Chapter 3 3

Prince Mathew.

The principal's office door clicked shut behind us. My two guards, who had been waiting patiently right outside, immediately fell into step behind us. Their presence was a constant reminder of my world, a world Viola was about to step into.

I looked down at the girl beside me. "So, Miss Viola, are you ready to go? Do you need to grab anything from your room before we leave?" I asked, trying to maintain a formal tone. I still didn't quite know how to talk to her. She wasn't a businesswoman, nor was she a fully grown woman yet. But she certainly wasn't just a little girl either.

Viola giggled lightly, a sound that felt surprisingly refreshing in the stuffy hallway. "Whoa, so formal! You sound like my principal giving a lecture. Please, just call me Viola. And I'll call you Mathew, okay? No more of this 'Miss' stuff." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "And yes, I do need to head to my room immediately to pack my clothes into a small bag, and..."

I cut her off gently, wanting to take control of the situation. This was, after all, my responsibility now. "You won't need to pack clothes. Consider that stuff your old life. We will go shopping, and I'll buy you anything you want, anything you need. New everything. What else do you need from your room?"

She raised an eyebrow, looking a bit incredulous. "Buy things for me? Like, a whole new wardrobe? Why would you do that? You don't even know me."

I shrugged my shoulders, trying to sound nonchalant, like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Because you are my partner's daughter?" I wasn't sure if I was telling her or asking myself. Money wasn't a big deal for me at all; spending thousands of dollars on a shopping spree was actually quite normal in my world.

A playful glint appeared in her eyes. She pointed a finger right at my nose in a teasing manner. "Okay, fine. Be my sugar daddy for the day. But yes, just one more thing, and this is important." She leaned in a little and dropped her voice to a mock-serious whisper. "Don't fall in love with me." Then she winked at me, so playfully it was almost charming.

I froze in place, completely shocked by her boldness. Was she kidding me? I would never fall for my partner's daughter! And most of all, I would never, ever fall for a human girl. The very idea was ridiculous... right? Or maybe I would?!

My mind began to drift off into a weird spiral, and she snapped her fingers right in front of my face. "Hey! Earth to Prince Mathew. Come back to Earth. I was just kidding! Gosh, don't have a heart attack." She laughed, a light, airy sound. "Actually, if anyone should be worried, it's me. I wouldn't mind falling for a hot, handsome man like you." She licked the corner of her mouth in a way that was probably meant to be funny but somehow sent my heart racing.

I widened my eyes in disbelief. Without even thinking, I cupped her jaw firmly yet gently, making her look right at me. "Don't talk like that. Ever. You are a young lady, not... not a whore. Do you understand me?" I said sternly, my voice coming out harsher than I intended.

She blinked, clearly taken aback by my reaction. She nodded her head politely, her playful mood vanishing. "Yes. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. It was a stupid joke." She apologized immediately, her tone now soft and sincere.

I turned my head away from her, trying to regain my composure. Why had I reacted so strongly? "It's fine. Forget it. Now, let's go back to your room. You said you needed to get something, and honestly, I need to get some things from there, too," I said, changing the subject.

She gasped, her eyes going wide again. "You want to get stuff from my room? What could you possibly want from my messy dorm room?"

I blurted out firmly, grabbing her hands as I spoke to lead the way. "Yes, now stop asking questions and show me your room."

She silently obeyed and walked with me, her steps light and almost hesitant. The walk was quiet, the only sound our footsteps on the linoleum floor. Finally, we stopped at a simple door. She pushed it open to reveal a small, typically messy dorm room.

I took a quick glance around, observing her space. It was full of little clues about her. A few books piled on a nightstand, a hairbrush on the desk, a cozy-looking sweater thrown over the chair. My eyes scanned the room until I finally found what I was looking for.

I walked straight to her desk and grabbed the few pictures scattered across it. They were of her with a boy, a guy with a cocky smile. "Now you need to burn all of your ex-boyfriend's pictures and stuff. Every last trace of him. Are you still in love with him?" I asked her, genuinely curious. I had no idea why I felt so strongly about this, why something deep within me was pushing me toward this decision, making sure she left that part of her life completely behind.

She spoke with a mix of confidence and pure disdain, her words coming out sharp and sure. "That trash?! Are you serious? I wasn't in love with him, not even a little bit. I have never actually fallen in love with anyone before. Heck, I even hated my father most of the time."

I raised my head, gazing at her plainly, wanting to understand her better. "Then why the hell did you...? Why were you with him if you felt that way?"

She sighed, her shoulders slumping as her frustration became evident. "I was desperate, okay? And feeling so, so lonely. I just wanted someone, anyone, by my side to care about me, to pay attention to me. That's all it was," she said, lowering her gaze to the floor, her voice tinged with a deep sadness that felt too old for her.

Her voice, her honest facial expressions, and even her vulnerable body language were all new to me. They attracted me like a magnet. They made me drown deeply into her green eyes, as if I had never seen such captivating green eyes before in my entire life.

And yes, I had to admit, the girl was undeniably hot. Her body was perfectly shaped, but I didn't want to look at her that way at all. I couldn't! She was my partner's daughter, for God's sake! So, I was practically like her uncle, or something like that. Even though the age gap between us wasn't huge, she still felt like a little girl to me in so many ways. I would never touch her or even think of her in that way.

Fuck! What was I even thinking about?! Why was my mind going there?

Suddenly, she pushed her hands into the inside pocket of my jacket, startling me a bit. Her hands were warm against my chest. "What are you doing?" I asked, my voice a little tight.

She blinked up at me innocently. "I'm searching for a lighter! To burn the pictures, like you said. Don't you rich guys always carry fancy lighters?"

I nodded, trying to keep my composure and ignore how close she was. "Um, okay... right. No, actually, my men will do it. They'll handle it properly. Now let's go. The car is waiting."

She smiled a small, grateful smile and mouthed silently, 'Thank you, Mathew.'

I smiled back, feeling a totally unexpected warmth spread through me. I instinctively placed my arm over her back, guiding her as we walked out of her room and toward the next chapter of this very strange day. I was about to spend the next couple of days in my hotel with a girl I had just met. I had never taken care of anyone before in my life, and now I was supposed to tame this wild, confusing girl and look after her!

We reached my parked limo, a hulking black vehicle that looked utterly out of place on the quiet school driveway. Before we could get into the back seat, I noticed a figure standing far away, under a tree. It was Jake. He was staring directly at Viola as if he wanted to devour a piece of her.

That guy looked deeply in love with her, or at least deeply obsessed. It made me wonder all over again why he had tried to force her for sex if he felt that way. It didn't add up.

Feeling a sudden, impulsive need to tease him, to show him he'd lost, I opened the door for Viola with a flourish. Then I leaned much closer to her than necessary, my lips nearly brushing her ear, and murmured, "I guess he is so jealous because you are leaving with me. He can't handle it."

She turned her head, and her cheek brushed against my neck. It made me shiver from the strong, adorable scent of her body, which was mixed with the faint notes of my favorite perfume on her skin. "So," she whispered back, her breath warm, "consider that another warning. Don't fall for me like he did. The boy isn't in love; he's just obsessed with me. There's a big difference."

I gulped nervously at her words, my little game suddenly feeling less fun. She just smiled and slid inside the back seat. She gazed back out the window at Jake, who was now huffing and puffing angrily, his hands clenched into fists. He was still glaring, his expression filled with a pure, hot rage.

I guessed she was kind of right about Jake's obsession. But why did she feel the need to warn me for the second time in less than fifteen minutes? Why was she so sure of her strong appeal over other men? Well, she had no idea whom she was dealing with! I wasn't some silly schoolboy. I wasn't into love at all. I was immune.

And that's exactly why, as soon as the driver started the smooth, quiet engine of the limo and we began to pull away, I turned to her and said, my voice confident and clear, "Just so we're perfectly clear, I'm not in love at all. I don't do love. So you can stop worrying about that."

She just smirked a little sheepishly, her eyes sparkling with mischief like she knew a secret I didn't. "Okay, sure. If you say so. But like I said... we will see, handsome."