Just as Lucas was about to react, two servants passed through the corner, carrying fresh linens.
In a swift motion, Lucas pulled Isabella into a hug.
"What the heck are you doing?" Isabella yelled. The hug caught her completely off guard.
"You are so funny, my dear!" Lucas exclaimed loudly, sounding so cheerful.
Isabella's mind and body struggled to process this sudden change in his demeanor but he didn't let her go.
"What is he doing?" Isabella thought angrily.
At that moment, the servants passing by spoke up.
"Good evening, young master Lucas, Miss Isabella!" The servants greeted with bright smiles.
"Oh, seriously! This jerk!" Isabella grunted as the realization of what Lucas was doing dawned on her, pushing him with all her might but he didn't budge.
"Stay put!" He whispered into her ear.
As soon as the servants were out of sight, Lucas slowly released her from the forced hug and Isabella shoved him away angrily.
Her skin still tingled where he had touched her, and it only made her angrier.
"You really would do anything to maintain that perfect image, wouldn't you? To the extent of pretending to care about someone you clearly despise?" She spat out, sounding disgusted.
"Yes, I would." A bitter smile made its way onto Lucas's lips as he replied.
He moved closer to her again, this time leaning down until his lips were right next to her ear. His warm breath sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.
"What the fuck is wrong with me?" Isabella cursed her body's betrayal, hating how her breath caught in her throat at his proximity.
"And listen good, I'm not pitiful. Watch your mouth, Isabella, or you will be sorry." He whispered, sounding dangerous.
Then he pulled back slightly, his eyes boring into hers.
"You should start getting ready." He said.
"Ready for what?" Isabella asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
But Lucas had already turned and was walking away, leaving her standing there with her questions unanswered.
"How dare he just walk away like that?" She thought angrily.
~~~~~~~~~
The following day at school;
"Ugh, my head pounds!" Isabella grumbled as she approached the entrance of classroom.
"This is definitely the result of lack of sleep and proper food..." She added, heaving a sigh.
She hadn't been sleeping well neither had she been eating properly since the poisoning incident. She hadn't been able to eat nothing but water and she was starting to feel the effects more intensely.
"Well, the doctor said I just have to endure this for a while until my body finishes cleansing itself. I will be fine." She said to herself and exhaled sharply, trying to ignore the pounding head.
Then she approached the entrance and saw Selena and her gang sitting around like some sort of gatekeepers.
"I really don't have the energy for their drama today." Isabella mumbled under her breath.
"Hey!" She muttered in greeting as she attempted to walk past them. Her vision was slightly blurry, but she kept her head high.
At her reaction, Selena's jaw dropped, and her friends exchanged shocked glances.
"Wait, is that girl ignoring me now?" Selena asked, sounding incredulous.
"These girls really need to find better things to do with their time." Isabella thought wearily and kept walking.
"Isabella! Get back here!" Selena called out sharply.
"What?" Isabella stopped and turned around reluctantly.
"Did you not see me standing here?" Selena questioned, her hands on her hips dramatically.
"I did. And that is why I said 'hey', so what's the problem?" Isabella replied flatly. Her head was spinning, but she refused to show any weakness.
"Hey? Don't you think I deserve more than a hey? I hold an important position in this school. You should show me proper respect just like every other student does!" Selena snapped at her.
"Oh no, I am really not in the mood for this!" Isabella thought and shook her head.
"If only they knew what real problems looked like." She added to herself and let out a dry chuckle.
"You dare chuckle in response to my words?" Selena asked incredulously.
"I'm not in the mood to entertain your idleness." Isabella finally said to her, aloud.
"Idleness?" Selena repeated, clearly offended.
"Well, isn't that why you have time to monitor whether someone properly acknowledges your presence or not? I have important things to think about. I just want to be left alone." Isabella said firmly.
Selena let out an amused chuckle.
"Oh my! Is the upstart crow really looking down on me now? Calling me an idle person?" She asked rhetorically and her gang who had been glaring at Isabella all along, scoffed.
Isabella heaved a deep sigh of exasperation. By then, she could feel cold sweat forming on her forehead. Her vision was becoming seriously blurry, and she knew she needed to sit down soon.
"I need to find somewhere quiet to sit before I pass out." She thought.
But Selena, oblivious to Isabella's condition, took her silence as an insult.
"How dare you ignore me?" Selena snapped.
Isabella tried to walk away, but one of Selena's gang quickly moved to block her path.
Selena approached her with a menacing look and gave her a hard shove.
As she was already weak from lack of food, Isabella's balance couldn't handle the shoving. She staggered backwards.
"No..." She thought desperately.
But just as she was about to fall, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her. She looked up to find Lucas holding her firmly against him.
Despite her determination to hate him, she couldn't help but feel grateful for his support.
"What is going on here, ladies?" Lucas asked, his voice carrying that familiar false warmth he used in public.
The girls immediately straightened up.
"Oh, here he is, our precious Lucas!" The girls swooned. Their expressions changing from hostile to sweet in an instant. Isabella wanted to roll her eyes at their obvious transformation, but she was too busy trying to stay conscious.
"Actually, we were just talking to Isabella." One of them said quickly.
Lucas's grip on Isabella's waist tightened slightly.
"Go easy on my fiancée, won't you?" He said, still smiling sweetly.
The word 'fiancée' echoed through the hallway, causing several heads to turn.
In the corner, Aidan, who had been watching the scene unfold, stood frozen in shock.
"What? His fiancée? What about me and my feelings for him?"