The Young Trillionaire In Shadow

Chapter 4 : The Girl in His Dreams

"Step away now," Caius used the same tone, "or everyone of you will regret it!"

The Cafeteria was as silent as a grave yard. No single cutleries clanged, no table screeched. Just dead silence. At exactly five seconds, a spoon clattered to the floor.

Instinctively, the crowd parted to the Young woman at the centre. Even she raised her head, the confusion or surprise on her face veiled by the hair scattered over her face. 

Caius walked through to her, his footsteps barely audible on the ground. He stopped in her front and crouched before her. The entire cafeteria watched in the silence.

Disregarding the juice sticking in her hair, he gently threw her hair to the back to see her face. His chest hammered.

It was really her.

The girl in her dream. His destiny partner sitting in ruin surrounded by predators.

Her thick black hair, her small attractive eyes and face that was sketched on his phone. It was her perfect resemblance. The only difference was that she was looking messy— tears filled her eyes, food crumbs patted to her face. Caius's heart tightened.

He leaned closer and did the most shocking thing. His arms went under her and he lifted her gently into his arm.

The Cafeteria gasped.

The young woman, Arabella Kingsley gasped softly in his arm but she didn't struggle. Her face flushed.

Comments flooded the air. Phone were out, snapping and recording the entire thing that could be tagged 'ROMANTIC."

"Who is that? Is he a student here?" 

"Did he know he before?"

"Awwn..this looks romantic." One girl giggled.

Caius rose to his feet and turned to face the crowd. His expression was hard. Arabella was in his arms curled up like a baby.

"Listen you all." His voice carried across with a commanding authority. "Whoever among you should lay a hand on her again will be in serious trouble. And I mean it. Very serious trouble."

He finished and turned walking out of the ruin  with his queen in his arm.

The cafeteria exploded with comments, the school media— KingswellMed was on fire—  The video of Caius lifting Arabella up circulated fast, comments exploding under it.

"Damn! Is that Dirty Arabella?!" 

She was called dirty because Arabella is the poorest girl in the school and they even hate her more because she top the class.

"Aww...this is Epic Romance." 

"Miserable Hero and the Dirty Ara. How matching." 

Meanwhile, inside a quiet Classroom, Caius gently set her down on her feet, staring at her.  

Arabella didn't look up. Her finger twisted the front of her skirt, her knuckles whitening. The silence stretched between them.

"W— ho are you? W— hat do you want from me?" Her shoulder shuddered. Her head remained down.

Caius took one step closer and Arabella step backward in fear.

"Please don't harm me. Please. I'll do anything you say. Please." 

Caius's heart tightened, understanding her situation.

"I didn't take you from them to harm you. I won't." He said, his voice gentle.

Arabella shook her head frantically. "No..no..you don't know what you're doing. Everyone hate me. They bully me. I.." Her voice cracked. "..they take advantage of me. Tell me what do you want?" 

Caius's heart ached merely hearing her voice breaking.

"I don't want..." 

Arabella suddenly turned, sprinting to the door in fear. 

"Please please..Let me go." Her footsteps echoed in the empty Hall.

"You can't keep running, Arabella. You need to stand up and fight for yourself for once." Caius said louder without running after her.

 Arabella didn't stop.

"I know you have been bullied. I know everyone hate you. They look down on you but I don't. I can't— "

She didn't stop yet. Tears streamed down her face as she continued running.

"— I can't because I want you to be my girlfriend, Arabella."

And so, She finally froze at the door.

Chapter 4 ii : Don't Stop Running 

Caius's statement hung in the air.

Arabella stopped. Her heart drummed in her ear.

Then, slowly, she turned to him, her hair still scattered over her face.

"W— what did you just say?" Her voice cracked through the silence.

Caius took one step forward to close the long distance that suddenly felt too small.

"I said," his voice came confidently. "Be my girlfriend." He repeated.

Silence stretched. 

And again it felt as though Arabella had Heard him wrongly.

She was called dirty Arabella, male students in the school stay away from her because she was the poorest student on the campus— scholarship got her in, her fellow genders dispise her, said she was out of their league. But in the actual sense— they were only bittered because she was brilliant, but in a school like Kingswell, brain is like filth when you have an empty pocket.

"Why..why did you say that?" She toned. "If you want to bully— just do it. Spill me milk, let me eat crumb, slap me in the face.."

"I am not here to do any of that," Caius's voice was firmer.

Silence.

"I don't know how to love."

The confession hit  the air than a physical punch.

"I am not asking you to," Caius was gradually closing the gap. His voice was firm yet it wasn't desperate in a way that made Arabella slightly relaxed.

Another heavy silence. Caius could hear her breathing in the Hall.

"Will you take me away from here. Somewhere safer if I say YES?" 

"Are you making this transactional? 

"I just want to be safe. I don't want to be bullied anymore." 

"You'll be safe. You don't need to walk away." He was getting closer to her. "You need to show them the woman you're about to become."

"Promise." 

"I do."

Regardless whether she mentioned it, Caius had swore he's going to make everyone who laid on her pay.

Anabella's knee buckled. Her weight crumbled to meet the floor but Caius was Swift to catch her.

"Anabella. Wake up! Wake up!" He tapped her cheek but she was slowly loosing consciousness.

Caius grabbed his phone with the other hand and barked order in it.

"Young Mast—"

"Get a car to Kingswell! Now!!" 

The phone snapped.

The black Aston Martins pulled over with urgency at the gate. Caius sprinted across the Quad with Arabella in her arms, her hair flopped down, swinging mid-air. Some students stared, whispers passing among them.

Butler Alfred opened the back door without asking questions and Caius laid her inside and jumped in beside her.

"Drive! Fast!! To the hospital."

The car weaved through the afternoon road madness without regard for regulation because his queen was slipping deep into consciousness.

In three minutes, the Car arrived at Grandview medical hospital. 

Caius was already out with Arabella, placed carefully in his arms in the same position, moving with speed that made people move away from the hospital corridor. Butler Alfred matched his pace behind.

"Get me Dr. Chad. Now! Prepare the Premium unit!"