Chapter 52: Your Lips...

My stomach turned slightly at the mention of that room.

Principal Ashford.

A sudden flash of memory resurfaced from the day I arrived in this world—of my father bowing his head in pathetic desperation, practically on his knees, thirty years of humiliation folded into his spine as he begged for my forgiveness.

I remembered the cold, smug satisfaction on Ashford’s face as she savored making a man feel so utterly worthless, dismissing us with a poisoned gaze and a one-week suspension.

To think... I thought bitterly. I haven’t even finished out my seven days, and here I am walking right back into her domain.

My mind involuntarily drifted further back to the doorway of that very office. To the black-haired boy with the blue discipline committee sash, the razor-sharp posture, and those calculating red eyes that had frozen the second our gazes met.

Damian.

I felt a sudden, irritating prickle along the back of my neck. I certainly wasn’t prepared to deal with him yet.

I won’t run into that red-eyed Alpha again, right? I thought, giving my head a tiny, imperceptible shake. It’s not like he lives in the principal’s office. The odds are slim.

Benjamin must have caught the slight hesitation in my step or the shift in my posture, because his purple eyes flicked down to study my face.

"What’s on your mind?" he asked lazily, his voice dropping below the chatter of the hallway.

"Nothing that concerns you," I replied smoothly, keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Really?" Benjamin drawled, a low, dangerous hum vibrating in his chest. "Then do you want to know what’s on my mind?"

Before I could even open my mouth to issue a sharp rejection, he suddenly shifted his weight, turning his head and leaning down until his lips were practically brushing the shell of my ear.

"Your lips," he whispered darkly, his warm breath sending an immediate, unwanted shiver straight down my spine.

I stiffened instantly, my hand tightening around his wrist so hard my knuckles turned white.

"Say something like that again," I hissed under my breath, tilting my head just enough to glare at him with lethal intent, "and I’ll make sure you lose the ability to speak altogether."

Benjamin just let out a quiet, raspy chuckle, utterly unbothered by the death threat as he straightened up and led me right toward the door of Principal Ashford’s office.

Without knocking, Benjamin pushed open the door and strolled into the room like he owned the entire building.

Behind the desk, Principal Ashford sat with a fountain pen hovering over a stack of documents. The annoyed scowl on her face vanished the exact second her eyes landed on the tall, dark-haired boy entering her space, replaced instantly by a nervous, overly polite smile.

"Master Benjamin," Ashford said quickly, rising from her chair to greet him. "I wasn’t informed you’d be coming by today. How may I—"

Her words froze mid-sentence. Her eyes slid past his shoulder, locking directly onto me.

The color drained from her face, her lip twitching in sheer disbelief as she registered my hand still loosely holding onto Benjamin’s wrist.

"You..." Ashford gasped, her voice dropping into a sharp, venomous pitch before she caught herself. "Brianna Wells? What are you doing here? You are currently serving a mandatory one-week suspension!"

I didn’t answer. I just offered her a cold, empty stare, letting the silence stretch as I stood effortlessly beside Benjamin.

"She’s with me, Principal Ashford," Benjamin drawled, leaning lazily against the edge of her desk with his hands shoved into his pockets. "She’s my companion for the afternoon. Do you have a problem with that?"

Ashford swallowed hard, her throat bobbing as her eyes darted between Benjamin’s indifferent expression and my unbothered posture. The haughty, untouchable administrator who had brought my father to his knees was now visibly sweating under the sheer weight of an Almond family heir standing in her office.

"N-No, of course not," Ashford stammered, smoothing down her skirt with trembling hands. "It’s just... unusual. I was unaware Miss Wells had formed a connection with your family."

"There’s a lot you don’t know," Benjamin replied flatly, his purple eyes narrowing with a dangerous, unspoken warning. "We’re here for the noble access authorization token. Hand it over so we can leave. Your voice is giving me a headache."

Ashford didn’t dare argue. She scrambled to unlock her top drawer, retrieving a small, silver-embossed keycard and handing it over to Benjamin with both hands, completely humbled.

Benjamin snatched the card without a word of thanks, turning on his heel and grabbing my hand once again to lead me out. As we crossed the threshold, I paused for a split second, glancing over my shoulder to meet Ashford’s terrified, pale face one last time.

A tiny, sharp smirk touched my lips before the door slammed shut behind us. It felt so good to watch her be trampled. Power was so good.

"Is that all you came to get?" I asked, eyeing Benjamin as we walked down the corridor. "Is this token really that important that you made the trip all the way here?"

Benjamin glanced down at me, the silver-embossed token resting between his long fingers. "You see, it’s very important. While anyone can assume you stole that access card I gave you, no one can just assume you stole this. If I’m not by your side while you’re using the high-access card, showing this proves your credibility, as well as that you have the principal’s approval."

"But I don’t have the principal’s approval," I pointed out flatly.

A subtle, amused smile touched his lips. "She saw you with me, didn’t she? If anyone asks her later whether she authorized that token, she won’t be able to claim you stole it—not unless she wants to answer to me."

I stopped dead in my tracks.

Benjamin tugged lightly at my hand, but I didn’t budge, my boots planted firmly on the polished stone floor as I stared at him, completely dumbstruck.

"Benjamin..." My voice trailed off for a fraction of a second before I found my footing. "Are you telling me you walked through those crowded hallways, endured all that noise, suffered through that neural strain, and went through all this trouble... just to get me that token?"