Chapter 59 Under his smile
ZEUS
I spot them the moment I step out of the side hall.
Daisy and Iris, walking just ahead, side by side, books tucked under their arms, chatting like they haven’t a single care in the world. Daisy’s laughter is sharp, shrill, and entirely too loud for this hour of the day. My temples pulse.
I suppress the urge to turn back the way I came.
But I don’t. Because as exhausting as Daisy is, she’s still my best shot at keeping tabs on Darian and Iris for now.
My footsteps echo as I approach. I watch Daisy turn her head. Her face lights up like the sun’s risen for her alone.
“Zeus!” she squeals, and before I can brace myself, she barrels into me with all the force of a child seeing candy.
I stiffen. Her perfume is cloying today, something floral and saccharine. I inhale through my mouth instead, patting her back with all the enthusiasm of a stone.
Still, I force a smile. “Daisy.”
“I didn’t know you were coming today! You didn’t text!” She pouts up at me, arms looped around my neck.
“Surprise,” I say flatly. “I thought I’d drop by. It’s been a while.”
“Too long,” she agrees, drawing back and tugging on my arm like she’s already forgotten Iris is standing there too.
But I haven’t.
I glance at her. She’s still and poised, but her eyes are sharp. Appraising. She’s watching me like she’s trying to figure out what game I’m playing.
She should know better, if I’m smiling, it’s because I’m hunting.
“Iris,” I say with a polite nod.
She nods back. Expression unreadable.
Just as I like it.
“So,” Daisy says, bouncing on her heels. “Lunch?”
“Sure.” I slide a hand lightly around her waist, because I know she likes it, not because I want to as I begin leading her toward the main building.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Iris turning the other way.
As soon as we’re out of earshot, I lean in. “What, not inviting your roommate today?”
Daisy waves the suggestion away, her tone light. “Nah. She’s fine. Besides, she’s been spending a lot of time with Darian lately.”
I don’t flinch. I don’t blink. But inside?
Good.
“Oh?” I say, feigning interest.
“Yeah.” She grins. “She didn’t say much at first, but I figured it out. She’s been sneaking off. Last night he was at our apartment.”
My jaw tightens.
But I keep my voice light. “Bold.”
“Right?” she giggles. “They’re going on a date today.”
Perfect.
It’s happening. Just like I knew it would.
Darian, who always tries to act so composed, so detached, he’s already losing himself to the bond. Letting it pull him toward her like gravity. And when he slips, and he will, I’ll be there.
The King’s favor will shift completely. One mistake. That’s all it’ll take.
“Does that not bother you?” I ask casually.
“Why would it?” she laughs. “Iris likes him. He likes her. It’s cute.”
Cute.
Sure. If watching your future unravel into dust is cute.
But Daisy is none the wiser. Just as well.
We reach the campus café and slide into a booth near the window. I let her do most of the talking, she always does anyway, and I pretend to listen as she rambles about some dress she saw online that she thinks Iris would look amazing in.
She really has no idea. It’s almost admirable.
“…and I’m thinking of getting us tickets to the autumn ball,” she’s saying now. “It’s going to be amazing! You’ll go with me, won’t you?”
I lift my glass to my lips. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
She beams.
I’m drowning in her voice. In her perfume. In this façade.
But if keeping her close gets me what I want?
I’ll keep playing.
Until the final move is mine.
Daisy's voice is a relentless stream, each word grating against my patience. She's animated, her hands flailing as she recounts every mundane detail of her day.
The kind of girl who wants the whole world to know she’s in love.
With me.
I nod occasionally, feigning interest, but my mind drifts.
She twirls a straw in her milkshake like she’s trying to hypnotize it. "And then Zeus, oh my God, you should’ve seen Iris’s face when the professor called her out for not turning in that assignment! She looked like she wanted to disappear."
I hum noncommittally and glance toward the windows, scanning the street for something, anything, that could get me out of this.
I should get an award for patience.
Her voice keeps going, oblivious. "And then she said she’d catch up on it this weekend, but honestly, I don’t think she will. Darian has been eating up all her free time.”
She opens her mouth to say something else, but a notification pings on my phone. A boring, irrelevant update from one of the guards, but to me, it’s salvation.
I grab the phone, eyebrows furrowing like it's news of a rogue invasion. I click my tongue and sigh dramatically. “Damn.”
Daisy blinks. “What is it?”
I shake my head, rubbing the bridge of my nose like I’m suddenly overwhelmed. “There’s a mandatory meeting. Last minute. My father’s summoned everyone back to the haven.”
Her face crumbles in a flash of disappointment, but she covers it quickly. “Oh. Right. I get it.”
I let out a breath and lean closer, my hand brushing her arm. “I hate that I have to go. I was really enjoying this.” I lie easily, letting warmth creep into my voice. “I really wanted to spend the whole afternoon with you.”
She softens immediately. “Really?”
“Of course.” I flash the smile I know works.
I reach into my wallet, pull out enough cash to cover the bill twice over, and slide it onto the table. “Get yourself dessert. Or two.” I press a quick kiss to her cheek, barely touching her skin, and stand up.
She gazes up at me like I just handed her the stars.
“I’ll text you later, alright?”
She nods enthusiastically. “Yeah. Totally. Go do what you have to do.”
I offer one last smile, the kind that makes it look like I regret leaving.
Then I turn.
And exhale slowly.
The second I step out of the café, the mask falls. My jaw tightens. My shoulders roll back. The air feels lighter already, like I’ve escaped a cage made of glitter and giggles.
That girl is going to drive me insane.
Daisy is a pretty distraction, but she’s still just that. A distraction. She hasn't brought me any new information in days. She’s too caught up in her obsession with me to notice what really matters. Her usefulness is shrinking, and I’m running out of patience.
Still… she’s my only open window into Iris’s life. Daisy might be the one who mentions something crucial without realizing it. That’s the only reason I’m keeping her close.
But Goddess, she’s exhausting.