He'll tell you himself
Three days later, it's the final day of the school year. Historiah is eating Luke's lunch, something she had to learn to do, while Luke quietly reads a book.
"I didn't know you liked to read."
"Whatever happened to hating anything that has to do with me?" He smirked.
"Correction. I didn't know you knew how to read." He chuckles. "Well, I'll have you know that I read quite often." Historiah is pissed that they have that in common. Or maybe it's just because her phone is dead. It took her mind back to her five-year-old self, sitting on her father's lap in his study while he read to her. He would often comb her hair while telling her a story, since her mother never bothered to.
"My beautiful sunshine, Historiah." He called her fondly. She could barely remember what his voice even sounded like.
"The fighter is called the Nouveau riche." She mumbles with a bit of fondness in her tone, and a rueful smile on her face.
"Is that a book?" Luke's question snaps her out of her reverie.
"It is." She replies dryly, the fondness nowhere to be found.
Luke frowns and picks up her fork. Poking a piece of meat and lifting it to her mouth, he mimics Ivy, "Say ahhh, grumpy Tori!"
She shoots him a death glare. "Do that again and that fork will be down your throat. Maybe even severing your jugular."
"Easy tigress, maybe 'vicious princess' should be added to your list of nicknames."
She scoffs and snatches the fork to continue eating while he laughs.
"What's always so funny?" She asked, clearly annoyed.
"Your reaction whenever I toy with you."
"Oh, so I'm your plaything then?" The question feels like it laced with poison, her siren eyes narrow.
Dangerous little thing, aren't you, Tori?
"I would-" his phone starts ringing, interrupting him. When he looks at the screen, his face starts to pale. That playful smile is gone and replaced with a completely different emotion, one Historiah can't seem to figure out. He picks it up and puts it in his ear.
After a few seconds of silence, he says a firm, almost cold "Understood." And gets up.
"We're going home." He picks up his bag. "In the middle of the school day?" She asks, surprised and unsure of what just happened.
"Yes." He starts walking. Normally, I'd be too stubborn to listen to him command me like that, but I'll go along with it for today since he's like a completely different person.
She walks out with him, and the car is pin-drop silent as they ride home.
"They're waiting in the meeting room." Sinclair says firmly, not even meeting Luke's eyes.
'Where's that sweet greeting he always gives?' Tori's mind is all over the place.
Luke doesn't even answer as he walks into the elevator and makes his way to a room to meet judgmental eyes all over him. "Now that he's taken his sweet time getting here, we can start." Is the last thing she hears before the doors shut behind him. "What on earth is happening in there?" Historiah asks.
"Call it a family meeting." Sinclair avoids her eyes too.
"But I thought Luke's family didn't live here?"
"They don't. They flew in from Russia this morning."
"So why is he so different?"
"That's a story the young master will have to tell you himself."