Chapter Four
Elsa
“Hey, honey, are you ready to start your first day back?” It’s six a.m. and I’m about to head out of the house. I start class at seven. I have four classes this semester for a total of seventeen hours.
“Yes and no. It’s going to be a bunch of introductions. Most of the learning starts in the next class.”
“How many classes do you have a week?” my father asks, walking into the kitchen in his gym clothes and covered in sweat, clearly done working out for the day. He’s looking a lot better, and his movements are sturdier. The hip and knee replacements have gone smoothly.
“I was lucky enough to schedule all my classes on Mondays through Wednesdays, but until six. Tuesday is an online class,” I say, smiling and then frowning because it’s going to be an insanely long day.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? You’re going to be so exhausted.”
“Sure, but it’s not like I’m in class the whole time. I have two breaks. And look who is talking about being exhausted.” I check the time on my phone. “It’s just after six, and you’re covered in sweat. How many miles did you run?”
“I only did two miles and my strength training. I have to keep in shape for my body to recover. Trust me when I say it’s for the best.”
“Still, Dad, I want you to be around forever.”
“I know, sweetheart,” he says, dragging me to his side and pulling me in for a hug. I tug myself away. “Eww, gross. I’m glad I didn’t change yet.” I roll my eyes and grab my protein shake.
“By the way, I know you hate all the security, so I told them to back off today.”
“Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it. They make it hard to get boys to even talk to me.”
“I’m not saying they won’t be around, but at a very far distance.”
“I understand.” They walk ten feet behind me most days, which is so damn annoying, so this is a good thing. “I’ll take what I can get.”
I wave them off and get ready so I can make the short trip to campus.
I head to my first class, which thankfully is mercifully short.
Math, not my favorite, but a necessary requirement for my degree.
Seriously, it’s almost enough for me to give up.
My teacher is brilliant, but I can’t make out what he’s saying.
I’m going to have to record the lectures and listen to them repeatedly and slowly.
His accent is thick and strong. Several classmates near me have their eyes wide open, leaning in as if that’s going to help them.
“Hey, don’t worry. The notes are on the class page,” the guy next to me says.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” He winks and then adds, “I’m the TA. He’s a great professor, and you’ll learn a lot.”
“I would if I could get past the heavy accent.”
“Yeah, it’s a little thick, but it’s better if you sit closer to the front.”
“I suppose I’ll try that next time.”
“Or I can tutor you,” he offers with a crooked grin. My face flattens, and then I frown.
“Thanks, but no thanks. I will just focus and try to study his inflections,” I sneer.
“Oh goodness, please don’t take me wrong. I tutor an entire group every semester. It’s not one on one. I’m sorry if it came off that way. It’s every Wednesday night.”
“Oh. My fault,” I say begrudgingly. He might actually hold a tutoring session, but I’m wise enough to know that he’s full of shit.
“You’re still welcome if you feel like it.
” He hands me a flyer. I tuck it inside my textbook and then return my attention back to the teacher.
Slowly his words are a little clearer, but it’s still a struggle.
I make it through the class with a slight headache, so I leave, needing to find the local coffee shop.
It’s a long line, but I manage to snag two medium caramel coffees before my next class and only get hit on twice more.
I text my bestie and tell her where to meet me.
When I spot her, I wave the cups. “Good morning, Elsa,” Angie cheers, running up to me in the middle of the quad. We hug and then I hand her a cup of coffee.
“Where’s your posse of suits?”
“They are loosening the restrictions,” I say.
“Yay,” she cheers.
“I know, right?”
“You can finally hang out with me and meet some guys that I know.”
“Sounds good, but not today. Two guys and one girl have already made passes at me today, and I’m not in the mood for more.”
“That’s because you’re hot and that outfit is so cute.”
“Thanks, but you’re my friend and a bit biased.” I wink at her.
“You got me,” she says. “Besides, I’m trying to get in good so you can hook me up with your hot brother.”
“Which one?” I already know which brother, but I want her to say it. She’s been crushing on my brother since she met him.
“Milo, of course.” She rolls her eyes and then takes a drink of her coffee.
My alarm goes off, reminding me that class starts in five minutes. “Oh shit. I got to go.”
“I’ll talk to you later, and maybe we can go out.”
“Girl, I have class until tonight,” I explain.
“Fine. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.” I rush off to my next class.
By the time I finish my day, I’m so dang annoyed and tired.
The boys are just as terrible as they were in high school.
I swear last year wasn’t this bad, but it’s like they’ve realized I’ve sprouted tits and a personality finally.
Not that I haven’t looked this hot, but today I must be releasing some sort of pheromones.
At first there was my TA, followed by a bunch of new classmates that I’ve never met before, and as I’m walking out of my last class, I run into a former classmate who never spoke to me while we were in high school.
“Hey, Elsa. Girl, you’re looking extra hot today. What’s gotten into the water at your house?” Johnny Santos says. He eyes my backside with a twisted smirk like he’s admiring my hard work in the gym.
“Shut up,” I answer back.
“Don’t be so mean, baby. I’m just giving you a compliment.
You’ve gotten even hotter than last year, and your best friend told us you’re finally off your parents’ tight leash.
” Ugh, I could punch Angie in the tit when I see her.
In fact, I’m making a note on my phone. Quickly, I whip it out and open up my task lists.
? Punch Ange in the tit.
I look up at him, displaying my annoyance, and say, “That doesn’t mean I’m interested in dating guys who act like fools. Now excuse me.” I scurry away and get in my car. It’s the first time I’m allowed to drive myself to school without an entourage, but perhaps the old ways were better.
A sigh falls from my lips as I check my rearview mirror.
My dad’s usual security for me lingers two cars back, and I know that he didn’t really give me full freedom, which I should have expected.
A thought comes to me, and I wonder if Johnny was a test. Then again, maybe they purposefully put all these flirts in my way so I would want my old life back.
Well, I passed and although the guys were obnoxious, I like having some freedom.
I didn’t flirt back, and I didn’t kill him, so I win.
Sticking my tongue out in my rearview mirror, I drive out of my parking spot and through the lot.
Johnny is standing with his friends by his car as I pass him, and he gives me a wave with a smirk.
Ignoring him is the best thing I can do because there is no way I’m giving in to his bullshit.
When I get home, I’ll give my dad an earful about his little test and then tell him that I can handle myself just fine and that I’m not going to be letting boys just scam on me. I still want my prince.
As I make my way through Vegas and toward our family estate, traffic is heavy, so it takes longer than expected.
I turn up the tunes and let all the tension roll off my shoulders.
By the time I pull through our gates and down our long driveway, all thoughts of arguing with my dad are out the window.
I spot the familiar vehicle parked in his usual spot.
Miles Ivanov is in my home. The dark prince. Could today get any more intense?
He always lingers in the back of my thoughts, lives in my dreams, in my diary, and in my heart, but he isn’t my prince.
At least several years older than me and a criminal mastermind, my godbrother Miles is talented and wanted by every woman in Vegas and back in Steeleville, where his parents live and where my mother is from.
I pull in alongside his vehicle, cutting off the engine, lingering in my seat and building up the courage to go inside. With my head down, I hear the front door open. Lifting my gaze, I spot my reason for staying back. It’s Miles.
As soon as I step out of the car and walk to the portico, he says, “You’re more than a few minutes late, Elsa.”
“Excuse me? Since when are you my daddy?” I question, pressing my hands on my hips.
“I’m teasing, Princess,” he says with a devilish smirk. “I wanted you to meet the new lady in my life.” My heart drops into my stomach.
I swallow hard. “Why would—” I cut myself off before I say something stupid, and it’s good because a cute little chocolate puppy comes running up to us yapping with a pretty pink collar around her neck.
He scoops her up before she can run out the front door and then leads us inside the house like it’s his home.
“Come inside. I don’t want her to get out, Princess.” He knows I hate when he calls me that. I don’t really hate it, but I hate the way my body reacts to it. “I haven’t picked a name for her yet. What do you think we should name her?”
“We?” My brows raise in what I’m sure is a comical way, especially because I catch my father quickly mask his expression, but I don’t miss it. My teeth clench and still, I redirect my attention to Miles.
“Yes. Your dad offered your assistance in helping me care for this little girl,” Miles says, scooping her up in his arms without any concern for his overly priced, well-tailored suit.
“You said you wanted some responsibility,” my father adds, daring to speak after his betrayal.
“Yes, like a job. Not a puppy that’s clearly not mine.”