Chapter 185: Motivation for you to act fast

Zayne's POV

The moment the car stopped in front of the school, I knew this wasn't going to be easy. As if having them swarm us at home wasn't enough, they also had to be at school.

The security guard opened the door. Apparently, Dad had sent a car for Quinn and me because of the reporters.

I took a deep breath before getting out of the car. The paparazzi rushed toward us immediately like they'd been waiting a long time.

“Zayne! Zayne, have you always known you were Mr. Ashford's son?”

“Did you know about your father's relationship with your mother?”

“Quinn! Why do you think Mrs. Ashford would want to murder your mom?”

“Were you aware of the Iron Kings' activities?”

The questions came from every direction.

Cameras flashed in our faces, microphones shoved toward us.

I instinctively stepped closer to Quinn, blocking her from them. The security men were already moving between us and the reporters, creating a path toward the school entrance.

“Please step back.”

“Give them some space.”

“Let them through.”

I kept my head down and followed them.

This was fucking ridiculous. If this was how rich people lived everyday, then I'd absolutely love to opt out.

I was already getting suffocated by the recognition.

When we finally made it inside the school building, Quinn let out a long breath.

“Wow,” she muttered. “That's just too much.”

“Yeah.” I glanced at her. “Are you okay?”

She turned to look at me, her face immediately twisting into a scowl. “I'm still not talking to you. Stop trying to force a conversation.”

I sighed. She turned and walked away before I could say anything else.

I watched her disappear down the hallway toward the junior wing. And that's when I realized that the public attention was far from over.

Students were staring at her. Some were even taking pictures, while others whispered among themselves.

Quinn didn't seem to care. She just kept walking until she disappeared around the corner.

I shook my head and continued down the hallway.

It wasn't any better for me. People kept staring as whispers followed.

“That's Mr. Ashford's son.”

“Wait, so he's like Rowan's brother now?”

“Holy shit. I can't believe it.”

“He's a scholarship student, right?”

“Yeah. Apparently he's the owner's son.”

“So Zayne didn't know Mr Ashford was his dad, or was he pretending all along?”

I heard every damn word. But I didn't look at anyone. I kept walking.

When I finally reached the classroom, I pushed the door open.

The room went strangely quiet. Everyone looked at me like I had just descended from the sky. I glanced around. Tyler, Jace and even Chloe had the same expression as everyone else.

What do I have to explain to them now?

I ignored the stares, fixing my gaze on the one place I always loved to look at.

Valeria's seat.

She was sitting at her desk, chatting with Tessa.

And damn it.

She looked so beautiful. More beautiful than I'd remembered.

Actually... she looked hot.

Her blonde hair was curled again, framing her face perfectly. She had a little makeup on, enough to make her eyes stand out and her lips look even fuller.

And then I noticed the lip gloss. My eyes stayed there longer.

I swallowed.

All I wanted to do was walk straight to her desk, pull her close, and kiss that fucking lip gloss off her lips.

Fuck. I missed her.

By the time break rolled around, I was already restless from watching her and doing nothing about it.

I watched her close her notebook and stand up with Tessa. They grabbed their bags and walked out of the classroom together.

My eyes followed them. And then I noticed the glances. Everyone else was also looking at her and whispering amongst themselves.

I clenched my fist.

I hated that the news had affected her too. I hated that she had to deal with the consequences of the actions of her emotionally absent father.

I was still staring at the doorway when Rowan stood up. He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out. I stood up immediately and followed him, catching up with him just outside the classroom.

He glanced over his shoulder, and a teasing smile appeared on his face. “Well, well. Hope I'm safe?”

I rolled my eyes.

I was never the one who came looking for him. It was always him seeking me out, trying to get my attention.

“You are,” I replied.

We started walking down the hallway.

“I just wanted to thank you,” I said.

He looked at me. “For what?”

“For everything you did. For reporting your mom.” I paused. “I know it isn't... easy for you.”

His expression became more serious. “It was the right thing to do,” he said gruffly.

“I know.” I nodded. “If you hadn't told me, I don't know what would've happened to my mom.”

Rowan looked ahead. “I couldn't just sit back and do nothing.”

“I get it.”

We continued walking. People kept whispering as we passed. I could hear bits and pieces.

“I still can't believe Rowan and Zayne are brothers. I mean, they actually fought some time ago over Valeria.”

“Why is Zayne associating with Rowan? After what Rowan's mom tried to do to his mom?”

“Damn. They're both good-looking.”

We ignored them and kept walking until I heard another voice.

“You guys heard what happened to Valeria, right?” a girl asked, giggling.

My steps slowed.

Both Rowan and I stopped. We turned at the same time.

The girls surrounding her stilled as soon as they caught sight of us. Their gazes flicked down as if there was something really important on the floor.

“After carrying herself like some kind of goddess...” she laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. “Her father is a—”

She stopped shen she realized her audience were no longer paying attention to her. She slowly turned and froze instantly.

I stared at her face with irritation, feeling the urge to just slam her face against that locker.

“What were you saying about Valeria?” Rowan asked, stepping closer to her.

The girl's eyes widened. “N-Nothing.”

Her eyes met mine, which were burning with anger, and she swallowed. “I-I was just—”

“Don't you ever talk about her again.” My voice came out cold. Very cold.

The girl nodded quickly. “Okay.”

They grabbed their bags and scurried away like scared cats.

Rowan and I exchanged a look before continuing down the hallway. After a few seconds, he spoke. “So...”

I already knew where it was going.

“When are you going to reconcile with Valeria?”

I shoved my hands into my pockets and took a deep breath. “I want to, but... I don't know.”

“What's stopping you?”

“I don't know how she'll deal with it.”

“What's she gonna deal with?”

“Everything.” I sighed. “The breakup. It was... it was really bad. I don't know how I'm supposed to just... explain everything to her. I really don't know how to face her.”

Rowan was quiet for a moment. Then he shrugged. “That's your problem.”

I looked at him.

A smirk hung low on his lips. “If you waste any more time delaying, I'm going after Val.”

I stopped walking. “What did you just say?”

He stopped too, staring at me with that crazy smirk I wanted to slap off his face. “Better act fast. Because if you don't, I'll put in more effort into chasing her, and eventually... she might fall for me.”

I stared at him, my jaw clenched. “You're an asshole.”

He snickered. “And you're a coward.”

I scoffed. “You're such an idiot.”

“And you're still scared to tell the girl you love that you want her back.”

I glared at him, then shoved past his shoulder, walking ahead.

His chuckle erupted from behind me. "Calm down. I'm just teasing you. It's just motivation for you to act fast."

Fucking idiot.

I shook my head and continued walking.

Maybe this was our fucked-up way of being brothers—insulting each other at every chance we got. And somehow, it seemed to be working for us.