Contemporary Milan, Italy.
In the dazzling world of Vincitore Academy, Margherita, a half-Korean firebrand from humble beginnings, ignites a clash of wills with the P2, the city's elite quartet of dazzling and infuriatingly entitled boys.
Yet, privi...
Margherita, the P2: everyone was shocked by Lorenzo's sudden return.
The guys recovered quicker and rushed Lorenzo.
Re hugged him, ferociously happy."Brother, when did you get back?"
"Last night," Lorenzo smiled, a rare and spectacular event.
Margherita was spellbound and frantic. Her emotions, already confused, were now scattered and nonsensical like puzzle pieces that did not fit.
"You could have at least called!" Sam patted his back.
"I wanted to surprise you all."
No shit.
Margherita had archived Lorenzo and the crush she'd harbored for him as an impossible thing of the past. Lorenzo crashing back into the present—his face, his aloof demeanor—brought back those old feelings. It had been much easier to forget him when he'd been with Ludo on the other side of the world.
Lorenzo joked with his friends, seemingly serene, satisfied, until he reared his head and appraised Margherita's dazed countenance. She'd remained back, in shock.
He beamed at her and freed himself from his friends' arms to reach her.
"Long time no see," he said, skimming the adhesive bandage on her face. "Never a dull moment with you, huh?"
Margherita blushed and stuttered, taking a step back. "I—I—welcome...back ."
Re absorbed it all—how Lorenzo had sought her out, how she was reacting to his presence. Three strides took him to the pair. He put an arm around Margherita, cutting eyes at Lorenzo, who seemed taken aback.
Re stated, "Pescatore and I are dating, now."
"What?" Marghe blurted.
Re made a note of how his wistful lie affected Lorenzo. Lollo looked from Pescatore to Luca, as skeptical as displeased.
Margherita squirmed out from under Re's arm. "Wait a second, that's not quite right."
Lorenzo grinned, surmising that, in his absence, Luca had gained clarity about his own feeling and staked a claim Pescatore had been befuddled by.
"Oh, I see," Lorenzo said, as if he'd believed Luca's bombastic statement. Then he added, casually, "That's too bad."
"Exactly," Re replied. "So, back off."
Margherita, unimpressed by the testosterone display, double-flipped off both of them and walked out the door into the stairway. Zero interest in being the prize in this capture-the-flag moment, which was all about them, duking it out, and not at all about Margherita, her feelings, or her worth. Gross. Did either of them actually care?
Giuliano, who was a feminist at heart, high-fived her on her way out. Sam took advantage of the quiet in the wake of her exit. "All right, the P2 are back together! Let's blow off afternoon classes and celebrate!"
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