Chapter 8 Solve it!
|| Author Pov ||
The next day.
Sinclair mansion was silent, Kevin was outside and Rosa was at the academy.
“Oh, she’s soon going to leave this mansion. I won’t tolerate any burden in this house,” Kevin’s mother, Carolina said on the phone, her eyes fixed on the window.
She kept talking to the person on the call, rolling the diamond ring on her finger.
“This whole property is in her name, but I don’t care because she has no idea about it. Even if I get her out of this mansion, she’ll never talk about it. I know her well.”
She paused a bit, listening to the person on the other side before continuing,
“I took care of her all these years. I think it’s enough for her.”
She talked with the person for the next fifteen minutes.
“She’s just a burden!”
\---
Meanwhile, the whole class was silent under the devil’s presence. Everyone was focused on the lesson, but her focus was only on him. Killian. Rosa was staring at him with her distant, spaced-out eyes, sitting on the last row.
Her mind was depressed.
Rosa couldn’t forget last night’s incident. It felt like a nightmare now. Those touches-
She didn’t like them.
What if Kevin do that again?
Her brain was restless. Her eyes stared at nothing but straight ahead. She couldn’t forget how bad she felt getting touched by Kevin.
And on top of that—
She noticed how Killian didn't even spare a glance at her since he came in. It hurt her even more, feeding her anxiety.
Those memories of last night made her heart ache. She looked down at her notebook, which had nothing written on it, only the blank white page.
Aria was beside her, focused on taking notes, while the girl next to her seemed too lost in thought to care. No matter how much Rosa tried, she couldn’t get the memories out of her mind.
“Rosa?”
Rosa flinched as Aria whispered her name near her ear. She jerked her eyes toward her.
“Y-yes?” she replied, making Aria knit her brows.
“Professor is calling your name. Why aren’t you responding?” Aria said, making Rosa blink before looking straight ahead, only to find him gazing at her. His eyes held a cold, cutting edge.
Her eyes couldn’t meet his cold gaze, so she looked down.
“I’m sorry.” she said softly.
“Come here.”
Killian’s rough voice made her flinch. Her breath turned uneven and she pressed her lips together and slowly stood up.
With a thumping heart, Rosa reached him, her eyes fixed on the ground. His gaze lingered on her.
“Can you solve this math?”
His words made her eyes widen. She hadn’t even seen him explain it. She wasn’t paying attention. It was all her fault.
“S-sure.” Rosa said hesitantly, knowing she couldn’t back away.
His tall figure stepped aside before handing her the marker. Rosa’s throat went dry with nervousness as the entire class stared at her.
She stepped forward when he extended the marker to her. Silently, she took it and walked toward the white-board.
But her heartbeat dropped when she saw the equation written there. Her tiny hand tightened around the marker as her lips quivered.
Her heart sank as she realized she was about to be embarrassed in front of him once again.
Being totally nervous, she slowly glanced beside her, and her soft eyes met his cold ones. Her face turned pale, screaming fear, as if she’d be eaten alive if she couldn’t solve this simple math problem.
Her innocent eyes couldn’t meet his gaze for long; she quickly looked down, biting her lips.
Rosa blinked multiple times and looked back at the equation. It was too hard for her.
“C’mon, Rosa! You can do it!”
Everyone turned their heads toward the sudden shout, it was none other than Max.
Max looked around, confused as everyone stared at him with strange eyes.
Rosa’s throat went completely dry. She tried to understand the math, but it seemed impossible.
“You can’t solve it.”
She flinched hard when Killian whispered in a low, deep voice that only she could hear. Her eyes jerked up to meet his, only to witness that same coldness.
It was him, always him, who made her heart race.
“Give that already.”
He murmured, spreading his large palm in the air, standing tall and commanding, making her gulp nervously.
Lowering her eyes to the ground, she placed the marker in his large hand.
The students waited silently, notebooks open, as the math problem awaited his solution.
“Anyone else can solve it?” Killian asked the students, making them fall silent.
Rosa looked around the classroom, seeing no one raise their hand. She blinked, then glanced up beside her, only to find him watching the students. But the moment he felt her soft, tiny eyes on him, he glared down at her and she instantly looked away, startled. Her eyes dropped immediately to the floor.
“Sir, can I try?”
Rosa turned her head to see Max raising his hand, a cheeky smile plastered across his lips.
Killian’s left eyebrow arched at Max’s attention toward her, amused. His eyes remained cold as usual.
“Solve it.” he ordered, making Max stand up quickly from his seat and walk toward the board with excitement.
Rosa stepped aside as Max stood near her, taking the marker from Killian’s hand. As he began solving the math problem, he kept stealing glances at Rosa, eager to catch a closer look at her beautiful face.
Everyone focused on the board, following the solution as Max solved it correctly.
“Rosa, see how easy this math is.” Max whispered near her face and that was enough to catch the devil’s attention.
Killian’s numb eyes watched Max before shifting toward Rosa. Her gaze was fixed on the board, but her expression was distant.
His eyes sharpened further. His tongue rolled slowly over his teeth as he continued watching her.
“Sir, it’s done.” Max said, drawing his attention back to the board. Killian’s gaze flicked to the whiteboard, and he nodded with a low hum before taking the marker from Max’s hand.
“You see, Rosa, I solved this only for you,” Max whispered softly but it didn’t go unheard by Killian. His jaw clenched.
Then he turned his cold eyes toward the students.
“Everyone, note this down!”
Then his gaze shifted back to the two of them, just in time to see Max leaning closer, whispering near Rosa’s face. Rosa looked visibly uncomfortable, trying her best to ignore him.
“And you two, go back to your places!”
Rosa’s eyes flickered up to his for a second before dropping again. She walked back to her seat quietly, Max following behind her.
They both went back to their seats, and Rosa’s mind was elsewhere again.
Today, she didn’t look at Killian like she used to.
Rosa’s gaze was unfocused, her soft lavender eyes dim.
\---
Time passed.
The entire class continued, but Rosa’s thoughts wandered aimlessly. When the bell finally rang, the loud sound made her flinch, pulling her out of her trance.
Her eyes fell on him, soft, dull, and searching if he was looking at her.
She watched Killian pick up the coat hanging on the chair and walk out of the classroom, slipping it on without even glancing her way.
Her eyes followed him until he disappeared from sight. Slowly, her gaze dropped to the desk. The classroom filled with noise. Rosa stayed silent, her head bowed low.
She knew she was scared but she couldn’t help it.
The thought that kept haunting her was, what if Kevin touches her that way again?
\---
Meanwhile, as soon as Killian exited the classroom, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number while walking down the corridor. The person on the other end picked up immediately.
“Everything prepared?”