Chapter 29
T he phone’s beeps pierced the quiet of my dorm as I waited for my father and Grandma to answer the FaceTime call. Fidgeting nervously, I reached down to smooth the lace edges of my blouse, carefully tucking them beneath the flowing, rippling layers of my fluffy pink skirt.
Finally, the beeps ceased, and Grandma’s face lit up the screen. “My flower, we were just thinking about you. We’re back from the cemetery.”
Through the screen, I glimpsed both Grandma and Dad crossing the threshold of our house, clad in somber black outfits. I immediately noticed Dad’s guarded face. The faint downturn of his lips and the distant look in his eyes betrayed the sorrow he sought to conceal.
“How are you, Dad? I called because I was thinking about you both.”
“We’re fine,” Dad responded with a hint of forced pride. He had gone to see Mom’s grave. How could he be fine? “How was your gala? Apparently, you made quite a sensation in the quartet or in that dress of yours.”
Grandma shot Dad a pointed glance, as she always did to reprimand him.
“It went well,” I said, tugging on my low ponytail. “I’m sorry about the dress. I—”
“Sylas has already apologized. He wanted to offer you a gift, but he understands it might have been misplaced,” my father pointed out in his usual condescending business tone. “I hope you both still reasonably enjoyed yourselves.”
I smiled and mentally thanked Sylas for covering for me with my dad. He must have spent a long time trying to calm him down.
“We’re so happy you’re loving it here,” Grandma added cheerfully.
“Right,” my father cut in. “We wanted to wait until we saw you to tell you the good news, but why wait?”
My pulse quickened. “Oh. What is it?”
“I had a call with the Parisian Opera,” Dad announced, his voice tinged with pride. “We discussed your impressive performance and studies, and they apparently have a vacant spot for a violinist in their orchestra in January. She’ll email you the details this week. You could come back home, or even stay at Sylas’s father’s house. He lives right under the Opera. I’m sure Sylas would visit if things get more serious, plus he’ll be done with Pantheon soon. All has been arranged.”
My jaw clenched. I had entered Pantheon thanks to my father’s legacy, not because I deserved it. I was privileged. Dad was just trying to buy my way in so he could have control over me for another year, possibly for the rest of my life.
You’re not fit for the orchestra. I remembered Levi’s voice. I wanted to be a soloist, a composer, like Lucie. Most importantly, I wanted to prove that I could make it on my own. I won’t rest until I perform at Pantheon’s Opera.
“But… I still have so much to learn, and I love it here at Pantheon,” I said, mustering my resolve. “But thank you, Dad, for supporting me.”
Pantheon was mine. My chance to make my own legacy. My promise to Mom.
“I thought you wanted to come to Pantheon for music, and now, this opportunity, it’s once in a lifetime. I won’t be able to pull another—”
“I appreciate the gesture, Dad, but I want to stay. I made a promise to Mom—”
“And I almost lost you both because of that damn opera in the first place! I don’t understand why you care so much about it. It destroyed our lives!”
“I can’t let them win and take away the dream Mom and I shared!” I screamed. “I’m not leaving.”
Plus, it wasn’t just about the opera. I was making new friends. I apparently even had a boyfriend. I was taking control of my life, discovering who I was and what I was made of. I was free of my gilded cage.
Dad took a deep breath, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “It’s your life to waste, after all. I know we promised to come to the Parents’ Open Day in a week, but I have an affair I need to take care of.”
A part of me felt relieved at the prospect of him not being around. I’ve hidden so many things from him.
“Oh, is everything okay?” I crossed my fingers behind my back. “It’s a shame, but I understand. We’ll see each other at Christmas.”
“Yes, yes, it’s just a new weapons export contract, but it’s nothing I can’t handle,” Dad replied, his tone slightly uneasy. Something seemed off. “Well, we’ll leave you to get back to your studies.”
“Love you guys.” I waved at the screen, and we ended the call.
I shifted my focus, applying bold satin mulberry lipstick, a shade my dad would disapprove of, and allowing my hair to cascade freely. I gathered a few strands from the crown of my head, securing them with a ribbon in the same color.
I then went to find Yasmine, who was busy getting dressed in the bathroom. I knocked on the door and called out, “You ready? Let’s go to this party.”
“This is their idea of a small party?” Yasmine’s voice cut through the echoing thud of phonk beats reverberating off the stone walls.
Students from all four houses mingled in the underground ancient dungeons of the Tacticians, a.k.a. their chess club headquarters. A spider-shaped chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a purple glow over the room.
Navigating through the crowd, we felt like two lost mice finding themselves in the heart of a bustling jungle. As for Sylas, he was already talking to a group of students the moment he arrived—extroverted people were a whole different species.
“You, at a party?” Tara’s sneer halted our steps as she downed her drink in one swift motion.
“Yes, and don’t ever think of giving me a morality lesson.” Yas crossed her arms.
Her sister chuckled darkly, handing Yas the empty cup, then leaned back, swaying to the music. “Good for you. I’m done being the family’s disappointment because I’m the eldest sister. Screw you.” Her gaze then shifted to me. “If you’re looking for Levi, he’s right there.”
I followed Tara’s pointed finger, and my gaze landed on a couple of tables and chairs crafted from dark wood and iron, nestled in a cozy corner under an arch. Levi was engaged in a chess game with Cillian, drawing the attention of the surrounding crowd, who watched their strategic battle unfold on the couches or from behind.
A crowd mostly made of women. It wasn’t surprising. They both exuded an air of princely aristocracy. Cillian sported a dress shirt rolled up to his forearms, paired with glasses. Meanwhile, Levi remained true to his character, resembling a modern-day dark prince with his leather jacket over his preppy cable-knit sweater. My heart raced. That damn jealousy again.
He had a thing with Tara, but what about the others? He had left his phone in my dorm all day, so naturally, with Yas’s encouragement, I did what seemed like the more mature thing to do: I snooped through his phone. Better to be prepared than sorry—that was Grandma’s mantra.
But I found nothing compromising. He was a ghost online, rarely responding to messages, and when he did, he replied with no more than a sentence, devoid of emoji. His camera roll was used by his friend Kay, who took most of the pictures in them. His notes were terrifying, though, from lines of codes to my name written all over again for many lines on many different dates.
“I’ve never seen Tara drunk,” Yasmine half screamed, half whispered in my ear. “It’s scary.”
Tara stumbled on her high heels, then burst into laughter. “Oh, you still didn’t have sex, did you? You’ll never satisfy him. Levi is a sadist. FYI, he needs a lot to get horny, from watching a threesome to—”
“Okay, that’s it! I’m taking her back to her dorm.” Yasmine wrapped an arm around her sister. “Let’s go, Tara.”
Tara scrunched up her nose at Yas, inspecting her split ends. “Your hair looks like a mess.”
Yas mouthed a sorry, and I whispered back, wishing her good luck. That was how I found myself, alone, navigating through the crowd as they danced to the pulsating tech beats. The music assaulted my ears, each thud stabbing at my heart. I didn’t want to appear needy and immediately rush to Levi’s side. I was still taken aback by Tara’s words. Sadist. Watching. Threesome. You’ll never satisfy him.
“Isn’t it, Snow White dearest?” Kay appeared out of nowhere, his sharky smirk accentuated by the neon glow of the purple bomber jacket he wore with a loose-fitting hoodie. He gestured with his hand, the flash of his silver rings catching the light. “I don’t see what Levi sees in you, frankly. You don’t look fun.”
“Well, I don’t see what Sylas sees in you,” I quipped back.
“Now I see it.” Kay chuckled before casually throwing an arm around me. “Come play with us; we’re one player short.”
“S-sure,” I stammered as he guided me toward the beer pong game, but it wasn’t like any normal game. This one had a chess game going on the side. You could tell Tacticians hosted this party.
“Rules are simple,” Kay explained, leaning toward me. “Each opponent plays turn by turn on the chessboard. The first to eat a pawn from the other wins, the loser drinks, and so on. Depending on the value of the pawns, the loser can drink from one to nine glasses, so watch out for your queen. But if you lose the game, you need to drink it all.”
“But I don’t drink, and I don’t play chess well.”
“You’ll do just fine. Your opponent is an easy target.” He laughed and gestured for me to stand in front of the board. “Miguel, Dalia will finish the game since the one before forfeited. We usually play with Levi’s chess app, but since this party is not exclusive to Tacticians, we did it the old-fashioned way.”
“There’s an app?” Miguel, the Tactician contestant, whom I recognized as the boy from the roof, asked, eyebrows furrowing.
Kay rolled his eyes. “Of course there’s an app. It’s only through invitation, so you have to prove yourself first to be in the club. Now, let’s play. You’re not the main event of this soiree.”
Miguel gave Kay a faint smile and held out his hand for us to shake. “Good luck.”
I made my move as white, already deep into the game against the Tactician. He flipped the hourglass, giving me only fifteen seconds to decide. Swallowing nervously, I advanced my knight, aiming to threaten his rook, but he swiftly captured my undefended bishop.
“Your pawn is worth three shots,” Miguel muttered, avoiding my gaze.
“Game is a game,” Kay chimed in like the little devil on my shoulder. “That wasn’t a bad move for a newbie. You’ll get him in the next round.”
“But I don’t want to drink alcohol,” I reiterated.
“You agreed to play. Now you can’t break the rules,” Kay teased, a sinking feeling telling me I had fallen into his trap.
The first-year Tactician handed me a drink. “I’m sorry.”
I hesitated, the weight of the shot glass heavy in my hand, uncertainty coursing through me. My throat tightened as I lifted the glass closer to my lips. But before I could drink it, another hand snatched the glass from my grasp and downed it in one motion.
“She told you she doesn’t drink.”
Levi’s gaze bore into me, his eyes narrowing with an intensity that sent a chill down my spine. Their depths seemingly bottomless as they swallowed me whole. He was pissed at me, a storm brewing behind his gaze. A knot tightened in my stomach. I watched him down not just one but all three shots. His jaw clenched. Levi, who never drank, who saw alcohol as a sign of weakness, had just imbibed for me.
“But you just did. I won my bet against that fucker of Cillian.” Kay smiled. “Now, I have a game to win. Dalia, thank you for indulging me. You’re free to go. It was a pleasure.”
Tacticians . All the same.
“Levi, I’d like to be part of your chess—” Miguel attempted to interject.
But Levi raised a commanding hand, silencing Miguel with a stern look as he scrutinized the chessboard with a furtive glance. “You’re playing aggressively. It’s risky and unconventional to incite chaos on the board.” With a decisive move, he removed the black queen from the game. “If you win in that position against that asshole Kay, you’re in the club.”
Miguel beamed—it was almost contagious. Meanwhile, Levi’s hand closed around mine in a firm, almost bruising grip, yanking me away from the chess game. The heat radiating from his touch felt like a burning flame against my skin.
“Come on, we were just playing around—” Kay’s voice faded the farther Levi guided me away, his steps purposeful and determined.
“You shouldn’t have indulged Kay’s ego. It may seem like an innocent party to you, but it’s only a demonstration of power. We play on our house strength and make our own rules to intimidate the others,” he admonished.
“I didn’t know that even parties here had a twist.” Everything about Pantheon was an occasion to be competitive.
He halted our steps as we reached the cozy corner where he had been seated earlier, surrounded by chessboards and plush purple leather sofas. He turned to me. “Each house is hosting parties during the year. That’s ours. Pioneers would most likely host sports games and bets. Guardians are adept at debate clubs or everything that shows off their culture in a small committee. And you guys are more into team-building activities.”
“You’re not playing anymore?” a Pioneer woman interrupted from one of the boards, her question directed at Levi. “I was about to go next against you.”
Levi ignored her and settled onto the empty sofa. “Sit on my lap.”
“I’m not going to sit on—”
“Sit on my lap, Dalia,” he repeated.
I found myself complying, acutely aware of the girl’s gaze fixed on me. I wasn’t a jealous person. I wouldn’t be one.
Levi enveloped me in his arms, his breath brushing on my nape. “Good girl.”
“How many girls have you had sex with?” I blurted out, out of nowhere. Okay, I’d definitely inherited Grandma’s genes. Maybe I was a jealous person. I took out his phone from my skirt pocket. “You left it in my room.”
“It’s not important,” he said, trying to get out of the conversation, his fingers brushing over my white lace high-knee socks.
“I think it’s fair that I should know. Did you bang one of them?” My voice pitched. What is happening to me? Did I really say bang? My heart blazed like a fiery violin, each note resonating through my veins, melting away all reason.
“No,” he said. “I let a few suck me, but it wasn’t entrancing enough for me to be interested in sex afterward.”
I hummed. A girl should keep her purity while men, men could do whatever the fuck they wanted. He was experienced. I wasn’t. Not that I was thinking of having sex with him. But he’d touched me down there, and we’d gone on a date, so that gave me the right to ask, right?
“And with Tara?”
“Experimental. We tried things to spark at least something in one another, but it was a failure. Imagine dating yourself. It’d be chaotic.”
“So she didn’t… satisfy you?” I was bad at having those conversations.
“I’m here having a boner just because you’re sitting on my lap, Dalia.” His fingers cupped my jaw, tilting my head so I’d meet his darkened eyes. “The basic things don’t usually excite me. I tried more things than you to make me feel something. Like I said, it didn’t work. Until you. I noticed the way some men lust after you. I usually don’t care about sharing, but with you, it drives me crazy. I want to drive a knife through their throat and watch them bleed. So does that answer your question, or do you want a live demonstration of the effect you have on me?”
My stomach was burning, and I felt something happening down there . I was getting wet. I clenched my legs together. Levi grabbed his phone and flipped to the selfie camera.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m making a statement and changing my lock screen.”
He branded his mouth with mine, his hand capturing my throat. The flash of the picture blinded me right before he pulled back.
“Don’t post that,” I warned. “If my father sees this, he’ll go insane.”
Me, sitting on a man’s lap, his tongue in my throat, his hand roaming over my leg—he’d resent me forever.
He tilted his head. “Are you ashamed of me?”
“No, but he’ll never understand this. Plus, he’s busy with an export contract, and paperwork usually puts him in a bad mood. He looked exhausted earlier.”
“Export contract?” Levi flashed a smile.
I narrowed my eyes on him. “The point is, I want to be sure before making it official.”
“Sure, huh?” he said, his voice deadly. “You’re still not sure about us?”
“Levi,” I whispered, but it was too late. I had awoken the monster inside him.
His hand closed on mine, and he led me away, his tall figure cutting through the throng of people. He clutched onto my hand harder and quickened his pace. I struggled to keep up with his determined stride. The world around us seemed to blur, the noise merging into a distant hum as we reached an adjacent room.
It was a mix between a storage room and an old private library with some cherry wood bookshelves and a couch nestled in the middle. He locked the door behind him, trapping us both inside. A sinister smirk inked his lips as he slowly approached me.
“What are we doing here?”
“Rectifying what you said.” He loomed closer, his teeth nipping at the lobe of my ear. “You had your time to escape me, my little thief. Now I’ll have to prove to you how much you are mine.”
I wet my lips, my heart jumping in my chest as he lowered his mouth to my neck. He drew his hand underneath my skirt, his fingers tickling up my thighs.
“Pull your panties down,” his soft voice ordered. “No one will interrupt us.”
“Levi—”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to trust me.”
There, inside Levi, hid a monster but also a terrified, broken boy. He had a duality, one that was scared, vulnerable, and lonely. The other was calculative, power-hungry, and twisted. Both of them were calling to me right now, so I lowered my panties until they met the floor.
A smirk graced his way-too-perfectly-carved face, and I begged for his fingers to ease the throbbing between my legs. But he didn’t. Instead, he retracted his fingers, unbuttoning my blouse. My chest heaved up.
He cupped my breast from the top of my silk bra, his forefinger and thumb rolling my hard nipple. I bit hard on my lip, a fire building down in the pit of my stomach. When he pulled down my bra and freed my breasts, I clenched my legs on one another. He lowered the straps, kissing my shoulders, my collarbone, my jawline. Yes.
“From the moment I saw you, you were mine.” He pinched my nipple. “I don’t share you.” He smacked my ass. “A man touches or hurts you, he dies.” He cupped my jaw, bringing our faces close together so we shared the same breath. “You’re fucking someone else other than me, I die. Is that clear?”
When I didn’t reply, perhaps because I had a death wish, maybe because I liked fighting him, or perhaps because a part of me didn’t want to belong to anyone, he chuckled darkly.
“Oh, Dalia, always challenging me.” He settled on the couch behind him, spreading his legs apart. “Lie on me. If you don’t, I’ll share that picture with the entire university, and you’ll love my caption.”
“Threatening me again. Is that the foundation of a healthy relationship?”
“Like I give a damn.”
I groaned, the throb between my legs still not going away. I took a hesitant step toward him and was about to sit on him like earlier when a low rumble echoed from deep in his throat.
“Not like that, you lost that right. I want your butt facing me and your stomach on my lap.” He licked his lips. “What’s it going to be, Dalia?”
This was humiliating, but my heart sped up in my chest, my cheeks burning. I knew I should’ve been scared of Levi’s sexual appetite. Maybe he was even doing it on purpose, but I wanted to fall hard down the rabbit hole. Please, God, don’t be mad at me.
He raised a brow. “You’re going to like it.”
“And if I don’t?” I said, squeezing my legs even tighter. I felt like I was on the verge of making a life-and-death kind of choice.
“We’ll stop.”
I took a shaky breath and lay on his legs. I bent over, my hands reaching the dusty floor. I felt my wetness pooling between my thighs, and I prayed he wouldn’t notice it. He pulled my skirt up, exposing my butt, and smacked it. I bounced on his knees. His fingers trailed between my thighs, wetness pooling all over them. I held my breath. It was humiliating, but his touch… His touch made my belly clench and set me on fire.
“Look at you, asking to be fucked like a nasty girl,” he said, and the muscles in my legs tensed, panic coiling in my belly. “Relax. I won’t take you. Yet.”
He dragged one finger inside me and groaned. Holy Mary. His thumb rolled over my clit, and I covered my mouth with my hand to muffle a moan. Pleasure shot up my spine, my momentum building, and I hated how needy I was, seeking to feel more friction.
He wrapped my hair with his fist so I’d arch my back even more as his finger pumped inside me.
“Us, whatever this is, or whatever word you want to put on it, is exclusive,” he warned, pulling my hair harder so his mouth would brush the shell of my ear. “I don’t fuck anyone else. I don’t want to even look at another woman, and I expect the same from you. The only person I can get hard for is you. It’s only you. Is that clear?”
“Yes,” I panted.
“I yearned for death for so long. Felt so fucking empty, but you, you make me feel so alive, Dalia,” he drawled.
Yearned for death? Empty? What did he mean?
He slapped my ass harder this time, and I screamed. “Levi!”
“Should I stop?” The sick bastard chuckled. “Or do you want to come on my fingers with your ass flushed?”
He fingered me, pumping his finger harder. He slammed my butt again, increasing his pace on my clit. l lifted my butt cheeks to feel the friction deeper, rolling my hips to his touch.
“Look at you, using my fingers to make yourself come. You’re learning fast. But next time you come, it’ll be with my tongue eating you.”
He pulled his hand away from me.
“You can’t do that,” I shrieked.
But he left me there, frustrated like hell, covering my butt back with my skirt. He rose to his feet, pulling me up with him, and then crushed his lips against mine. I loved the feel of his soft lips on mine. It was as if I could taste his vulnerability, as if I could grasp a piece of him he never showed to anyone else.
“I’m not done playing with you, my broken doll.” His thumb traced the outline of my lips. “I’ve been waiting for so long to fuck your pretty mouth. On your knees.”
“Say please,” I quipped back, fighting for control.
He cocked his head. “You want me begging for you? Does that make you feel horny to see me so vulnerable in front of you?”
I didn’t take my eyes off him. “Yes.”
I didn’t think he would do it, but his finger brushed my cheek with a strange softness, and he said, “Get on your knees, Dalia. I beg you , please .”
His tone was devoid of any trace of sarcasm but placid and hard. This sent a jolt of fire in my core. I took the initiative and touched him on top of his trousers. He unzipped himself, and his hardness jerked free from his boxers. It was big and thick, not that I had anything to compare it to.
My hand jerked on his length. “I don’t know how to do this.”
“Suck the tip, and stroke me. Don’t be afraid to go hard,” he said.
I lowered myself to my knees and swirled my tongue against his head. He let out a feral groan before he thrusted inside my mouth. I had to adjust to him; it wasn’t like the lollipops of my youth. He filled me more, way more, and I had to work on my gag reflex. My tongue licked him, and I sucked at the tip. He cursed, his head falling back. I must’ve been doing this whole thing well.
“Harder, my little thief.”
His fingers carded through my hair as he thrust into my mouth faster. His eyes locked on mine, and I felt his muscles flexing, his pace madly increasing.
“Fuck, Dalia, I’m going to come. Either you swallow me whole or—” he rasped.
I didn’t stop but increased my pace until he came in my mouth, groaning hard, and I swallowed every last salty bit of him. It was intense but exciting. Flushed, he pulled me back to him, his touch screaming mine, his eyes calling me mine, as he swapped with his finger some of his cum left on the corners of my mouth.
I cleared my throat. “I guess we should get back to the party, right?”
“No, let’s call it a night,” he said, dry and cold.
My belly clenched. I was still high on adrenaline, so I didn’t expect his detached tone to hit me like that. Would he toss me just like that after this happened?
“Fine,” I said proudly. “Have a good night, then, Levi, but this will not happen again if you treat me like this right after! I’m not an object you can toss away, so you do whatever you—”
He chuckled. “You’re cute.”
I frowned. “Cute?”
“Yes. You’re not going anywhere, Dalia. You’re coming back with me to my dorm, and before you think about it, arguing with me is a waste of time.”