Mated to Three, Marked by One

Chapter 3

Catherine's POV:

“Tsk, pathetic.” I glanced up to find Armani staring down at me with his piercing green eyes.

He approached us slowly, the other guys— including the one who still gripped my collar— bowing deferentially to him. Armani paid them no heed as he walked straight towards me. His voice cut through the air like a blade.

Sometimes I wondered if anyone could be as loud as Armani. I might have blamed my sensitive hearing for picking up even the smallest whispers, but with Armani, it felt deliberate, almost as if he enjoyed getting under my skin.

“So you didn’t give up and somehow found your way here,” he remarked, his tone carrying an edge.

I struggled against the guy’s grip, trying to regain some sense of composure. “I was shown the way,” I admitted reluctantly.

Armani nodded thoughtfully. “Ah, I see,” he responded cryptically before turning away, leaving me bewildered and uncertain of what his intentions were.

Didn’t he see the situation I was in? This guy was literally holding my collar. But then again, what was I expecting? Would he actually help me, even though I felt like I was dying?

Armani stopped in his tracks, then turned to look at me, his gaze flickering briefly to the guy gripping my collar.

“Theo, if you don’t let go of her now, there will be consequences,” Armani muttered with authority.

Immediately, Theo released his grip on my collar, and I couldn’t help but exhale a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry, Armani. I didn’t know you knew her,” Theo stammered, bowing his head repeatedly.

I couldn’t help but wonder how Armani could command such control over people both in the palace and here at school. But then again, he was Armani— it wasn’t surprising, my subconscious reminded me.

“Knew her? I have no idea who she is,” Armani muttered, scoffing dismissively.

I wasn’t surprised he denied knowing me.

He turned away. “It’s not good to grab girls like that, even the ones you think are beneath you,” he said before walking off.

After picking up my schedule from the principal’s office, I checked and saw my first class was math. Following the school map they gave me, I tried to find the math room in this huge school building. I figured I’d explore more later.

As I walked, lost in thought, I accidentally bumped into someone. When I looked up, I saw it was Carl.

“I’m sorry,” I quickly apologized.

He was with a group of girls who seemed very interested in him. One of them gave me a mean look. “Can’t you watch where you’re going?” she snapped.

“Clearly not,” Carl joked, and the girls laughed.

“Well, those glasses aren’t helping,” another girl added with a smirk.

I managed to slip away from Carl and his friends, intent on finding my classroom. I hadn’t even been at this school for a day, and already the triplets were making life difficult.

The best strategy seemed to be avoiding them altogether.

Finally, I arrived at my classroom. As soon as I stepped inside, the entire class fell silent, all eyes turning to me.

“Who is she?” I overheard a boy ask his friend.

“I don’t know, but she doesn’t look like much,” his friend replied, prompting laughter from the others.

Feeling their eyes on me, I walked slowly towards an empty desk.

Suddenly, someone stuck out their foot, causing me to trip and fall hard onto the ground.

“Why did you do that?” I yelled, frustration bubbling up as I confronted the guy who had tripped me. He stood up, his expression defiant.

“How is it my fault you can’t see, even with those big nerdy glasses?” he jeered, provoking laughter from the others in the class.

I couldn’t believe this was how the rich behaved. This school was supposed to be for the elite, but they didn’t know I came from a less privileged background. If they treated me like this already, how much worse would it be if they found out?

Brushing off my clothes, I composed myself and muttered, “I’m sorry,” before quietly making my way to an empty desk.

The last thing I wanted was to draw any more attention to myself.

Just then, a teacher entered the classroom.

“Good morning, ma’am,” I greeted her politely, standing up as the rest of the students eyed me like I was insane.

I sat down, feeling awkward and hoping to blend into the background. The woman, smiled warmly at me before addressing the class.

"Oh, you must be the new student. I'm Miss Kate," she said, glancing briefly at a book.

I nodded slowly, hoping she wouldn't ask me to introduce myself.

"Why don’t you come up here and introduce yourself?" Miss Kate suggested kindly.

Oh no!

Reluctantly, I nodded again and made my way to the front of the class, feeling the weight of everyone's eyes on me.

"Hello everyone," I began tentatively, avoiding direct eye contact. "I'm Catherine," I said simply.

"Are you from the lower-class elite or the higher-class elite?" Suddenly, one of the students blurted out, causing me to freeze in place.

"Probably lower class elite, don’t you think so, Mark?" another student chimed in, and soon the whole class seemed to be discussing my social status.

"That's enough, guys. You shouldn’t judge people based on their class, okay?" Miss Kate intervened firmly.

"Yes, ma'am," they muttered reluctantly.

Everyone seemed so concerned about their social status—whether they were lower or higher elite. What if they found out I didn't belong to either category and was actually just a commoner? Oh no!

"You may return to your seat now, Catherine," Miss Kate's voice brought me back from my anxious thoughts.

I nodded slowly and walked back to my desk, aware of the curious gazes following me.

---

Lunchtime arrived, and I found my way to the cafeteria using the school map. I took out the money given to me by Sir and used it to buy lunch.

I was about to sit down at an empty table when three girls approached me.

"You're in our table, newbie," one of them declared as they stared at me.

"Oh, I didn't realize this was your table," I replied nervously.

The girls had blonde, black, and brunette hair, and their uniforms fit them perfectly, exuding an air of elegance and sophistication. It was clear they were part of the elite, likely from the higher class.

They seemed so poised and put-together, unlike me.

"Now that you know, shouldn't you get your sorry ass up?" the one with blonde hair snapped, her words cutting through me, leaving me stunned and unsure of what to do.

The girl with black hair asked, "Hey, English or Spanish?" assuming I couldn't understand them.

"Calm down, girls. Let me handle this. I speak Fluent Nerd," the brunette girl interjected confidently.

They seemed taken aback when I chose not to respond to their provocation.

"Get up from our table. Your table is over there," the blonde girl pointed, indicating a spot where I saw Ben sitting alone.

I quickly gathered my lunch. "Sorry," I muttered, hurrying over to where Ben was sitting.

The blonde girl made a comment about my attire, prompting the other two to laugh, but I paid them no mind.

"Hey, can I sit here?" I asked Ben, who looked up in surprise at my approach.

He saw me and offered a warm smile before nodding in response.

"Thanks," I murmured gratefully as I settled into the seat beside him.

I observed him as he ate, wincing at times, which made me realize he must be in pain.

"I'm sorry," I said softly.

He looked at me with confusion. "You must be in pain from what happened earlier," I ventured, trying to sympathize.

He attempted a forced laugh, but it was clear he was struggling to mask his discomfort.

“Oh, I’m fine,” Ben assured me with a slight wince, trying to brush off the pain.

“Why did that guy hit you earlier and you didn’t say anything?” I asked, concerned.

“Who, Theo?” Ben responded, and I nodded.

“That’s because he’s a senior and in charge of disciplining students for arriving late,” Ben explained matter-of-factly.

“Well, that doesn’t give him the right to punch you,” I retorted, clearly irritated by Theo’s behavior.

Ben sighed softly. “It’s just how things have always been here,” he said, forcing a smile despite the discomfort.

I observed him closely, noticing how he tried to hide the pain. The cafeteria buzzed with chatter around us, but there was a tension in the air as we sat together.

I was about to ask Ben about the triplets when suddenly a wave of high-pitched screams and enthusiastic cheers erupted nearby.

"What's all the screaming for?" I asked, craning my neck to see what was happening, but my view was obstructed by other students.

"Well, looks like the kings of the school have arrived," Ben remarked with a hint of sarcasm, his eyes briefly rolling before he composed himself.

Intrigued, I tried to get a better look and finally spotted Armani, Carl, and Zephyr standing at the center of a small crowd of students. They were clearly the focal point of the excitement, surrounded by admirers. It was no surprise that they were considered the school's kings.

I was about to eat when my gaze locked with Armani from afar, and he gave me a smirk. "This can’t be good," I muttered under my breath.

"What can’t be good?" Ben asked, noticing my distraction, but my eyes remained fixed on Armani.

My heart skipped a beat when Armani cleared his path and began walking in my direction. Panic surged through me, and my mind screamed at me to flee.

"I'll catch up with you later, Ben," I said hastily, grabbing my food tray and bolting away without looking back. In my rush, I collided with someone, causing my food tray to soar through the air.

Time seemed to freeze as my eyes followed the bowl of spaghetti, which landed on none other than Armani, prompting gasps from the surrounding students as everyone goes silent.