god father obsession

a new distraction

Chapter Twelve: A New Distraction

School was a blur of chatter, color, and too many unfamiliar faces. I kept my head low at first, trying not to stand out. But that never lasted long—not when I carried the quiet confidence Xavier insisted on, not with the subtle designer touches he wove into my wardrobe like a silent signature.

By lunchtime, I had already met three people who seemed genuinely interested in being friends. Talia and Bianca were loud, glittery, and full of energy—the kind of girls who laughed with their whole bodies and made everything feel a little lighter. Being around them reminded me what it felt like to be young again. Normal. Safe.

But it was Kian who caught me off guard.

He sat beside me in English Lit—tall, with soft brown eyes and the kind of quiet confidence that didn’t demand attention but somehow held it anyway. He didn’t speak much at first. Just offered a little half-smile when our eyes met.

But everything changed when we were paired together for a class assignment.

“New girl, huh?” he asked as we sat across from each other in the library. His voice was low, smooth—calm in a way that made me feel like I could breathe.

“You make that sound like a diagnosis,” I replied with a teasing smirk.

He chuckled. “Not at all. Just… you don’t look like you’re from around here.”

I tilted my head. “Is that your way of calling me weird?”

“No,” he said, eyes twinkling. “Just different.”

We talked until the bell rang—and then kept talking. Kian had a way of listening that was rare. He didn’t interrupt, didn’t make it about himself. He made space for me. Space I didn’t realize I’d been aching for.

By the time school let out, we were still laughing near the gates, his hand brushing against mine casually as he said something that made me giggle. It was innocent. Harmless.

Until the black car pulled up.

The moment Xavier stepped out, the air shifted—thickened. His presence was like gravity, sucking all the attention out of the space.

He was dressed in a dark suit, sharp and immaculate, as always. But his eyes—those cold, unreadable eyes—swept over me and landed on Kian.

A flicker of something passed across his face. Sharp. Calculated. It vanished almost instantly, replaced by calm, distant politeness.

But I saw it.

I felt it.

“Kian, this is my…” I paused, suddenly unsure what to call Xavier.

“Guardian,” Xavier said smoothly, stepping forward and extending a hand. “Dr. Xavier Black.”

Kian shook it, polite smile in place. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Likewise.” Xavier’s tone was composed, but his gaze didn’t waver. He studied Kian like a threat—memorizing him, dissecting him.

I swallowed.

The ride home was silent. But not peaceful. The kind of silence that hummed beneath the surface, full of unsaid things and barely leashed tension.

“He seems… friendly,” Xavier said finally, eyes locked on the road ahead.

“He is,” I replied, watching him carefully. “We get along.”

“I see.”

That was all he said.

But his hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel. His jaw clenched, just enough for me to notice.

He didn’t have to raise his voice or say the words. I could feel the shift in him—the subtle current of something possessive, territorial.

And in that moment, I realized something unsettling:

Xavier didn’t need to touch me to claim me.

But if he ever did lose control...

I wasn’t sure what would happen.

Or if I’d survive it.