🌹 The devil's of Monteverdi university🌹

📘 CHAPTER 3 — FIRST WAR, NO RULES

By morning, Monteverdi University had already shifted.

Not loudly.

Not obviously.

But enough for Isabella Moretti to feel it the second she stepped onto campus grounds.

Eyes lingered longer than usual. Conversations dipped when she passed. Laughter carried a different tone — quieter, but intentional.

Calculated.

She didn’t slow her steps.

Didn’t react.

But she noticed everything.

“Okay,” Sofia said beside her, glancing around. “Something is off.”

Isabella kept her gaze forward. “People always act like this.”

“No,” Sofia muttered. “Not like this. This is targeted.”

That made Isabella pause.

Targeted.

Her eyes moved ahead—

And landed on the crowd.

Students gathered near the courtyard screen. Not unusual.

But the way they stood?

Watching.

Waiting.

That was different.

Isabella exhaled slowly.

Then walked forward.

The closer she got, the quieter it became.

And then—

She saw it.

The screen lit up with a clear image.

Her.

Standing in the lecture hall from yesterday.

Captured mid-turn.

Sharp.

Unfiltered.

Below it, bold words stretched across the display:

“THINKS SHE OWNS MONTEVERDI.”

A ripple of laughter spread through the crowd.

Low.

Controlled.

Cruel.

Sofia stopped beside her. “Oh, that’s disrespectful.”

Isabella said nothing.

Her face didn’t change.

But her eyes hardened just slightly.

Because she already knew who did it.

Slowly—

She lifted her gaze.

And found him.

Second-floor balcony.

Leaning casually against the railing like he had nothing better to do.

Matteo De Luca.

Watching her.

Waiting.

Their eyes met instantly.

Across the courtyard.

Across the silence.

Across the challenge.

Sofia grabbed her wrist. “Don’t go over there.”

Isabella gently pulled her hand free.

Too late.

She stepped forward.

Straight into the center of attention.

The crowd parted slightly without meaning to.

Like instinct.

Like even they knew something was about to happen.

When she reached the middle, she stopped.

Looked up.

Directly at him.

“So this is what you do?” she called.

Her voice was calm.

Clear.

Sharp enough to cut through the entire courtyard.

The murmurs died immediately.

Matteo didn’t move at first.

Then slowly, he leaned forward, resting his arms on the railing.

“Did it get your attention?” he asked.

His tone wasn’t loud.

But it carried.

It always did.

Isabella tilted her head slightly.

“No,” she said. “It lowered my expectations.”

A reaction rippled through the crowd.

Matteo’s expression didn’t change much—

But something in his eyes darkened.

“You expected anything from me?” he replied.

“I expected you to be less predictable.”

That landed.

Hard.

Because it wasn’t emotional.

It was dismissive.

Matteo straightened slightly.

“You walk into a place you don’t understand,” he said, voice calmer now, “and act like you own it.”

Isabella crossed her arms.

“And you think you do?”

A pause.

The tension tightened.

Matteo’s friends had gone silent.

Watching closely.

Because this wasn’t normal.

No one spoke to him like this.

No one held their ground.

But Isabella wasn’t like anyone else.

Matteo exhaled slowly.

Then smiled.

But it wasn’t amusement.

It was warning.

“You’re making a mistake.”

Isabella didn’t look impressed.

“You keep saying that,” she replied. “Still waiting to see one.”

A quiet gasp slipped through the crowd.

Even Sofia froze.

Matteo’s jaw tightened slightly.

“You think this is a game?” he asked.

“I think you want it to be one.”

“And you don’t?”

“No.”

She held his gaze.

Steady.

Unshaken.

“I don’t play games I know I’ll win.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

Because now—

This wasn’t just a clash.

It was a statement.

Matteo stared at her for a long moment.

Long enough for something to shift behind his expression.

Not anger.

Not fully.

Something sharper.

Something more focused.

Then—

He laughed.

Low.

Controlled.

Unexpected.

“You’re bold,” he said.

“I’m honest.”

“You’re going to regret that.”

“Then make me.”

That was it.

That was the moment.

Something in him snapped—

Not visibly.

Not dramatically.

But internally.

Because she wasn’t reacting the way people were supposed to.

She wasn’t backing down.

She wasn’t intimidated.

And worst of all—

She wasn’t impressed.

Matteo turned slightly.

“Take it down,” he said.

The screen went black immediately.

The photo disappeared.

Just like that.

Confusion spread through the crowd.

“That’s it?”

“He’s just… ending it?”

Sofia blinked. “Okay wait—what just happened?”

Isabella didn’t answer.

Her eyes were still on him.

Matteo looked back once.

Just once.

And for a second—

Something unspoken passed between them.

Not peace.

Not understanding.

But awareness.

Then he turned away.

Like the moment meant nothing.

Like she meant nothing.

But that wasn’t true.

Not even close.

Because as Isabella walked away—

She could feel it.

The shift.

This wasn’t over.

It had barely started.

🔥 TEASER FOR CHAPTER 4:

Matteo stops playing in public… and starts getting closer to Isabella — whether she wants it or not.