Why... Why Did He Look That Good?

Poppy’s Poppy’s POV:

Only two of them had arrived, but that didn’t stop the excitement. Some of the maids looked like they were ready to faint.

One was fanning herself with a folded napkin. Another casually pushed her cleavage higher, pretending not to care—but very clearly hoping someone would notice.

I didn’t get it.

These were the Caelum brothers everyone whispered about—the ones the maids called “the Devils.” Not because they were ugly or rude. It was because of their lifestyle. Reckless, dangerous, unapologetically bold, and covered in tattoos.

Even as they walked in, those inked designs peeked from under their sleeves and collars like they couldn’t be contained.

They were handsome, sure. I wasn’t blind.

But they weren’t my type.

I liked Lanny. My online guy. He made me laugh when no one else did. He sent sweet texts when I couldn’t sleep.

He listened to me ramble about books and old music and never made me feel like I had to be someone else. He never once made me feel ashamed for being quiet or awkward or unsure.

Lanny made me feel safe.

And I didn’t think I could ever trade that for someone who just looked good in a suit.

I turned my head away from the brothers, only to meet the one face I had hoped not to see—Penny.

She looked furious.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed, loud enough to make a few nearby guests glance over.

I turned toward Tanya, hoping for help, but she stood silently at the back of the room, her lips pressed together in guilt. She mouthed a single word: “Sorry.”

But I wasn’t sure I could forgive her.

“I told you, Poppy May Rayne,” Penny said, using my full name like a punishment, “to stay away from this party.”

I gave a small nod, my voice trapped somewhere deep in my chest.

Penny stepped closer. She reached out and tilted my chin up with her fingers, forcing me to look at her.

Her perfume was thick and sweet and choking, but I stayed still. I didn’t want to make things worse.

“Penny,” my stepmother Laura said sharply from nearby. “Guests are watching.”

That was the only thing that mattered to her.

Penny immediately let go of my chin and stepped back like nothing had happened. “Leave,” she said under her breath. “And don’t let me see you anywhere near this house again. If I do, I’ll burn your things the second we get home.”

I nodded and walked away. I didn’t want to cry, but my throat was tightening and my eyes burned.

I could feel everyone watching me. Not because they cared. But because I didn’t belong here. Because I looked ridiculous. I had just been publicly humiliated and nobody would say a word.

I hadn’t thought about what to wear. I just grabbed something clean and left the house. Now, looking down at myself, I saw what they saw. Mismatched colors. Shoes that didn’t fit the event. Hair that hadn’t been brushed properly.

I looked like a joke.

I turned back one last time, not sure why. Maybe just to take it all in—how beautiful everything looked, how far away from it I felt.

That’s when I heard a low growl behind me.

I froze.

Then I turned, slowly.

Two lean, muscular dogs stood a few feet away, tails raised, ears forward, growling low in their throats. They didn’t bark—but the warning in their eyes was clear.

I took a step back. Then another. The growling grew louder.

And then they started toward me.

I didn’t wait.

I ran.

I didn’t think about where I was going—just that I needed to be far away, fast. My shoes slipped on the grass as I darted around the side of the house.

I thought I heard someone shouting from inside, but I couldn’t stop. The dogs were right behind me, their feet pounding against the ground.

I rounded the corner of the building, heart hammering, lungs burning. There was no way I could make it to the gate without being seen—or caught. I needed somewhere to hide.

I spotted a narrow gap between the garden fence and the house wall, half-shadowed by tall shrubs. I slipped into it just in time.

The dogs didn’t follow. They stayed near the open yard, barking for a moment before finally giving up and wandering back the way they came.

I stayed there, hunched down in the narrow corner, hidden behind the shrubs, waiting until I was sure they were gone. My chest was rising and falling fast, but I didn’t want to move.

I was still too close to the house, still too exposed. But I couldn’t risk going back the way I came.

So I stayed there. Pressed against the back wall of the house, where no one could see me.

From here, I could hear everything happening inside. They were still laughing, like nothing mattered.

I hugged my knees to my chest and pressed my back to the cool brick wall.

I dragged the toe of my shoe through the dirt, drawing meaningless lines. Circles. Anything to distract myself.

What were they even laughing about?

Maybe it was something Penny said. She wasn’t even that funny, yet somehow everyone she talks to laughs at her jokes like she’s some kind of comedian.

I rolled my eyes.

I bet the Caelum Devils are fawning over her. Like puppets.

Penny is very beautiful, and she’s a model. It was originally my dream. I told my father first. It took him months to get a photographer for me—until the day I arrived at the studio for my first gig... and saw them taking photos of Penny instead.

I would have been popular like her. I would have been the first model of Velmora. My father's company brought the first international model to the city.

But my father told me Penny should be their face because she had the face and body of a model—while I had the face and body of a chef.

All this cooking is making me gain weight. I pulled at the skin of my belly.

Even though I learned to love cooking—because I like eating—it wasn’t my first passion.

The party noise grew louder now.

What could make them cheer like that? Curiosity tugged at me, and I found myself looking for a way to check.

I looked around first. Then I saw a concrete block nearby. I pulled it closer and climbed on top of it, steadying myself on the wall as I peeked through the window.

Inside, I saw Penny laughing, her hair glowing under the light. She looked beautiful, like she belonged here more than anyone else.

Two of the Caelum brothers were standing with her. They seemed completely focused on her, as if she was the only thing in the room.

But where was the third brother?

I searched the room quickly, my heart picking up for reasons I didn’t fully understand.

As my eyes scanned the crowd again, I found Penny’s gaze locked onto mine.

Directly at me.

My whole body froze.

I ducked down fast, my heart pounding in my ears. Had she really seen me? Maybe not. Maybe I imagined it. I waited a second, barely breathing.

Then slowly—very slowly—I peeked over the edge again.

She was still looking.

Our eyes met, and she raised one perfect eyebrow.

I panicked and ducked again, but this time, I moved too fast. My foot slipped off the edge of the block.

I let out a small yelp as I lost my balance and tumbled backward onto the ground.

I landed hard. The wind was knocked out of me. I couldn’t breathe for a second, but the pain didn’t fully register. The shock drowned everything out.

I just lay there, staring up at the sky, trying to process what had just happened. Penny caught me. She told me to go home and I stayed around.

She's going to burn all my things. I might as well not go home now, because I may not be alive to see what tomorrow looks like. I closed my eyes at my misfortune.

And I started laughing. Great. Everything’s going perfectly great.

Why does the universe hate me like this? Is it because of that one time I took candy from a baby? Is that why I’m cursed?

Is that why nothing works in my favor?

A simple, stupid job—I can’t even get one. And I’m supposed to be the best! The Raynes are known for excelling at whatever they do. It’s in our blood—yet somehow I can’t get one stupid job as a chef!

I might as well work at a fast food joint now... if they’d even hire me. Word out there is that my father specifically asked for no one to hire me. But I know it was my stepmother. My father doesn’t care enough to think about what I do.

I started laughing at the thought. Working at a damn fast food joint. And my dad is supposed to be Lionel Fucking Rayne!

“Tch, tch, tch...” I didn’t even know when the sobs started. I just let them.

“Are you okay?” asked a deep, husky voice.

Was that a voice I heard? “Please don’t let it be,” I whispered as I opened my eyes slowly.

There was someone tall standing above me.

He was... breathtaking.

His shirt was half-unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up, and the tattoos on his neck peeked out from his collar. His face was serious, but his eyes were soft. Concerned.

They were on me.

I couldn’t speak.

Why… why did he look that good?

Why did my heart feel like it was trying to claw its way out of my chest?