Chapter 161 The Trap
The Auditorium, Three Years Ago
Luke was 24, in the final year of his BS in Business Administration followed by 22 years old Peach, his rival and classmate. Their institute was elite and William worked extremely hard to afford his brother’s fees.
He was always there for his brother unlike Peach whose Father didn’t have time to come to see her despite coming to America on his business trip.
"Looking for your father, Peach?" Luke teased when they partnered for a debate for the council and Peach was searching for her father.
He didn't sound sympathetic. He sounded amused.
"Go away, Luke," she snapped, not looking at him, glancing towards the camera flashes and the text on her screen.
‘I will see it online when I have time. I am going back to London. Good luck, Princess,’
"It must be exhausting," he continued, ignoring her. He took a slow sip of his coffee, a mischievous smirk spreading on his lips.
"Building a life out of spite. Does he even know your birthdate?”
Peach turned to him with a glare as his words pierced her heart, "You know nothing. Stop making assumptions." She hissed, stepping back, grabbing his shirt furiously.
"I know enough," Luke countered with a widening smirk, stepping closer. He was handsome, arrogant, and entirely too observant.
Holding her wrist and leaning dangerously closer to her face, bringing a faint crimson shade on her cheeks.
“I saw you working late at night. Trying your best to get his attention. Is it working? Or are you going to beg for it when all methods will fail?”
The resonance of his snicker burned her face in shame more than anger. Her chest constricted, hitting his chest before pushing away from him outrageously.
“Shut up, asshole!” Her voice unwillingly broke. Luke simply stared with an unreadable expression.
Luke didn't just dislike her; he pitied her.
He saw the one wound she tried to hide and poked it just to see her flinch. That was what he was trying for the past four years.
"You think you're so high and mighty because your father actually remembers your birthday?" She hissed, her shoulder tensing, losing her composure.
"No," Luke narrowed his eyes, "I am high and mighty because I know I have someone who cares, who is with me.”
Smirking heartlessly in the end, he shifted down and whispered in her ears, “You, on the other hand... you are nothing."
She stood stunned, an unwanted moist collecting in her eyes, glaring at him. Her body was shaking as his steps retreated.
The humiliation was a cold weight, her chest tightening, watching him walk away, ‘Four years. He had mocked me for four years. I won’t go away with a burden,’
Something new was hardening. A diamond-sharp resolve. Her jaw clenched, ‘Nothing, huh?’
She wouldn't just beat him in the rankings, she would take everything he leaned on. His peace, his focus, his heart.
If she can’t have the happiness he does. She will destroy his happiness too.
And starting her trap, she decided to not waste a single moment. She was determined to not get her degree without revenge. It was her nature after all.
Later, after the debate, Luke was preparing for day two, going through some research papers as Peach came.
He didn’t say, he didn’t greet.
Peach saw two untouched cups of coffee on the table with her favorite snack. She didn't look angry. She looked... tired. Vulnerable.
Highly unlikely of her.
"I thought about what you said," She said softly, her voice devoid of her usual pride, picking the packet and beginning to munch on it.
She didn't look at him, keeping her gaze on the floor as she took a seat, "About my father. You were right. It is pathetic."
Luke paused. He looked at her, suspicious, but her shoulders were loosened in a way that looked entirely too real.
"I don't have anyone else to talk to who actually understands this pressure," she continued, finally meeting his eyes. There was a glimmer of unshed tears, a masterpiece of acting.
Luke narrowed his eyes, finding those words too hard to believe. But, at the same time, he thought, ‘Is she finally… breaking?’
"Can we just... stop? I can't be at war with my father and you at the same time."
Luke searched her face. He was an asshole, but he wasn't a monster. The instant her voice cracked, he averted his gaze and pushed the cup towards her.
"The coffee's still hot. The way you like, extra cream." he mumbled, his voice losing its impishness. He pulled his stool towards her.
"Show me what you’re working on."
She smiled. And as she leaned in to look at his work, the trap snapped shut.
His compassion was flared. All she needed to do was to take advantage of it and ruin his life for her inner satisfaction.
Later, they were studying together, Luke was being casual and the most charming as usual.
"You are staring at that report like you’re trying to murder it, Luke," she murmured. She leaned across the table, her shoulder brushing his.
He noticed, eyes glancing down at them colliding, drying his throat. But, he didn't pull away. That was his first mistake.
"It’s a complex load-bearing issue. You wouldn't get it." He spoke, staring directly into her eyes,
"Try me," she challenged, a sly smirk spread across her lips, maintaining the keen eye-contact.
She reached out, her fingers tracing the lines of his drawing, just inches from his hand, inducing a strange feeling in his chest.
"Or are you too afraid I will find the flaw before you do?" She winked.
Luke was impotent to look away. He expected to see the usual spark of malice. Instead, he found a gaze that was wide, admiring, and impossibly warm.
"Why are you being nice to me, Peach?" he asked, trying to be cautious, hoping to pull back but was unable to do so.
"You are the first one to notice," She trailed off, tugging her hair behind her ear.
Her lips curving into a small, fragile smile that looked practiced, yet devastatingly real. Luke couldn’t call it a lie, even if he wanted to.
"And I want to know how that feels too,"
Peach didn’t just want Luke’s heart, she wanted the space which had another's name on it…. So she could cut it out.