Chapter 62: A Fiancée’s Unwanted Dinner [4]

Lorenzo noticed how her shoulders stiffened whenever he touched her unexpectedly, how she kept a careful distance from him whenever she could, and how her smiles rarely reached her eyes anymore.

He knew she was uncomfortable around him.

He knew she didn’t trust him.

He knew she hated him.

And yet, some foolish part of him had hoped that a few compliments and a pleasant dinner might somehow make things different.

What did you expect, idiot?

He had hurt her.

No amount of money, expensive food, or beautiful words could erase that fact.

For once, Lorenzo couldn’t find a convenient excuse to hide behind.

"So," Sofia said, picking up her fork again, "is that the end of your story?"

"Not exactly."

She stopped moving.

"...There’s more?"

Lorenzo’s mouth twitched.

"Would you prefer that I continue?"

"No."

"Then I’ll continue."

"That’s not how questions work!"

He chuckled.

Sofia stared at him in disbelief.

Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.

She had spent months wishing she could escape this man, and now he was treating their dinner like an opportunity to practice his nonexistent romantic skills.

Still, one thing bothered her.

She couldn’t understand why he was doing this.

Was it another form of manipulation? Was he trying to make her lower her guard? Or had he genuinely convinced himself that he could make her love him?

Sofia studied him carefully.

"Lorenzo."

"Yes?"

"Why are you doing this?"

His smile faded slightly.

"Doing what?"

"This." She gestured vaguely between them. "The compliments. The stories. This entire dinner."

For once, Lorenzo didn’t immediately produce an answer.

Why was he doing this?

Because he wanted her to stop looking at him with hatred?

Because he wanted her to smile at him again?

Because he wanted to believe that their relationship could become something other than the ugly mess he had created?

Perhaps all three.

But admitting any of that would mean acknowledging how little control he had over a situation he had once believed he could dictate entirely.

So he settled for the simplest answer.

"Because I want you to like me."

Sofia’s fingers tightened around her fork.

The answer was so straightforward that, for a moment, she didn’t know what to do with it.

Then she looked him directly in the eyes.

"And if I don’t?"

"You won’t have any choice."

Sofia felt a chill run down her spine.

Not because his answer was particularly threatening, but because he had said it so casually, as though her refusal were merely another obstacle he could overcome through persistence.

She wanted him to leave her alone.

She wanted to become strong enough that neither Lorenzo nor Aldric could ever decide the course of her life again.

And when she finally possessed that strength, she would make certain they could never hurt anyone the way they had hurt her.

Even if she had to stain her hands with their blood.

"You’re quite confident," Sofia remarked.

"Of course."

Lorenzo picked up his fork.

"I’m Lorenzo Riina. There’s very little in this world I can’t obtain if I put my mind to it."

Including your own downfall, Sofia thought.

She smiled at him.

"Then I suppose I’ll have to disappoint you."

Lorenzo paused.

Their eyes met across the table.

Then he grinned.

"Try your best."

Sofia’s smile remained, but her heart grew colder.

She would.

She would try her very best.

And one day, when she was finally strong enough to stand before him without fear, she would show Lorenzo Riina exactly what happened when someone mistook another person’s freedom for something they had the right to take away.

For now, however, she had an expensive dinner to finish.

Sofia picked up her fork and cut another piece of steak.

Then she deliberately let a little sauce fall onto the tablecloth.

Lorenzo’s eye twitched.

She smiled sweetly.

"Oops."

CRACK!

His fork bent slightly beneath his fingers.

Sofia lowered her head, hiding her grin.

Perhaps becoming strong enough to kill him would take time.

But irritating him?

That, she was discovering, was surprisingly easy.

"Ohh and you are coming home with me."

Sofia’s smile slowly disappeared when Lorenzo announced that she would be going home with him.

For a moment, she froze.

Memories of that terrible night came rushing back, making her stomach twist with fear. She swallowed hard, trying to keep her expression under control. However, beneath that fear, hatred began to rise.

’That bastard! Does he really think he can do whatever he wants with me?’

Her fingers tightened around her fork. For a fleeting moment, she considered driving it straight into Lorenzo’s hand—or perhaps somewhere even more painful.

But then her gaze shifted toward the man standing in the corner of the restaurant.

Enzo Prank, Lorenzo Riina’s personal secretary, stood silently in his black suit and dark glasses. He was a high-ranking awakener—a Master, someone Sofia had no chance of defeating in her current condition.

If she attacked Lorenzo, Enzo would undoubtedly stop her before she could accomplish anything.

Damn it!

Sofia took a slow breath and forced herself to calm down. Acting on impulse would only make things worse.

"B-But the academy rules don’t allow students to leave the dormitories whenever they want!" she protested, desperately searching for an excuse to refuse him.

Lorenzo casually wiped his mouth with a napkin before replying, "Oh, that? Enzo has already spoken with the principal. He said you’re allowed to stay out."

Sofia’s expression stiffened.

’He even went that far just to make sure I couldn’t refuse him?’

Her hands clenched beneath the table. She wanted to scream at him, throw her plate in his face, and tell him exactly what she thought of him.

But she couldn’t.

Not yet.

"F-Fine," she muttered, forcing the word out through gritted teeth. A hint of restrained anger remained in her voice, but she lowered her gaze before Lorenzo could notice just how furious she was.

Her last excuse for refusing him had just disappeared.

Still, Sofia wasn’t going to give up.

’If he tries to do anything to me, I’ll burn him alive! The Riina family won’t protect him from me forever!’

Her eyes narrowed as she silently swore to herself.

’Damn the consequences! I don’t care anymore!’