The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 247

Monica-1

The rest of that first day passed in a blur.

After their conversation on the couch-after Attia had laid bare the wounds of his past and Lori had responded with nothing but compassion-he had returned to his responsibilities. Meetings. Phone calls. Reports that needed his signature. The endless demands of running an academy.

And Lori had thrown herself into the tasks Brentley had left for her.

Filing. Organizing. Answering emails that required no personal touch. Surface work, designed to cover her presence, to give her a reason to be there when the real purpose of her employment was far more complicated.

The days that followed fell into a rhythm.

Morning classes. Afternoons in the headmaster’s office. Evenings studying until her eyes blurred.

And with each passing day, Lori felt herself falling deeper.

At first, she had resisted the instinct. Told herself it was just the bond. Just biology. Just the Goddess pulling strings she had no control over.

But now-as she discovered him piece by piece-she felt more and more mesmerized.

It was in the small things.

The way he thanked Brentley every evening, no matter how exhausting the day had been.

The way he frowned at paperwork, his dark brows drawing together in concentration.

The way he said her name-*Lorelei*-like it was something precious.

The way he remembered details she had mentioned in passing, bringing them up days later to show he had been listening.

Her heart was beating so loud she was certain it would break through her chest. And each time he spoke to her in that low, resonant tone-the one he used when they were alone, stripped of the cold formality he showed the rest of the world-shivers raced down her spine.

Goosebumps rose on her skin.

She told Iva about it during one of their hurried breakfasts, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I think I’m losing my mind,” Lori admitted. “Every time he looks at me, I forget how to breathe. Every time he speaks, I feel like I’m melting.”

Iva laughed, loud and unapologetic.

“That’s not losing your mind,” she said. “That’s the bond. That’s attraction. That’s *him.” She leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. “This is just the beginning, Lori. Wait until you actually kiss him.”

162

<Monica 1

Lori’s face erupted in flames. “Iva!”

“What? I’m just saying.”

“You’re terrible.”

“You’re blushing.”

Lori buried her face in her hands.

Iva’s laughter softened. She reached across the table and squeezed Lori’s wrist.

Claim

“Enjoy it,” she said. “All of it. The nerves. The butterflies. The way your heart races every time he walks into the room. This is what it’s supposed to feel like, Lori. This is the Goddess’s gift.”

Lori lifted her head, her cheeks still pink.

“It doesn’t feel like a gift,” she admitted. “It feels like… like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff. And I’m terrified to jump. But I also don’t want to step back.”

Iva smiled. “That’s exactly what it feels like. With the right person.”

The morning of Iva’s departure, the canteen felt emptier than usual.

Lori sat across from her best friend, pushing food around her plate, not hungry. Iva’s bags were packed. A royal car waited outside the academy gates. In a few hours, she would be back at the castle, preparing for the ceremony that would make her the official Crown Princess.

“I want you there,” Iva said, her voice soft but firm.

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