All Chapters of Tied to the Ruthless Three: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

GABRIEL'S POV:"Damn it!" Nathaniel cursed. The whole way back to the dorm, he kept swearing, ranting about Anna and Alexei. The same with the rest of my friends, acting as if they were defending me. They wouldn't stop talking about how bad things almost got for me. But my mind? It was stuck on Anna.Something unsettled me when she suddenly showed up and demanded that my punishment be canceled. I almost destroyed her. I hate Anna. Yet why the hell did she dare to defy Alexei's order?No one ever did that. Everyone always stayed silent, bowing their heads to whatever Alexei decided. Even Nathaniel. They were all too scared, but Anna stood up. She became my shield, even though she nearly lost her life because of me."We've got to teach Anna another lesson," Nathaniel hissed. I walked over to the closet and pulled out a shirt. "No need." "What? What did you say?" Nathaniel's eyes went wide. "She humiliated you, Gabe! Made us look weak, hiding behind Alexei's authority! I'm telling y

“Sir, I…” My hand trembled as I gripped the fencing foil. My eyes darted to Alexei, silently begging him to take back his words. But no, he looked dead serious. Maybe even excited to see me fight Nathaniel. An unfair match, obviously.“Mr. Alexei, going against Anna would only damage my reputation,” Nathaniel said arrogantly. “I could defeat her in two minutes.”“Two minutes?” Alexei scoffed. “You sparred with me for five.”Nathaniel chuckled softly. “Well, I respect you, sir. I wouldn’t dare beat you in two minutes, would I?”God, how could he say that to Alexei? He was so cocky!But Alexei wasn’t fazed by the jab. He just chuckled, nodding a few times. “Well then, two minutes should be more than enough for you to defeat Anastasia. Don’t hold back. I’m sure you can take her down.”Nathaniel didn’t reply. He shot me a glance filled with irritation. I knew it, I was going to be his punching bag. Two minutes might be short, but the humiliation would last longer. I could already imag

“Anna? Anna?”That voice was like a soft whisper in my ear. I could feel the warm breath against my skin and that scent of mint. Who the hell was waking me up with such a sexy voice?My eyes snapped open, and when I turned, Alexei was right behind me, staring with that intense gaze. I almost jumped, but instead, he pulled me tightly by the waist.“Where do you think you’re going?” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear.“S–Sir, I… I…”Mayday! I needed to get out of here, fast. But my body froze when his hand slid up from my waist. My heart was pounding like crazy—fear, curiosity, and something else tangled together inside me.“I was planning to punish you for waking up late,” he breathed against my neck this time. “It’s already eight in the morning, Anna. You were supposed to wake up two hours ago, just like at the academy.”“But, it’s Saturday, sir.”That sounded like a pretty good excuse, didn’t it? It’s the weekend, no classes, no rules. The only consequence for sleeping in was m

Could I say, "Yes, I want to ruin Dimitri and Victoria's engagement party"? But then I remembered—at my own engagement party, I was the one everyone called a troublemaker. Somehow, the memory still haunts me. I'm terrified that if I stir up trouble again, I'll be the one blamed for everything.And knowing my father, it'll only end with him accusing me of disgracing him once more. I can hardly imagine how bad it will get this time."No," I shook my head quickly. "I'd rather go home, sir. If you don't mind."Alexei didn't respond. His eyes—cold, unreadable—just stayed locked on me. I couldn't tell if he pitied me or thought I was a coward. Probably the latter. But that was fine. I'd rather be a coward than the scapegoat again."Ah, you'll miss the fun part, Anna. Isn't revenge supposed to be thrilling?"His words made me take a step back. He looked like the devil offering Eve a forbidden fruit. And honestly? His offer was tempting because I knew Alexei could pull it off in his own ter

What would happen if I took that outstretched hand?Alexei’s mysterious eyes locked onto mine. His hand was still there, offering either honey or poison. What should I do? Should I take it this time without questioning? Should I take it willingly, without any sense of coercion?I placed my hand in his. A cold smile curved Alexei’s lips."Your hand is freezing," he said."I—I...""Do you want me to teach you or not?" His voice was calm, but I didn’t know what would happen if I said no, or even if I said yes."I'm not sure, sir." My answer was vague and uncertain."You're free to refuse. I don’t want you to do this out of obligation, Anna.” This isn’t Bastorin. I won't suspend you if you choose not to learn." He chuckled.He was right. This wasn’t Bastorin. Whatever Alexei planned to “teach,” he wouldn’t share with anyone else. I was either his puppet or his apprentice—I wasn’t sure which. But if I stopped here, I wouldn't learn anything."I'm ready to learn from you, sir," I said firml