Chapter 8

Glinda POV

“Everyone come out now!” Kavrian barked as soon as we got to the grand hall of the school and the huge open space instantly fell silent.

Students began stepping out from classrooms and gathering along the upper floors, leaning against the railings to look down at us. The bright lights reflected against the marble floor beneath my feet as whispers spread across the building.

My heart dropped.

What was he doing?

“I want to make something clear,” his tone was hard, commanding. “No one, not a single one of you should ever lay a hand on Glinda. Ever!”

This was about me? Goodness, I could melt. Everyone was looking at me.

“And as for the rumors going around,” Kavrian continued, his sharp gaze sweeping across the crowd, “Glinda’s feelings for my brother are not her fault.”

Silent gasps spread through the hall, and I quickly pressed myself behind Kavrian’s back, foolishly thinking it would hide me from everyone.

“We have all had a crush right?” He kept going.

“Right?!” He barked, and people started to whisper their answers, nodding positively. Teachers were out now, but no one came to stop Kavrian.

“Good. Just like everyone else, Glinda had a crush on my brother,” he said, pausing as he studied the crowd. “The whole story about her trying to seduce both of us is a lie.”

He rubbed his thumb gently against my hand, as if telling me to calm down, and somehow, it worked.

“Glinda likes Ethan. I knew that, yet I still couldn’t stop myself from chasing her.” A beat.”I know all of you are wondering how that’s possible when I used to hate her…”

He looked down at me briefly before facing the crowd again.

“Let’s just say matters of the heart can’t be questioned.”

My eyes widened as I stared at him.

“And yes,” he said firmly, “I lied earlier when I said we were dating.”

The whispers grew louder instantly.

“But I lied because I wanted it to be true.”

If it were possible, a good number of people’s eyes would have started popping out of their sockets with how shocked they looked.

Kavrian turned to me then, his grip on my hand tightening slightly.

“Because I love her.”

My breath caught. I almost melted.

“I want Glinda to be with me.”

Goodness, Kavrian was such a great liar. Everything he was saying sounded real, the way he was staring at me felt real, I actually almost believed him. I almost forgot that he was doing all these because he wanted me to fake date him.

Kavrian didn’t even give the crowd time to recover from the shock of his confession before continuing, “And my brother?” he added, voice sharp enough to cut through the silence. “He’s a fool for not realizing what he had right in front of him.”

“Kavrian…” I whispered under my breath, tugging slightly at his sleeve, but he didn’t look at me. Not yet.

“He had a gem,” he continued, eyes scanning the upper floors where Ethan usually stood with his friends…he was there, looking so red, fist clenched, jaw tight, I feared he would explode. “and he treated her like she was nothing. Like she was despicable.”

My chest tightened.

“And now,” Kavrian said, finally turning his head toward me, his expression softening just for me, “I’m done watching from the sidelines.”

My breath caught again.

“You should choose me, Glinda,” he said, lower this time, only for me, but the hall was so silent it still echoed. “Not because I’m asking…but because I’m the only one who will ever choose you properly.”

My heart pounded so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it. Had I teleported to the wrong dimension? All of these felt too real to be fake!

And then…

The doors at the far end of the grand hall burst open.

Several men walked in, each holding massive bouquets of flowers so large they almost blocked their faces. Behind them, more students began rushing in, lifting something huge between them.

A banner.

It was slowly raised above the crowd, stretching across the hall in bold, glittering letters:

GLINDA, BE MY GIRLFRIEND

Gasps erupted instantly.

I took a step back, completely stunned, but Kavrian didn’t let go of my hand. Instead, he pulled me gently closer to him.

Right there, in front of the entire school, under the bright lights and hundreds of staring eyes, Kavrian looked at me like I was the only person in the world.

And in the most dramatic, shameless, heart-stopping way possible…

He asked me out.

I couldn't spend another second there, so I ran. This time Kavrian didn't stop me. He knew I needed space. I needed to process all that had happened.

I ran so fast, one would think the building had caught on fire, until I got to my favorite spot…the rooftop.

There, I dropped to my knees, panting as if I had just run a marathon. My chest was rising and falling so hard, placing my hand there did nothing but make me feel how hard my heart was beating against my ribcage.

“Oh my goodness…”I muttered, now feeling a little calmer. “H-he really did that?”

Propose to me in front of everyone?

He didn't seem ashamed one bit.

“It was for show Glinda, don't get ahead of yourself,” A little voice said in my head, but I didn't mind. Because as crazy as it sounded, as nervous as I was being the center of attention, I actually…liked it.

Being shown off like that. Being protected. Loved. It was fake, but from the moment he saved me from Rose, he didn't hesitate a bit. What Kavrian did was the nicest and most romantic thing anyone has done for me.

I may sound crazy now, but I wanted more. Even if it was fake, I wanted to experience what it would feel like to have a man who wouldn't hesitate to protect and show his love for me. Again, even if it was fake.

I grabbed my phone from my pocket and my eyes widened. I was getting tons of friend requests from my schoolmates. They wanted to be my friend. I was confused at first until I checked the group chat and realized that I was trending again, even more than when I kissed Kavrain.

While some hated me, and thought my charm on Kaviran was strong and that I should be expelled for doing dark magic, a good number of the students liked me and were rooting for me. They wanted to know which of the brothers I would end up with.

Heck, the headlines were…

“THE OMEGA WHO STOLE BOTH BROTHERS’ HEARTS!”

“KAIVRAN OR ETHAN? THE SCHOOL’S BIGGEST LOVE TRIANGLE YET!”

Then the most trending picture came. It was Kavrian and me from a while ago as he held me protectively, then Ethan's angry face was edited at the side of the picture.

I couldn’t help it and smiled slightly. I couldn’t believe I had gotten famous and, in the most chaotic way possible, became the school’s favorite girl overnight.

Everything seemed to be going as planned and this time, from the picture, it was clear that Ethan had been jealous.

In less than twenty-four hours, I experienced things I had never experienced, things I wanted again and it was all thanks to Kavrian.

Is this a sign to damn the consequences and accept his fake dating offer?

“No, no, no…you can't really be serious Glinda.”

Just as I was about to convince myself that fake dating Kavrian was a terrible idea…

My phone buzzed again.

A message

Kavrian: Did I scare you that much?

Another text came in almost immediately.

Kavrian: If you hate the flowers, I can burn them.

I laughed softly under my breath despite everything.

Then a third message appeared.