Kayla couldn't stop staring at him in awe.

Seeing him once again was something else; he was flawless, untouchable, like he’d been carved out of stone.

She stood up in awe. He was glorious.

Lila stood up. “Uh… do you guys realize he’s walking this way?”

Luc stepped into the lounge, his sharp eyes instantly landing on her. The weird girl. The one who had been haunting his thoughts since he saw her.

She sat with her head down, small shoulders hunched, trying to make herself invisible, and what he had seen from afar was enough to know she was being bullied.

His gaze shifted to the redhead across from her, the one smirking and adjusting herself like she owned the place.

“Hi,” he said flatly

Kayla blinked, stunned. Her mouth opened, but the only sound that came out was a shaky, “H…hi.”

Luc gave her a brief nod, and pointed toward Isabella. “What’s her name?”

Although perplexed, Kayla looked at Isabella and how she looked like, then she sneered and looked back at Luc. "She’s… she’s no one you should bother with.”

Luc stared at her with a cold gaze, then his voice dropped lower, colder. “What’s her name?”

He didn’t look at Kelly again.

His eyes scanned the table, daring one of the other girls to answer.

Lila swallowed hard, then blurted, “I…Isabella. Isabella Danvers.”

Luc kept quiet, letting the name sit in his mind. “Aela,” he muttered, like he was claiming it for himself.

Isabella looked up at him, her wide eyes locking onto him in surprise at his choice of abbreviating her name. People called her Ella, mostly Isa, sometimes, Bella, but never Aela. How did he even?…

The only place she’d heard that name before was in her dreams. Dreams that were blurry, foggy, but the voice… the voice had always been the same and he sounded like it.

Luc noticed the name got her attention, and then a slow, rare smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “You like it?”

Her lips trembled. “I… I know you,” Isabella whispered, her voice almost inaudible.

Kayla and her friends exchanged glances, confusion etched on their faces. They couldn't understand what was going on.

"Take my hand,” Luc said, extending his hand toward Isabella.

Isabella stared at it, unsure. “Why?”

His eyes flicked to Kayla and the others. "Because I saw what they were doing to you. And I can help you.”

Her heart pounded. She didn’t understand what he was offering, or why he even cared.

"Uh… um… Mr… I don’t even know your name, handsome boy,” Kayla said, sliding her hand over his black coat, trying to get him to look at her. “You got it all wrong. We’re all friends here, but she did something wrong.”

Luc looked at Isabella, his gaze soft. "I know she's lying, Aela. Come with me. I don’t bite.”

Isabella’s throat went dry, and she quickly lowered her eyes, wondering what was happening. Something about him felt mysterious and dangerous, and he was stupid to think she'd just walk off with him. It would be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire and she couldn’t risk that.

"See? She doesn’t want to go,” Kayla called out smugly. “I’m right.”

Luc was slowly getting annoyed by her defiance and rejection. It was no longer baffling. But although he was starting to hate it, it still made him even more intrigued.

"Handsome boy..." Kayla seductively said.

And Luc shot her a glare. "Do I look like a boy?"

Kayla blinked, and gave him a good once over. He was indeed masculine with a commanding presence that was almost unreal.

Truly, he was not a boy, but a man.

And it got her thinking. How could someone like him still be in school? He was so handsome, and manly enough for her to know that he didn't belong in school. But then he was in his final year, so it somehow made some sense.

"Uh… my bad. Handsome man,” she stammered.

Luc turned back to Isabella, who still seemed lost in her own world, then glared at Kayla. “Be careful who you touch, or disrespect. It might come back to bite you later on.”

Without another word, he walked away, leaving Kayla standing there with a frown of confusion and disbelief.

"What was that?” Tina muttered, still processing what just happened.

Kayla’s eyes darted to Isabella. “Do you know him?”

Isabella quickly shook her head. “I don’t.”

“It sure looks like he wants to get close to her,” Lila said, stating the obvious.

Kayla frowned for a few seconds but then she smirked, her mind already scheming. “That shouldn’t happen… but maybe it should.”

Tina frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Kayla continued with a proud smile. “Isabella’s gonna get close to him for me.”

Isabella’s head snapped up, eyes wide. “No.” She said, her voice sharper than usual. "I've done everything you guys wanted, but this I will not do."

Kayla laughed. "Wow… listen to you, finally fighting back.” She pulled out her phone, waving it tauntingly in front of Amelia. “Did you forget about this?”

But before she knew it, a hand snatched the phone right out of hers. The girls gasped as the figure stepped in front of them.

Angry at a point, Kayla’s mouth dropped open to see it was.

Standing there was none other than Ezekiel Blaze, the student body president.

His cold stare lingered on the phone, then lifted to Kayla. “No wonder. You’ve got something against her.”

Kelly blinked rapidly, scrambling for words. “Uh… um… please, can you… can you give me back my phone?”

Ezekiel ignored her, his eyes shifting to Isabella, who sat frozen in confusion. Then back to Kayla. “Whatever you’re holding over her, I’ll find out.” He turned to Isabella, his voice softer. “It’s better if you come with me.”

Isabella wanted to burst out crying in that spot. She felt like a pawn on a chessboard, pushed from one player to the next. From Kayla to someone she didn't even know.

Tears pricked her eyes, but she swallowed them down.

"Come on,” Ezekiel pressed. “Get up.”

With shaking hands, Isabella slowly stood up, gave Kayla all her things, and followed Ezekiel as he walked away.

The table fell silent.

“What the hell just happened?” Lila whispered.

“Did we just lose Isabella?” Tina asked, still stunned.

Kayla looked at them, her jaw clenched. "We just did."