupid act to be over, so she can get rid of him.”
I froze. My hand stopped moving against my temple. I raised my eyes, staring at Gabriel with a sudden, sharp focus.
Did he just call whatever is going on between Cat and Dante… an act?
“Act?” I repeated, the word sounding heavy in the quiet lounge. “What do you mean, ’act’?”
Gabriel’s entire body went rigid. The color drained from his face for a split second before sliding back into place. He let out a forced, awkward laugh and looked me directly in the eyes.
“I mean… I choose to believe it’s an act,” Gabriel said, his voice regaining its composure. “Think about it, Julian. Catherine doesn’t just start dating a random guy out of nowhere and bring him to campus to kiss him in front of the whole school. She’s smarter than that. I’m choosing to believe she’s just putting on a show to spite to put Lucy in her place. She is just trying to give your girlfriend a taste of her own medicine since she’s been rubbing her relationship to her face.”
I stared at him for a long beat, searching for any sign of a lie. I badly wanted it to be true that all of this was an act but it wasn’t.
I sank back into the chair, my disappointment wearing over me. I fucking wished he was right. I wished with everything in me that it was a staged performance, a calculated move to make me jealous or to get at Lucy like Gabriel suggested.
“It’s not an act, Gabriel,” I said, my voice was hollow. “I don’t think so. Their kiss today isn’t the first one.” I swallowed hard, while Gabriel leaned forward, his jaw clenching.
“What. Did. You. Just. Say?” He stretched the words out like he was about to fight me but I knew he wouldn’t. This reaction was very much familiar. When Gabriel hates someone, he makes it very obvious.
“I saw them at the event night. They were kissing each other.”
Gabriel didn’t respond. He stood and moved to the window, his fingers were knotted into a hard fist. “That dude has to get out! I can’t hold my hatred in much longer!”