HER THREE CRUEL MATE

Chapter 4

Isla POV

Every eye in the cafeteria was locked on me.

The room had gone silent so fast it felt like the air had been sucked out of the building. The clinking of forks stopped. The whispers died. Hundreds of faces turned toward me, and I could feel their judgment burning through my skin like fire. My heart hammered against my ribs so loudly I could hear it in my own ears.

Rowan was standing right in front of me. Soran and Cairo stood on either side of him—three tall, dark shadows with the same frozen, icy expressions.

I swallowed hard, my hands shaking. The heavy tray trembled between my fingers. I didn't even know how it happened. One second, I was trying to move past them, and the next, the dark sauce from my lunch was dripping down Rowan’s expensive white sleeve.

“How could she do that to Rowan?” a girl hissed from a nearby table.

“Oh, she’s dead. She’s actually dead,” another voice whispered, sounding more excited than worried.

I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me. I wanted to speak, to apologize, to scream that it was an accident—but my throat was like a desert. I couldn't find a single word. The smell of the spilled food and the sharp scent of Rowan’s expensive cologne mixed into a suffocating cloud of fear.

Amy—the blonde girl who acted like the queen of the school—jumped up from her seat. Her perfect hair bounced as she marched toward me, her blue eyes blazing with fury.

“Are you serious right now?” she shrieked.

My stomach dropped into my shoes. I opened my mouth, my voice cracking. “It was an accident, I swear—”

But she was already in my face. Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor. She looked like she wanted to destroy me.

And then, Rowan moved.

He didn’t rush. He didn’t shout. He just stepped forward with a slow, calm grace that made the crowd part like water. He stopped right between me and Amy. Up close, he was even more intimidating. He smelled like rain and mint, and his gray eyes were as sharp as broken glass.

The dark stain on his uniform looked like a curse I had placed on him.

Amy’s face twisted. “How dare she humiliate you like this?” she shouted, making sure every student heard her.

Then, without warning, her hand came flying.

CRACK.

The slap landed across my face with a sound that echoed off the high ceilings. My head snapped to the side. My cheek exploded in a stinging heat. I heard gasps, followed by cruel, jagged laughter from the students watching.

Sera laughed the loudest. A few boys in the back even cheered.

I froze. The heat on my cheek spread down my neck. Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. My whole body was trembling, exposed and small in the middle of the room.

I had been hurt before—but never like this. Never in front of everyone.

“I didn’t mean—” I started to whisper, my voice shaking.

“Be quiet,” Rowan said.

His voice wasn't loud, but it was so deep and commanding that the room went instantly silent. The laughter died in a second.

Amy turned to him, looking startled. “But—Rowan, I was just defending you—”

Before she could finish, Rowan’s hand moved.

He slapped her.

The sound was twice as loud as the one she had given me. Amy stumbled back, clutching her face, her eyes wide with total shock. The cafeteria went silent again—a heavy, suffocating silence. Even Sera looked like she had forgotten how to breathe.

“How dare you touch her?” Rowan’s voice thundered. It was the first time I heard the power in it. “Did I give you permission to raise your hand in my presence?”

Amy’s lips trembled. “I—I was just—”

“Enough.”

He didn't shout this time. He was quiet, and that was much scarier. Amy pushed Sera away, her face streaked with tears as she looked at Rowan.

“You hit me? For her?” she screamed, pointing a shaking finger at me.

Rowan didn't even look at her. He turned his gaze on me. His gray eyes locked onto mine, and I felt my breath hitch. There was something strange in his stare—cold and unreadable, but heavy with a weight I couldn't explain.

“You made a big mistake,” he said quietly. It sounded like a promise. “And you’ll pay for it.”

Then he turned on his heel and walked out. Soran and Cairo followed him like silent, deadly shadows.

The heavy doors slammed shut, and the room exploded into noise.

“She’s dead.” “He slapped Amy... what does that mean?” “Isla Mones is a marked girl.”

I didn't care about the gossip. I just stood there, my cheek burning and my heart pounding against my ribs. Lina was staring at me from across the room, her eyes wide with terror. Derek reached out and squeezed my hand under the table. His touch was warm and grounding, but it wasn't enough to stop the world from spinning.

Suddenly, the loudspeaker crackled to life.

“Isla Mones. Office. Now.”

The Headmistress’s voice was flat and final. My stomach twisted into a knot.

“Good luck, loser,” Amy hissed as I walked past her, still clutching her red cheek.

The walk to the office felt like a march to the gallows. The hallways were lined with old portraits that seemed to glare down at me. Every step I took echoed too loudly in the silence.

When I pushed open the heavy oak door to the office, the room smelled of lemon polish and old books.

And there he was.

Rowan sat by the window, his uniform already replaced with a fresh, spotless one. He had his legs crossed, looking as calm as if he were sitting in a garden. His presence filled the room, making it hard to breathe.

The Headmistress, Ms. Andi, sat behind her desk. She looked tired and cold.

“Is she the one?” she asked Rowan.

Rowan finally looked at me. His eyes were like flint. “Yes,” he said.

“M–me?” I stammered, my heart sinking.

“Miss Mones,” the Headmistress said, her voice sharp. “Come forward. I heard what happened in the cafeteria. You poured food on Mr. Rowan?”

“I didn't pour it! It was an accident!” I cried out.

“Do you think accidents don't have consequences here?”

I blinked, stunned. “I—I didn't mean to humiliate anyone! Please!”

“You’re lying.” Rowan’s voice cut through the air like a knife. He stood up, and I instinctively stepped back. He didn't touch me, but his shadow loomed over me. “How dare you pretend it was an accident. You tried to humiliate me in front of the entire school.”

“I said I was sorry!” I shouted. Something in me snapped. The unfairness of it all—the slap, the chores, the debt—it all boiled over. “It was a mistake, okay? Get over it!”

The room went dead silent. Even the Headmistress froze.

Rowan’s eyes narrowed until they were just silver slits. The air in the room grew heavy and cold.

“What did you just say to me?” he whispered.

“I—I just—”

“You dare speak to me like that?” He took a step closer.

“Enough!” Ms. Andi said, though her voice shook. “Miss Mones, this school is built on respect. You caused a scene. You disrespected a student of the highest standing. And now you have disrespected me.”

“I’ll clean the cafeteria! I’ll do anything!” I begged, tears finally spilling down my face.

The Headmistress looked at Rowan. “Rowan, what do you think?”

Rowan looked at me for a long time. His face was a mask of stone. “She needs to learn a lesson,” he said calmly.

The Headmistress sighed and closed her folder. It sounded like a coffin lid closing.

“You know what this means, Miss Mones. You are expelled.”