Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 222

A King, His Trophy

Daphne’s POV

“What did you feed David?” Julie asked, her voice dropping into a mocking, sugary lilt. “What’s the magic book you got the spell from to make him look at someone like you?”

I glared at her, my skin crawling at the way she toyed with her glass.

“And what do you mean by that?” I asked, my voice controlled and steady, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a tremor.

She shrugged, leaning back into her chair with an air of practiced indifference.

“I’m just curious how you managed to sink your claws into him. Be realistic, Daphne. He’s a king, and you’re just…”

Her gaze raked over me, starting at my shoes and moving slowly upward, measuring me against a standard I didn’t even want to meet.

I felt my posture stiffen, a familiar, stinging wave of old insecurities rising up to choke me.

When her eyes finally locked onto mine, she offered a small, pitying smile.

“Let’s be honest,” she whispered, her voice laced with poison. “You aren’t even in his league.”

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat, but I didn’t waver. I leaned in, mirroring her posture, my eyes locking onto hers with a quiet intensity.

“You’re right about one thing, Julie,” I said, my voice smooth and unbothered. “He is a king. And a king knows exactly who belongs by his side. He doesn’t want a trophy that’s been polished for the display case-he wants a partner who can weather the seasons with him. You’re looking for a crown to wear, Julie. I’m just busy helping him rule.”

I took a slow sip of my coffee, holding her gaze until she started to look uncomfortable.

Her mask fractured. The sugary-sweet veneer vanished, replaced by a gaze so volatile and dark it felt like the temperature on the deck had plummeted.

Her hand tightened on her glass until her knuckles shone white, and I could see the way she was vibrating with the need to swing that cup at me.

She was about to snap back when David appeared at the edge of the deck, his presence cutting through the

tension.

I released a ragged, silent breath of relief; he had unknowingly pulled me back from the brink of a fight I wasn’t ready to finish.

He stopped, his gaze darting between us, sensing the suffocating tension that seemed to be radiating from our table like heat from a chimney.

“What’s happening here?” he asked, his voice guarded.

Julie’s face transformed instantly into a bright, innocent smile as she looked up at him.

“Nothing at all, David. I was just getting to know Daphne. We were talking about high school and upbringing-it’ s so important to find common ground, don’t you think?”

She faked a small, sad frown, looking at David with wide, shimmering eyes.

“Speaking of which, you never told me you two were officially together. I thought we were closer than that.”

David raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think I owed you that information, Julie.”

Julie’s mouth fell open. She looked as if he’d slapped her. She tried to speak, but the words seemed to snag in her throat, her silence stretching out in the morning light.

Finally, she managed a tremulous breath, a tear balancing precariously on her lower lash line.

“Did I do something wrong?” she whisper

ofte panyant and mean ever since I arrived. Don’t you Successfully unlocked!

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A King His Trophy

care about me anymore?”

I had to look away to hide the roll of my eyes. Her performance was exhausting.

David stared at her, his face a calm, unbothered landscape.

“Julie, I’m just setting boundaries. You haven’t done anything wrong, but I prioritize my girlfriend’s feelings above everything else. I won’t do anything that makes her uncomfortable or undermines what we have.”

Julie stared at him, her eyes wide, her entire demeanor crumbling.

“You mean that? You truly… like her?”

David offered a tight, final smile. He reached down, hooking his hand firmly around my waist and pulling me flush against his side.

“Very much. And Julie, I need you to remember that I don’t owe you anything. I provided for you because your sister did something remarkable for my family, despite her own awful history. Secondly, I didn’t invite you onto this ship. You arrived on your own accord, despite your health, without consulting me. Yet, I made every arrangement for your care. Unless… you’re fully recovered?”

I watched the color drain from her face. David had used the “recovered” card as a weapon, and it struck true. She shifted, her hands clenching in her lap, her eyes darting between us with a frantic, animal fury.

“I… I need to go,” she stammered.

She surged up from the chair and walked past us, her stride stiff and hurried. She didn’t get far, though.

At the door to the deck, she paused, glancing back over her shoulder.

The look she shot me was a promise of destruction; a cold, evil glare that sent a shiver straight to my marrow. Once she was gone, the silence returned, but it didn’t feel peaceful. I looked up at David, my hands shaking.

“David…”

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