Luca snickers beside me, stacking a few more books on the shelf, completely unfazed by the assistant’s dramatic exit. He tosses me a glance, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Is that really the mark effect, or am I missing something?”
I shake my head, not even bothering to hide my exasperation. “Nope, it’s definitely the mark’s fault,” I sigh. “And Dibella’s special treatment because of it.”
“Ah, yes, the infamous Dibella favoritism.” Luca’s voice is full of mock seriousness as he sets another book down. “You know, I still stand by what I said earlier—just feed these people cookies.”
I blink at him. “I thought you were joking? Like, top-class Luca sarcasm at play, right?”
“No, I’m serious,” Luca says, straight-faced. “Cookies solve everything. Grumpy assistants, creepy ghosts, even my
