I am dead tired by the time I push open the doors to Baristas. It's a cozy little café, right near the heart of the university, and so it's frequented by NYU-ians. I spot a few familiar faces, but they don't mind me, and I look around for a certain jughead.

I spot him at a corner.

'Great hair.'

I ignore him. The color has not faded much, but now it's just practically light pink. Thankfully, I don't have to hide it under a hoodie.

'No seriously. Do you really want to change it back?'

'Just give it to me.'

'Can I take a picture?'

'No. Just give it here.'

He relents, and hands me the hair dye kit I asked him to bring.

'So, What progress have you made?' Zach drawls. I catch a whiff of cigarette smoke.

I sigh.

'Zach. Don't tell me you haven't been smoking again.'

He shrugs.

'Your lungs are going to be the color of tar if you don't stop. And no girl likes a guy who smokes.'

'That is a wrong fact. Chicks think smokers are badass.'

I roll my eyes.

'Whatever makes you sleep at night.' I sit across the table from him.

'I'm starving,' I state. 'Uni food honestly tastes like crap.'

'Aw.' Zach leans back in his chair, smiling rather too cockily for my taste. 'Is little Bobie missing home?'

I shoot him a glare.

'Oh, come on, just admit it. You miss us. Two days, but you miss us. Horribly. Correct?'

I stop lying.

'Yeah. Sort of.'

'HA!' He exclaims, a satisfied smile on his face. 'I knew it.'

'You will not tell anyone. Not a soul.'

He jerks up an eyebrow.

'How come you are sure that I'll let this pass?' He pulls out his phone. 'Will you repeat that once more?'

I smirk.

'Which part? The "You-are-an-asshole" part? Or the "I-still-can't-believe-I-made-friends-with-idiots" part?'

He slips his phone back in.

'I lost the moment. Whatever. Now, moving on to stricter university matters. Is the scumbag still walking all over you?'

I am about to reply when a voice interrupts. 'What would you like to order, sir?'

I whip my head so fast I get a crick. Christian Beneventi stands right next to the table, notepad in hand, his green eyes drilling fast holes into Zach.

'Hey,' I stutter, completely at a loss for words. 'You work here?'

Christian remains impassive, his gaze fixated on Zach.

'What would you like to order, sir?'

Zach looks amused, his eyebrows are all the way up, and he is grinning slyly.

I try again. 'Christian, I didn't mean to –'

Christian looks at me hard, his gaze splitting into me, making my words die in my throat. He shifts his gaze back to Zach.

'Your order, sir.'

What a sexist.

Zach is seconds away from bursting to hysterics. He somehow manages a straight face.

'I'll have a cappuccino latte. And one of your chocolate croissants.'

'I'll take a black coff –' I start, but Christian already turned his back to me, moving away with long strides.

I curse at the heavens.

Zach shifts in his seat. 'I never thought I'd live to see a guy intimidate you.'

'God,' I stare daggers at him. 'Christian Beneventi doesn't intimidate me. The mundane task of getting him to befriend me does.'

Zach watches Christian's retreating back. 'So he's our guy. The figlio di un bastardo.'

I flinch. 'Shut with the Italian. I am still not sure he believes me.'

Zach leans forward, the playfulness leaving his features. 'We don't have much time. Not after Antonio.'

I straighten. 'It's getting worse, is it?'

'Madre was not impressed. She said you were sloppy.'

I clench my fists. 'I don't care what my mother thinks. She'll be happy when this is over and done with. All she wants is him with a freaking bullet through his head. That's all she wants.'

'The others are reeling. Most of the other families think someone is targeting them.'

I bite my lip. 'Let it stay that way.' I feel eyes on me and I turn to face the Barista counter. Christian is leaning across it, his eyes fixated on me. I could feel their heat on me.

I turn back to Zach. 'I should be thinking about something soon. I will not give up when I am this close.'

We stay in silence. Christian appears sometime later with Zach's order.

He sets the cup and the croissant on the table.

'Hey, I am Zach,' he extends a hand. 'Coral's friend.'

Christian takes it. 'Christian Beneventi. Or the scumbag that walks over her. Whatever you take.'

Zach throws his hands up in mock surrender.

'Dude. You seriously can't blame me for that. I was misled. Bros before hoes, right?' He shoots me a wink.

I am fuming. I can feel my blood bubbling.

Zach makes a peace gesture. Christian looks bored.

'I have got other tables to wait on. Enjoy your day.'

I wait for him to pass and I am at Zach's throat, literally.

'Whose side are you really on?'

'Hey, I couldn't resist pulling your leg.' He looks at me hard and long. 'The thing is; he gets to you. You are affected by him. It isn't always a person gets you fumbling, anyways.'

I slink back into my chair. Does Christian Beneventi affect me?

God, yes. I irk him like a pebble in my shoe. I hate him for having smashed his Mustang into my darling. I dislike him for having dyed my hair pink. I detest him being Christian Beneventi. I loathe the fact that he wants nothing to do with me. And, I despise him for being Arrigo's son.

Figlio di un bastardo.

He's a piece of shit.

Its giggling that interrupts my thoughts. High-pitched giggling, the sort one puts in horror movies.

My eyes move to the door and I spot a bunch of girls, trying to catch the attention of a certain male specimen.

'Hey, Christian,' coos the head of Bitches&Co, her voice shrill, carrying itself all across the café, her fingers twirling her hair. I am afraid the extensions would give away. 'You free this weekend, baby?'

Christian looks bored. I think that's what he looks like all the time.

'No, Leigh.'

Leigh pouts her fake silicon lips. She puts her mouth to Christian's ear and mumbles something.

Christian says something that I do not catch. I am too far.

Leigh and her minions gasp. Christian storms out.

Uh, too much soap opera enactments.

I am about to turn away when Leigh spots me. Her face contorts to anger and she marches my way.

'Uh-oh. We've got incoming,' I mutter.

Zach wolf-whistles. 'Da-yum incoming.'

'Beware. She happens to be a walking STD machine.'

Leigh stops at our table. 'You! Who do you think you are?'

'Coral Collins.' I reply mechanically. 'Transfer student from Cambridge.'

'You think I care?'

I roll my eyes. 'Look, Leigh. You have your entire life to be a jerk. Why not take today off?'

Zach probably had the intuition that I was going to have my fist in her silicon face in a few seconds so he butt in.

'What's the problem?'

Leigh swivels, her blonde hair fliting into place like a curtain. She sighs dreamily.

'What is a guy like you doing with a bitch like her?'

Zach's eyes harden. 'Hey, mind it.'

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Christian re-entering the counter.

A plan pops fully formed into my head and I gesture to Zach to get out.

He furrows his eyebrows but gets the hint. He pretends to dial someone and gets out.

'Look, Leigh,' I turn. 'I don't want the attention.' I gesture to all the stares we were getting. 'I don't know what I have done to piss you off, but this is getting too much.'

She smirks. She leans forward. 'Is it? Well. And you don't know what you did to piss me off, huh?'

She eyes the cappuccino latte.

Uh-oh. I know what she's gonna do.

I subtly glance at Christian. He's still watching.

Thank lords.

I force myself to stand still as Leigh empties the whole cup over my head. Lukewarm milky froth slides down my hair onto my shirt, drenching me completely. I shut my eyes.

Leigh's minions laugh at me and I hear their cameras clicking away.

Leigh shows off her damn perfect teeth.

'Christian is mine. He may not know it yet, but he's mine. Stay away from him, bitch. It's not going to be a cup of latte next time.'

Highly satisfied with her punchline, she walks out of the café, sashaying her hips.

I look around, my hair still dripping. Girls giggle, boys stare at the shirt now clinging to my body. Christian Beneventi is nowhere to be seen.

Darn it.

////

Vendetta's hit #16 in Action.

YAY!

Help me get this to the hot list, babe.

Special thanks to @Zoe_98, to whom this chapter is dedicated. Thank you for including Vendetta in your 2018 Reading List, among 56 amazingly wonderful books written by even more amazingly talented authors. 

It's an honor.

Thank you all, for helping me and Alex out, and staying with us.