Chapter 184: ¹⁸⁴:really?!

Chapter 184: 1??:really?!

The girl must be heartbroken. I mean, Maria used to follow Louis Dreven around like a damn shadow, and now he had spoken to her as though she were his enemy. Hell, he had practically threatened her, even if he hadn’t done so directly.

That had to hurt. Did I feel bad for Maria? Well, hell no. She deserved it for being the bitch she was. I wasn’t about to start feeling sorry for someone who had given me more than enough reasons to dislike her.

However, what I didn’t want was to somehow become the reason behind all the drama that had just unfolded in front of the entire class.

I could already imagine the rumors that would start spreading. Louis Dreven had personally handed me an invitation to the Grand Eclipse Ball, then proceeded to issue what sounded suspiciously like a warning to Maria Vale right in front of everyone.

And all of this had happened before I had even managed to settle into my seat properly. Could my life get any more complicated? Apparently, yes. It always could.

"So, Athena, now that the issue you just mentioned as your reason for rejecting my invitation has been resolved," Louis said, turning his attention back to me, "I believe this invitation is yours now."

His tone was almost casual, as though he hadn’t just turned the entire classroom into an audience for his personal confrontation with Maria.

He didn’t seem to care about the shocked glances being thrown his way, the whispers beginning to spread between desks, or the fact that half the class appeared to be holding its breath to see what I would do next.

Of course, he didn’t care. Louis Dreven seemed to exist in a world where other people’s opinions were merely background noise.

Before I could come up with a suitable response, he straightened, gave me one last look, and walked away from my desk.

Just like that. He didn’t wait for me to accept the invitation, thank him, or even tell him to go to hell.

Instead, he returned to his seat and settled into it with an effortless confidence as if he owned the entire Academy. Which, technically, he probably had enough influence to do.

Still, the sheer audacity of the man was something else. I stared after him, my mouth slightly open. Did that man seriously just decide the matter was settled on my behalf?Apparently, he had.

"Girl, we need to go shopping after classes!"

Rose’s excited whisper-shout beside me snapped me out of my thoughts.

I turned toward her, blinking in disbelief. She was practically beaming at me, her earlier concern about the invitation having apparently vanished into thin air. If anything, she looked even more excited now than she had when Louis first placed the envelope on my desk.

I stared at her for a moment, genuinely questioning how her mind functioned. "You’re thinking about shopping right now? Seriously?" I asked.

Because, honestly, how? We had just witnessed Louis Dreven practically threaten Maria Vale in front of an entire classroom. I had somehow found myself caught in the middle of their drama, and I was now the proud owner of an invitation that might complicate my life in ways I couldn’t even begin to predict. And Rose’s first thought was shopping?

"Well, you’re going to the Eclipse Ball!" she exclaimed, as though that explained everything. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and gave me an exaggerated once-over. "Obviously, you’re going to need something that will make everyone go crazy over the body you’ve been hiding beneath that uniform!"

I stared at her. Then I stared at her some more. Was she even listening to herself? Apparently, Rose’s mind had absolutely no interest in the problems occupying mine. While I was busy calculating the risks of attending the ball, she was already imagining me dressed up and making an impression on everyone there.

I couldn’t decide whether to be impressed by her priorities or concerned about them. "I’m not going shopping or doing anything of the sort!" I declared firmly.

I even pointed a finger at her for emphasis, hoping that a sufficiently stern expression would convince her I meant business.

Rose immediately responded by pouting. Oh, no. Not that face. She pressed her lips together, tilted her head slightly, and looked at me with those enormous, pleading eyes that had probably convinced countless people to do things they would otherwise never have considered.

I narrowed my eyes at her. She wasn’t going to get me this time. I had more important things to worry about than dresses, shoes, and whatever other ridiculous expenses she would inevitably find a way to add to our shopping trip.

I wasn’t going to the ball to impress anyone.

I wasn’t going to make a grand entrance, attract attention, or give new people any reasons to gossip about me.

I was going because I had a plan. A very important plan that depended on me being in the right place at the right time, with Kael.

Tomorrow night’s eclipse was the entire reason I had been desperately searching for a way to attend the ball in the first place. If everything went wrong because I wasted my time shopping for some outrageously expensive dress, I would never forgive myself.

Besides, I didn’t need an extravagant gown to accomplish what I had set out to do. All I needed was to get inside, find a way to stay close to Kael, and make sure I didn’t mess up the plan I had been working so hard to put together.

That was it. Simple. At least, it would have been simple if my life didn’t seem determined to throw a new complication at me every five minutes.

Now, despite all my reservations about accepting an invitation from Louis, I had to admit that I was running out of excuses to refuse it.

There were two reasons for that.

The first was that I had already used the most convincing excuse I could think of when I told Louis I didn’t want his invitation because of the trouble I might face by being associated with him.

And then he had promptly addressed that very concern by making it clear, in front of half the classroom, that nobody would dare say anything to me.

What was I supposed to do now? Tell him that I simply didn’t want to accept an invitation specifically from him? That would hardly improve the situation.

Besides, I had a feeling Louis wouldn’t take no for an answer easily, he never did. He would probably keep bothering me about it until I finally gave in, and I really didn’t have the patience to deal with that on top of everything else.

So, perhaps it was better to accept the inevitable now rather than drag the matter out until later.

The second reason was far more straightforward. I desperately needed a way into the Eclipse Ball.

I had spent the better part of the morning worrying about how I could possibly get there, and now an invitation had practically landed in my lap.

An actual invitation. To the very event I needed to attend. Maybe I had just used up my entire lifetime’s supply of luck to get it, but who was I to question the universe when it finally decided to do me a favor?

I could either take the opportunity or continue wasting time searching for another way in that might not even exist.

And I wasn’t stupid enough to throw away such a convenient solution just because it had come from Louis Dreven.

I would accept the invitation. I would attend the ball and I would carry out my plan. And, most importantly, I would do everything in my power to avoid being noticed by Louis tomorrow night.

Considering how determined he seemed to involve himself in my life lately, that last part might prove to be the most difficult task of all.