After classes, Liora went directly to Rachel's classroom to learn more about the ghost encounter with Sven. However, she could not locate Rachel.
"Excuse me, do you know where Rachel is?" Liora inquired about a person exiting the classroom where Rachel's classes occurred.
"Rachel won't be back for a while. She is out of the country," responded the female student.
"Out of the country?" Liora echoed the words, surprised she hadn't heard anything about it. Is Daran with her, too? "Has something happened?" Liora asked, unaware if the student would have an answer for her.
"I think someone died...it might be a family member," came the reply from the female student.
"Thank you..." Liora felta wave ofsadness for her ignorance regarding her friend's situation. And Daran? What about him? Why was his phone off? If he went with Rachel to the funeral, why didn't he mention it? Was she not a good friend? Perhaps she was not doing a good job maintaining friendships. Liora's insecurities began to rise within her. But then she shook her head; no, she didn't want to dwell on negative thoughts. Daran was her best friend, and he had always treated her well.
She then headed to the café for a refreshing frappe, which served as an excuse to meet Sven. She wanted to have a conversation with him. He warned her on the phone that he wouldn't let her go easily, but now was not the time to back down or fear Sven. She was determined to carry out her plan. Regardless of how much he despised her, she needed to show him she was there to help.
Before she could spot Sven, who wassitting in a corner outside smoking a cigarette, he noticed her. Everything was chaotic at the café. He had two assistants, but one had left. He had been taking orders from the students, but when the other assistant tried to bring the order to the table, the students denied having ordered them. It was a loss for him today. After the first mistake, he was more cautious the second time, butonce again,the outcome was the same since morning. All this chaos was caused by Li, who spoke of the ghost, and since then, his head has been in a mess.
He flicked his cigarette to the ground and quickly approached her. Sven grabbed Liora's arm before she had a chance to notice him in front of the other students.
"What did you do to me?" he demanded, tightening his grip. Pain shot through Liora's body, igniting memories she would rather forget—the camping night, the helplessness.
Her balance wavered as the pain flooded her senses, and she stumbled backwards, nearly falling. Sia and Yo, who happened to be passing by, screamed, drawing the attention of nearby students.
"Look, he is assaulting a student!" Sia shouted.
All eyes turned toward Sven and Liora. Soon, Sven realized his mistake. He released his grip and fled, pushing past the gathering crowd. Sia and Yo quickly rushed to Liora's side, giving her support to stand still. "Li, are you okay?" Sia asked, her voice was thick with worry as she noticed Liora trembling.
They both held Liora's hand, gently guided her to a nearby seat, and a kind student handed her abottle of water. Liora took it gratefully, her hands shaking slightly as she sipped.
Just then, Sven was forcibly thrown to the ground at Liora's feet, causing her to sit up suddenly. Kai had his arm pressed against Sven's neck. Everything unfolded in a blur, making it difficult for Liora to fully understand the situation. First, Sven grabbed her hand, and now he was kneeling in front ofher.
"What was he trying to do?" Donovan's voice broke through, his expression serious and intense. His eyes burned with anger, glowing red.
Seeing Donovan, Liora felt a wave of relief. Despite her racing heart, she managed to say, "It was a misunderstanding. Please do not hurt him."
"Let's go and complain to the administration about him if you do not want him becoming a smashed potato," Donovan was adamant, his protective instincts kicking into high gear. He had seen her suffer because of others and would never allow it to happen again!
"No, please," Liora begged, looking at Donovan with wide eyes filled with urgency. "I told you it was a misunderstanding. He wasn't trying to hurt me."
Donovan's rage was so high after seeing how he grabbed Liora's hand and the pain Liora was in. Her PTSD was triggered by Sven. How could he ignore all that? He couldn't understand why Liora was letting this go. He wanted to punish him for hurting her, and she was simply letting him go. Why?
He reluctantly signalled Kai to loosen his grip. "If your nails even touch her," Donovan bent forward and whispered fiercely into Sven's ear, "you'll have to say goodbye to your hand."
Kai released him, and Sven quickly scrambled away and glanced back at Donovan and the group. He did not use his brain before creating a scene in front of students. He is losing his mind, he thought.
Somewhere in the corner of his heart, Donovan felt disappointed in Liora and puzzled by her decision to let the guy who tried to hurt her go.'Is she this naive?' he thought.
And Liora caught his feelings. His eyes spoke of disappointment before he turned to leave. With wobbly legs, she stood and held Donovan's palm with both of hers. Even in that situation, she could not help but notice in awe how small her hands were compared to his. "Did I make you upset?"
Donovan halted and turned to Liora. His eyes embraced Liora's, and he felt her gentle touch holdingontohim.
Liora couldn't bear to see Donovan upset with her. During their school years, she had hoped to befriend him after he took her to hospital. She was excited to think she would have more friends. Somehow, they could never connect, but now they got to know each othera little bit more. She didn't want to lose him.
"Are you going to ignore me like in high school?" He became important to her, but she did not know since when. "I don't like it when you ignore me," Liora mumbled, furrowing her brows. "Will... will you stop talking to me again?" She looked at Donovan with eyes, unsure of his response. "I swear, if you ignore me this time, then I will never..."
Donovan stepped closer, touched by Liora's innocent complaints and threats. He gently cupped her cheek while holding her hand in his. His deep, alluring voice rang in the surroundings, making every girl's heart race.
"I know my past actions might give an asshole impression about me. But I will never leave your side. I cross my heart," he reassured her again, leaving Liora stunned as she felt the familiar tickling sensation in her belly.
Donovan already regretted misinterpreting Liora and Daran's relationship and making the wrong decisions. However, this time, he was not going togive up on her. Not so easily.
They both were lost into each other's eyes oblivious to the world around them. Not far away, Rihana, Grace, and Harper watched them, their hearts burned with envy.
Rihana watched the scene with disbelief and resentment, her eyes fixed on Donovan and the new girl. She couldn't remember a single moment when Donovan had ever looked at her with such warmth and affection. And here every word Donovan spoke to the new girl seemed to overflow with tenderness for her. The memory of their time together felt pale compared to what she was witnessing right now.
Watching Donovan's gentle touch with the new girl, the way his fingers lingered on her face as if afraid to let go filled Rihana with a burning jealousy. All she could see was green.
She recalled how his hands had always been distant from her, lacking warmth and intimacy. She remembered how she had often initiated contact, asking him to hold her hand, to which he obliged like a gentleman, yet it felt superficial and meaningless.
During their three-month relationship, Donovan had never crossed a single line, no matter how much Rihana tried to get him to. She wore the sexiest dresses, hoping to entice him, and his response was- "you look beautiful today"- but nothing more than that. She even tried to be the most beautiful woman in the room for him, and his response remained the same- "You look wonderful today". That's it…..again, nothing more, nothing less.
But now, with this new girl, who didn't even seem to have any fashion sense, he couldn't keep his eyes—or his hands—off her.
"Who will dare to mess with her? Now that Capo dei Capi is clearly announcing on campus through his actions how much he cares for her," Harper looked at Rihana with pitiful eyes, who was looking at Liora with hatred.
Elena nodded, her eyes fixed on Liora. "We can't even turn to the guys of the Mexican cartel who study on campus."
"You are right," Harper added, shaking her head. "Everyone wants to be on the good side of Donovan and his family."
The conversation between Harper and Elena did not bother Rihana. She quickly looked at Grace and Harper. "There are some who are crazy enough to stand against them."
Harper and Elena left the campus in their car, planning to have some drinks together. Meanwhile, Sia lingered nearby, watching Liora and Donovan. She is still yet to get an answer from Liora.
"Want to grab some cold coffee?" Kai asked, breaking Sia's thought.
Kai's captivating appearance and effortlessly cool attitude had Sia nodding eagerly. "Yes," she said, mesmerized. How can she ever say no to Kai?
Before joining Kai, Sia went over to Liora, interrupting the intense eye contact between Liora and Donovan. "Do you guys want to join us for coffee?" she asked.
Liora was acutely aware of the situation. She wanted to look away, but as usual, Donovan's gaze held hers, drawing her in with a quiet intensity. To break the spell they cast on her, she stood on her toes to reach his eyes, closed them with both hands and then turned to Sia.
"No, I can't. I have some important work. You guys go ahead." She lowered her hand from Donovan's eyes and looked down.
"Pinky promise?" she asked, raising her pinky finger in a promising gesture to Donovan.
Donovan chuckled softly as he intertwined his little finger with hers. "Pinky promise!"
Liora lifted her head to meet Donovan's eyes again; this time, she was careful not to look into his for too long. "Pinky promises are not meant to be broken." She reminded him with all seriousness.
Donovan couldn't stop smiling. "I got it."
Seeing Donovan chuckle, Kai took a picture of Donovan. He wanted to capture the moment and send it to the family group. Rarest of the rare moment when Donovan Magnum chuckled or laughed.
His signature was a simple smile on his face when he was happy. But this was something different!
As soon as Kai posted the picture of Donovan chuckling, the family chat room exploded with messages. It wasn't difficult to guess who each one was from, given the distinct personalities and tones of the family members:
"Whose is the girl?"
"Did he finally fall in love? This is exciting!"
"Why is he smiling so much? Is there something we should know?"
"Send a picture of the person who finally made him show his teeth!"
"I hope he is not making any promises just yet. Love is a serious business!"
"What's the big deal? He's simply laughing. Youngsters these days make a fuss about everything."
"What's the girl's name? I'm curious. Spill the tea, please!"
"Does she like fishing? I need a new fishing buddy!"
"This better not interfere with our gaming nights, bro!"
"We sent you guys to campus for studies and to make business deals, not to chase romance!"
"Kai, check my message. I think I will book a ticket to fly to Valtham to meet that girl!"
"Our brother looks so handsome, like an angel."
Kai chose to read the messages later. Right now, Sia needed his attention.
Kai and Sia headed to the parking lot where Logan was waiting. Sia had asked Yo to join them, but Yo had to decline as she needed to help her aunt at her restaurant. Meanwhile, Liora said goodbye to Donovan and walked away to try to call Sven.