More Than a Pretty Face (Vincitore Academy 1)

Indecent Proposal

A maid woke up Margherita early, on time to go to school. She enjoyed a luxurious breakfast, but Re was not in sight. When she asked, the maid told her he'd left early to take care of some business.

The maid added, "He looked very angry, Miss."

Margherita had a bad feeling. She rushed to school, which wasn't hard to do in a car with a driver, more so since the Vincitores' mansion was close by.

She got out the car in front of the gate, where Re had Mauro pinned against the wall.

Giuliano was talking to Re in a level tone, "Put Arcani down, Re; you should not be within a hundred meters from him, let alone harm him."

Margherita hollered, "Put him down, now!"

Re let Mauro slide down the wall so that his feet touched the ground again. "Tell her."

Mauro averted his gaze, terrified.

"Tell me what?" Asked Margherita, her stomach dropping as if in a broken elevator.

Students watched from a safe distance, but they knew better than to post anything compromising about Re on social.

"The pictures..." Mauro squeezed out.

Margherita's sense of betrayal was all encompassing. Tears welled in her eyes.

"No, Marghe, no!" Mauro rushed to explain. "I didn't spread them around. Someone stole them from my computer!"

Margherita frowned, confused. 

Laura, who'd been amidst the students watching, stepped back and raised her hands. "Hey, this dumbass left his computer unattended in the library. It was my moral duty to tell the king this ho had been playing him."

Re, immune to Laura's impeccable makeup and miles of legs, incinerated her with his yellow eyes.

She recoiled and shut up.

Mauro yelled, "They're fake, Beltagna, they're deep fakes, damn you!"

Laura's surprise registered in the exaggerate arch of her brows. Mauro moved his eyeballs to Margherita, who was trembling, as if each breath carried the weight of unspoken pain.

"I am so sorry," he added.

Re growled, "You know what I think about apologies."

Laura crossed her arms over her chest and spat at Mauro, "Creep."

Mauro yelled. "I fucking love her, okay!? The pictures were supposed to remain private. Beltagna, tell me you wouldn't want a picture of Re looking at you like that."

Laura said nothing, mouth agape, caught in a moment of breathless disbelief; she would have, and Mauro was the first person to show any understanding of her feelings. His despair resonated deeply with her loneliness; kindred, rotten souls.

Re let him go, empathizing with emotions he despised.

Margherita lowered her head and stalked to her classroom.

Mauro, tears in his eyes, yelled at Re, "Was that really necessary? You just wanted me out of the way, didn't you?"

Re ignored him. Arcani's name in the mud was much better than Margherita's. If Arcani had been decent, he would have come clean right away.

"Everyone," Re addressed the little crowd that always seemed to gravitate around him, but more so when drama was unfolding. "From now on, red cards are no more, and if I catch who faked the last one, they're dead. Go spread the word."

Giuliano patted his shoulder. "I'm impressed, man."

Mauro did not believe Re's claim of a fake red card for a second. He adjusted his coat and clothes and would have run after Margherita, if Laura Beltagna hadn't caught his sleeve.