Chapter 152 Scandalous

Chapter 152 Scandalous
"What did the post say, Daisy?"
Eloise hated how small her voice sounded.
Daisy swallowed hard before handing over her phone. The expression on her face alone made Eloise's stomach twist.
Slowly, she took the phone and her eyes immediately found the headline.
THE DOUBLE LIFE OF A MOBSTER WIFE?
'Freshman Eloise wants everyone to believe she's just another college student juggling lectures, coffee runs, and campus life.
There's just one tiny problem.
Sources claim the mysterious "fiancé" she's been keeping under wraps isn't a fiancé at all.
He's allegedly her husband.
And not just any husband.
Try a powerful Mafia boss with enough money to buy half the city.
So tell us, NYC...
Is our newest freshman here for a degree?
Or is she simply playing college girl while spending crime-lord's money behind the scenes?'
Eloise stared at them, then she read them again, a sick feeling settling heavily inside her chest.
The article itself wasn't even the worst part. It was everything around it.
The whispers. The staring. The feeling that suddenly everyone knew something about her. Or thought they did.
A week. She had been here for one week. One week of lectures. One week of laughing with friends. One week of pretending she could simply be another student.
"El..."
Brian sounded genuinely horrified.
"Holy shit."
Eloise slowly lowered the phone. Everywhere she looked people were staring. Some openly, others pretending not to.
Phones were out, whispers were spreading. A group of girls nearby looked at her before immediately lowering their heads together.
Her heart began hammering painfully against her ribs. 
"El, wait—"
Eloise shoved the phone back into Daisy's hands and stood abruptly.
"I need to go."
She was already pulling her phone out, her fingers shaking so badly she almost mistyped.
"Please come pick me up right now."
She hit send, then she started walking fast. Anything to get away from the staring and the whispers.
"Eloise!"
She didn't stop.
"Eloise!"
This time she recognized Ryan's voice, still she kept moving. A second later he caught up beside her.
"Eloise, wait."
His hand closed gently around her arm, making her halt.
Ryan looked worried seeing her so upset. "The page is garbage."
Eloise laughed bitterly. "It doesn't matter."
"It does matter."
"No, Ryan." She gestured helplessly toward the lawn. "Look at them."
Ryan glanced back and people were still watching. Some more discreetly than others.
Ryan looked back at her. "They'll move on."
Eloise shook her head. "You don't know that."
"I do."
His voice remained calm. "The people staring at you right now will be staring at somebody else tomorrow."
Eloise looked away but Ryan stepped closer. "That's how gossip works."
His expression softened. "It explodes. Then everybody finds a new target."
Eloise lowered her head, embarrassment burning through her. Anger and humiliation churned alongside it, the emotions tangling together until she could barely separate one feeling from another.
Finally she looked up. "And you?"
Ryan held her gaze. "What about me?"
"Do you believe it?"
For a moment he simply looked at her, then he shrugged. "It doesn't change anything."
Eloise blinked up at him. 
"So whatever some gossip page says isn't going to change my opinion of you."
Eloise felt tears sting unexpectedly behind her eyes. She looked down immediately. "Thank you."
Ryan shoved his hands into his pockets. "Anytime."
A few moments later, her phone vibrated in her hand. Enzo was outside waiting for her. A wave of relief loosened the tight knot in Eloise's chest.
"I have to go." She said. 
Ryan nodded immediately. "Okay."
They walked together toward the front entrance of campus, neither speaking much. 
The black SUV was already waiting, then Ryan stopped beside the curb.
Eloise turned toward him. "Thank you, Ryan."
He smiled warmly at her. "I got you."
For some reason that nearly made her cry again, so she quickly climbed into the SUV. 
The moment the door shut, everything she'd been holding together shattered.
A sob escaped her, then another, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. Outside, Ryan remained standing on the sidewalk.
He gave her a small wave and Eloise waved back weakly. Then the SUV pulled away.
"Signora." Enzo's deep voice cut gently through her tears. She quickly wiped her face.
"What happened?"
Eloise laughed bitterly. "I just wanted one thing."
Enzo glanced at her through the mirror.
"I wanted one normal thing."
She looked out the window. "I wanted lectures." Students walking across campus flashed through her mind. "Dumb conversations."
She wiped angrily at her eyes. "I wanted to be a student." Then she shook her head. "Apparently that was too much to ask."
Enzo's expression remained unreadable. "What happened at school, Signora?"
Eloise wiped her eyes angrily. "There was a nasty post about me."
Enzo frowned immediately. "What post?"
Then she pulled out the phone and searched for NYC Unfiltered. The article immediately appeared.
She hated every word, every sentence. She looked at the ending and read aloud.
"Is our newest freshman here for a degree?"
Her voice dripped with disgust. "Or is she simply playing college girl while spending crime-lord's money behind the scenes?"
She lowered the phone, fresh anger surging through her chest. "They make me sound like some gold digger." 
Her hands curled into tight fists in her lap. "As if Massimo bought me." She shook her head, swallowing the lump rising in her throat. "And that bitch had the nerve to smile in my face."
Enzo didn't need to ask who she meant. Massimo had already informed him that Eloise's cousin had transferred to the same university, and he hadn't liked the news then. He liked it even less now.
The conversation faded as the SUV continued weaving through the afternoon traffic. 
Eloise stared blankly out of the window, trying to push down the humiliation still burning inside her, while Enzo's attention remained fixed on the road. Then something caught his eye.
His gaze flicked to the rearview mirror before shifting to the driver's side mirror. A dark sedan remained several car lengths behind them. At first, it could have been coincidence. 
Cars followed the same routes all the time. But when Enzo changed lanes, the sedan drifted over a few seconds later. He took the next turn. It followed again, keeping the same careful distance.
His expression hardened almost imperceptibly.
"Signora."
The change in his voice was enough to pull Eloise from her thoughts. She turned toward him, immediately sensing something was wrong.
"What is it?"
Enzo didn't answer straight away. His eyes remained on the mirrors as he guided the SUV into another lane. Once again, the sedan mirrored the maneuver.
His jaw tightened.
"Brace yourself."
A cold knot formed instantly in Eloise's stomach. Slowly, she twisted in her seat and looked through the rear windshield.
A black Sedan was following them.
Her heart began race. 
"...Are we being followed?"