Claimed by the Villainess’s Brother

Chapter 7

“Good morning.”

Lucas inclined his head to acknowledge my greeting, a tiny smile playing on his lips. He was standing next to the classroom door, making it impossible to avoid him, not like I was actively trying to. He was engaged in conversation with some of the boys from the next-door class.

“Good morning,” he murmured in his deep, attractive voice.

I nodded and looked at the group of girls gawking at him nearby. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, class prez,” they muttered, looking at me and, as usual, barely giving me Elena beside me a glance.

“Is this a new thing you’re trying this year?” Elena asked when we finally got to our desks after I said a few more good mornings to the people inside the classroom.

I glanced at her. “What new thing?”

“Greeting everyone good morning?”

I shrugged. “I figured I’d start being proactive this year. I am the class leader.”

It was a lie, of course.

I was only greeting Lucas because of our bargain.

The first time I did it startled him into blinking two times.

The second he looked at me like I was the strangest thing he’d ever seen in his life.

The following times I did it, he started to look amused. Like he liked this little game we were playing.

This wasn’t a game to me, however. He told me not to avoid him, and I was doing exactly just that.

I don’t pretend he didn’t exist. I don’t shy away from him whenever we cross paths. I don’t ignore him when our eyes meet and acknowledge him with a nod. I include him in class meetings and discussions whenever I had to lead the class. And I made sure I wasn’t short with him if he came up to me to ask a question about class.

I was keeping my end of the bargain.

It was easy. I was the class president so I could talk to everyone in class, whatever their social clique might be, without raising an eyebrow of suspicion. And despite being friends with Elena, I still had a little sway because I was still considered part of the “nobles” due to my family status.

And as far as I could tell, Lucas was keeping his.

Initially, I feared Lucas would continue to be difficult after our private conversation. That he’d keep bugging me relentlessly. That he’d keep trying to get me alone so he’d get a rise out of me. But I was worrying for nothing. Our only interactions at school from then on were that of a classmate to another.

“And someone has to step up to raise the class atmosphere,” I told Elena wryly. “Don’t you think?” I ended, jerking my chin towards Jonathan, who was staring at Elena with a dark, almost glum look.

If we were living in a cartoon, Jonathan would have been surrounded by dark, swirling clouds of depression. In fact, if I squinted hard enough, I could almost see them.

Elena let out a small sigh as we took our seats. “He just won’t give up,” she said, her voice tinged with frustration.

“Then maybe you should,” I suggested, pulling my textbook from my bag and setting it on the desk.

“I should what?”

“Give up and go out with him,” I said, leaning closer. “It’s written in the stars, Elena. You two belong together.”

She snorted, shaking her head. “Why do you keep taking his side?” she teased. “I’m your best friend, aren’t I?”

“I’m on the side of true love,” I declared with mock seriousness. “And don’t think I didn’t notice you changing the subject.”

Elena smiled faintly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Instead of answering, she opened her textbook and pretended to be engrossed in a complicated mathematical formula. I knew her well enough to see through the act.

“You know, he’s not just some guy who’s after a challenge,” I said softly. “He really cares about you. And honestly, you deserve someone who’s willing to go through all this trouble just to be near you.”

Elena hesitated, her gaze flickering back to Jonathan, who still sat with that forlorn expression. “It’s not that simple. You know that.”

“Is it really that complicated? I mean, look at him. He’s practically begging for you to stop avoiding him.”

Her eyes softened for a moment, betraying her true feelings, but she quickly masked it with a casual shrug. “He’ll get over it. It’s just a crush.”

I raised an eyebrow. “A crush doesn’t make someone look that dejected for this long.”

She fiddled with the edge of her textbook, clearly torn. “I just don’t want to lead him on. And, honestly, we’re better off as friends.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s what people say when they’re scared to take the plunge. You’re overthinking it, Elena. And you know he doesn’t just want to stay friends.”

She sighed again, this time deeper. “Maybe... I’m just... not sure if I can handle it, you know? What if it all goes wrong?”

“I get that,” I nodded, understanding her hesitation. “But you can’t keep avoiding him forever. You owe it to yourself to at least see where this could go.”

Elena bit her lip, clearly torn, before burying herself in the textbook again. “I’ll think about it,” she whispered.

“Good,” I sighed, knowing there wasn’t much I could do except watch as the drama unfolded. “That’s all I ask.”

Pulling out my pencil case, I hung my bag over the side of my desk, trying to focus on my textbook. But my thoughts were already drifting back to her situation.

And to the hope that she wouldn’t take too long to figure out what she really wanted.

I just hoped she wouldn’t take too long to figure out what she really wanted.

Just then, I heard someone say, “Hey, Lucas! Do you want to head to the arcade with us after school?”

Before I could stop myself, I looked over my shoulder. There he was, sitting at his desk with his usual air of nonchalance. Quickly, I looked away, trying to refocus on my textbook.

But it was useless.

My thoughts were swirling around Lucas again, and no amount of mathematical formulas could distract me from that.

On one hand, I was relieved that I managed to convince him to keep our little summer rendezvous a secret. That was a small victory. But on the other hand, I realized I had completely forgotten to address the most crucial issue—his possible involvement in Luna’s plan to destroy Elena.

Because how the heck could I have missed that?

And now, with his request not to jump to conclusions just because he was Luna’s brother, I was stuck. I couldn’t just bring it up now. It would seem like I was accusing him outright, and that could make him angry. What if he decided to retaliate by spilling the secret I had worked so hard to keep? The risk was too great.

I needed to tread carefully. I couldn’t afford to make any mistakes that would lead him to expose my secret.

At the same time, I had to figure out where Lucas truly stood. I needed more information before making any accusations. For now, the best course of action was to keep my wits about me, observe, and gather more evidence.

A rowdy group of boys burst into the classroom, jolting me out of my thoughts.

My desk rattled as Jake, one of the boys from our class, bumped into it with enough force to send my textbook and pencil case skittering across the surface. Instead of apologizing, he flashed me a grin and leaned in closer than necessary.

"Hey, Coline," he said, his tone flirtatious as he snaked his arm around my shoulder. "You look good today. What’s up?"

I scoffed, not in the mood for his nonsense. “Get your arm off me, Jake.”

“Come on, don’t be like that,” he continued, his hand lingering possessively. “I just wanted to say hi. You know, we should hang out sometime. Just you and me.”

“Ooh,” his friends murmured in approval, exchanging high-fives and playful nudges.

Before I could respond, I felt an intense glower prickling the back of my neck.

My heart skipped a beat.

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Lucas looking away, his gaze fixed on the wall as if he were lost in thought. But when he stared off like that, without uttering a word, he was kind of… terrifying.

I quickly turned my attention back to Jake, who was still too close for comfort. “Stop flirting with me and leave me alone,” I snapped irritably.

Jake’s smile faltered for a moment, but he didn’t back down immediately. “Oh, come on, Coline. It’s just a bit of fun.”

“Jake,” I said slowly, my voice dangerously low. “If you don’t stop and leave me alone right now, you’re going to regret it.”

He finally backed off, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, no need to be so scary,” he said with a smirk.

As Jake and his friends wandered away to their seats, I noticed him glance at Elena, his expression curling into a disdainful sneer. The sight made my blood boil. He acted as if he had never shown interest in her when she transferred, as if she was beneath him.

I took a deep breath to steady myself and avoid shouting an insult at him.

What a hypocrite.