Chapter 63 She's Not Yours, Boy.

Chapter 63 She's Not Yours, Boy.
~LIAM.
I always thought I was a rational man.
In all my thirty years of life, I'd never let jealousy crawl under my skin. Why would I? Relationships weren't part of the plan. They were distractions. Messy, emotional time bombs I was trained to avoid.
After Marcus pulled Jake, Kelvin, and me out of that hellhole at eighteen, everything became singular: serve the Foundation, bleed through the training, and rise to the top. Attachments? Never in the blueprint.
Sure, I had flings. Easy. Forgettable.
No mess. No risk. No one who mattered.
So someone explain to me... 
Why did I have this burning urge to smash this kid's face in?
The moment I saw him holding her-like he had any fucking right-one thought lit my brain like wildfire: Another man was touching what was mine. 
And not just any man. The same little shit I'd punished her for grinding against.
If she hadn't pulled away when she did, I swear to fucking God, I would've shattered his jaw without a second thought.
Because around her, I was already a stranger to myself. But throw him into the equation, and I became someone else entirely.
Darker. Unforgiving.
Unfuckinghinged.
I was supposed to be winning her over, not acting like some territorial asshole foaming at the mouth.
And then the douchebag had the audacity to step in front of her, blocking my view like he needed to shield her from me.
My fist clenched, knuckles cracking like a warning. 
He was practically begging for it.
I stepped closer, my 6'5 frame towering over his 6'3, fury burning in my chest-ready to blow. But then Scarlett's fingers brushed his arm, and she stepped into view.
"Hey," she said to him softly, though her eyes were locked on me. "Don't. He's not even worth it."
Her stare was sharp enough to slice through bone, followed by a small, dangerous smile as she turned to him and said, "You know what? About being your date to that family thing... come in. Let's talk."
I watched the way his eyes lit up, that stupid little spark of hope.
Wait... did she just say his date?
Oh, she was playing with fire.
Clearly, that spanking hadn't done the trick.
He followed her in. She moved to shut the door after him, but I caught it with my palm and pushed it open. No flinch. No glare. Not even a flicker of surprise. She just turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, stunned.
What the fuck was she playing at now?
Forcing a breath, I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. The place was exactly how I remembered: an emerald L-shaped couch, a sleek black TV, and a soft rug under a glass coffee table. A half-burnt candle and a folded bill sat untouched. The taupe walls were still there, along with that bold red-and-black canvas above the couch. Behind it, the kitchen sat in still silence. And hanging in the air was that damn lavender scent-the one that clung to her skin and haunted my sheets.
The kid stood by the couch, eyes roaming like it was his first time inside a house.
Scarlett stopped beside him, smirked, and said,
"Welcome to my humble abode."
He gave a small nod, still glancing around. "Nice place."
I rolled my eyes from where I leaned against the wall-so hard it nearly gave me a migraine.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally turned to her and held out a sad little bouquet of sunflowers.
"For you," he said, flashing a bashful smile that made my fists twitch.
She arched a brow. "I was beginning to think you'd never let them go."
He shifted awkwardly as she took them, suddenly all nerves, a far cry from the bold little shit who'd squared up to me moments ago.
Bringing the flowers to her nose, she inhaled like they were the fucking Crown Jewels, then carried them over to the counter, smiling like he'd just handed her Paris.
I gritted my teeth as he watched her go, eyes full of longing like some lovesick puppy.
That was it. I'd had enough.
Was this why she let me in without a word? So I could stand here and watch this pathetic circus unfold?
I pushed off the wall, voice low but cutting.
"I'm sorry... who's going to what event with who now?"
Scarlett blinked at me from across the room-slow, lazy-like she was just now remembering I was even here.
He threw me a glare. I didn't waste one back.
But the confusion in his eyes was clear.
He was trying to piece it together.
Why she let me in.
Why I was still standing here.
Why she hadn't told me to get lost.
Without a glance my way, she walked back to him, like I hadn't said a damn word.
"You show up at my place," she said lightly, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Hand me flowers. Ask me to be your date..."
She stopped in front of him, head tilted, eyes glinting.
"And you still haven't told me your name."
Letting the silence stretch, she then offered a slow smile. "So... when were you planning to fix that?"
He scratched the back of his neck. "Right. Uh-Lucas. I'm Lucas."
"Well, Lucas," She sank into the couch with infuriating ease, "tell me about this so-called family event."
He followed her like a goddamn golden retriever. Predictable.
I didn't sit. I stayed where I was-standing, staring, and stunned for what felt like the hundredth time today.
What the actual hell, green eyes?
I finally snapped out of it when he started explaining, something about his mom hosting a barbecue.
"She says it's about bringing everyone together," he muttered. "But really, I think she just likes watching us squirm. She only cares about herself."
Scarlett lifted a brow. "Your father?"
"In jail," he said flatly. "Mom's the reason he's there."
Silence.
Scarlett looked at him, calm and blank, while I cocked my head slightly, already pegging him for what he was-just another broken home trying to wear the damage like a badge.
But he kept going, like dumping his sob story would make him seem deeper.
Spoiler: it didn't.
"Anyway... yeah. My family gatherings are always a circus. Which is why I need someone who actually makes it bearable. Someone I like. You."
He said it like he already had her. Like it was settled.
I studied her face: sharp eyes, calculating. She was thinking it through. Weighing something.
That's when I stepped in.
"I don't approve," I said coldly.
Lucas looked at me like I was a fly he wished he could swat. "And who are you to approve anything?"
I smiled-slow and cold. "The guy who's already had her breathless."
He got to his feet, and I stepped forward.
Puffing up like he might actually do something, he squared his shoulders and clenched his fists, posturing like a boy desperate to look bigger than he was. I didn't need to puff up. Threat didn't ask permission on me.
Closing the distance, my voice dropped low, "She's not yours, boy. And she never will be."
Clenching his jaw tight, he was one wrong breath away from swinging, and earning a lesson he wouldn't forget.
"I'll go," came Scarlett's calm and certain voice, interrupting the tension.
We both turned to her as she looked straight at Lucas, wearing a steady and blank expression. "I'll go with you. As your date." she said, and just like that, everything stilled.