Principeesa Is So Gorgeous, and She’s No Longer Yours Chapter 04

Principeesa Is So Gorgeous, and She’s No Longer Yours Chapter 04

“Elena’s the mayor’s daughter. Leo fell head over heels for her at a formal gala and pursued her relentlessly.”

“Trouble was, the mayor’s daughter devoted herself to charity work full-time, and they existed in entirely separate worlds.”

“Leo quietly watched over her from the sidelines for ages. Then one time, Elena was handing out aid in a slum neighborhood and got harassed by a group of local thugs. Leo grabbed a glass bottle and smashed it straight over one guy’s head. The attacker ended up with a lacerated skull, and Leo wound up breaking one of his own legs in the brawl.”

“That classic hero saves the girl moment is how they officially connected. Still… Elena enrolled at a university across the country shortly afterward, and she only moved back into town within the last few days.”

After finishing his story, Arthur added a disclaimer.

“For what it’s worth, that’s just what I’ve heard floating around. I can’t swear it’s one hundred percent true, seeing as Leo and I live in different cities these days.”

A bitter laugh escaped me. “I lived right under the same roof as him all these years, and I never had a clue about any of it.”

“You were off at summer camp around that time, so no wonder you never heard any of this.”

His words sent my already shattered heart plummeting straight into despair once more.

So that was how it had really gone.

I recalled that summer camp trip clearly. The program had taken our group camping at a national park out of state.

Late one night, several vagrants wandered onto our campsite.

I can still feel the slimy, repulsive sensation of calloused hands sliding up my thigh—a nightmare that stuck to me like an inescapable nightmare.

Screams erupted all across the campsite. More than just me had been victimized.

Parents of the other female students rushed to the scene one after another, demanding answers from the program administrators.

My own parents were overseas in Europe at the time.

Arthur lived on campus at his boarding school and couldn’t rush over immediately.

I didn’t dare trouble Leonardo’s parents with my crisis.

The only person I could think to call was Leonardo.

My hands shook as I dialed his number, fully convinced he would race to my side at once.

He beat around the bush on the phone.

“I’m tied up with something urgent right now.”

“Can you hang in there by yourself for a little while?”

“I promise I’ll be there first thing tomorrow morning.”

“You have my word.”

I whispered a quiet okay, crushed with disappointment.

The school relocated all of us to a nearby hotel for the night.

I couldn’t fall asleep a wink. Every time I closed my eyes, I relived the terror of being pinned down by a stranger.

The next morning, Leonardo showed up at my hotel room door looking exhausted and worn thin.

I broke down completely and threw myself into his arms sobbing.

He nearly lost his balance, heaving a helpless sigh laced with faint fondness.

“Alright, drama queen, I’m here now, see?”

“Why are you crying this hard?”

Once I calmed down, I noticed he was leaning on a cane.

He told me he’d injured himself playing ice hockey, fighting his way past hospital staff to rush to me as fast as physically possible.

I felt overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow, gently brushing my palm over his injured leg.

“Does it still hurt? I’m so sorry—I didn’t know what happened.”

Leonardo flashed a playful, teasing grin.

“It hurts like hell.”

“Kiss it better, and the pain might fade away.”

He looked just as stunned as I did a split second later, because I’d stood on my tiptoes and pressed a soft little kiss along his jawline.

I turned to flee in embarrassment right after, but he caught my wrist and tugged me flush against his chest.

Leonardo’s breathing grew heavy, his voice dropping rough and strained as if he were desperately holding something back.

He gritted out my name slowly, each word deliberate.

“Charlotte.”

“Guys are supposed to initiate kisses, not girls.”

I murmured a quiet “oh,” my mind had gone totally blank.

“Hey, what’s with the tears?” Arthur’s worried voice jolted me out of my painful flashback.

He was starting to press on the brake, so I snatched a handful of napkins to wipe my wet cheeks quickly, scrambling for a believable excuse.

“I… I just got touched by Leo and Elena’s love story.”

Arthur shook his head, half-amused and half-exasperated.

” You girls are way too sentimental. You get teary-eyed that easily over a love story?”

He opened his mouth to say something more, but his phone buzzed loudly in his lap.

The screen lit up with the contact name: [Leonardo Ferraro.]

I twisted to stare out the passenger window, terrified Arthur would spot the raw hurt written all over my face.

He answered the call, and Leonardo’s deep, tight tone blared through the car speakers, edged with unmistakable anger.

“Arthur, do you know where your sister went?”