Rain hammered against the tall glass windows of Westbridge University’s main building.

Eli Navarro tightened his grip on the stack of books in his arms as he rushed down the empty hallway, cursing under his breath.

“Great. Just great.”

The campus library had closed early, and now he was stuck crossing half the school during a storm because his shift at the café started in twenty minutes.

If he was late again, his manager would cut his hours.

And if that happened—

No. He couldn’t afford that.

Not with tuition due next week.

Not with his mother’s hospital bills piling up.

He quickened his pace.

Then he heard it.

A sharp crash.

Followed by a voice.

“You think Father won’t find out?”

Eli froze.

The sound came from the student council executive lounge.

That was strange.

Nobody was supposed to be there this late.

Curiosity got the better of him.

He stepped closer.

The door was slightly open.

And what he saw made his stomach drop.

Lucien Vale stood in the center of the room, perfectly still despite the shattered glass at his feet.

Across from him, his older brother Damien clutched his collar, face pale with rage.

“You’re making a mistake,” Damien hissed.

Lucien’s expression didn’t change.

“If exposing you is a mistake,” he said coldly, “then I’ll gladly make it.”

Damien’s jaw tightened.

“You think Father will choose you after this?”

Lucien leaned closer, his voice dangerously quiet.

“He already has.”

Silence.

Then Damien shoved him hard.

Eli gasped.

The sound slipped out before he could stop it.

Both heads snapped toward the door.

His blood ran cold.

Lucien’s dark eyes locked onto his.

For a second, no one moved.

Then Damien cursed.

“Who the hell is that?”

Panic surged through Eli.

He turned and ran.

His footsteps pounded against the marble floor as he sprinted down the hallway.

Stupid.

So stupid.

Why had he looked?

Why had he stopped?

He shoved through the stairwell doors—

And collided straight into someone.

Strong hands caught his arms.

Eli looked up.

Lucien Vale.

How the hell—

Lucien must have taken the private elevator.

His grip tightened slightly.

“Going somewhere?”

Eli swallowed.

“I—I didn’t see anything.”

Lucien studied him in silence.

His face was unreadable.

Then he leaned down just enough for Eli to feel his breath against his ear.

“That’s unfortunate.”

Eli’s pulse spiked.

“Because now,” Lucien murmured, “I can’t let you walk away.”Lucien didn’t move away.

Eli stood frozen, unable to breathe properly under his gaze.

The hallway felt smaller now, like the walls were closing in.

“I really didn’t see anything important,” Eli said again, voice lower this time. “Just… let me go. I won’t talk about it.”

For a second, Lucien said nothing.

Then he lifted his hand and gently adjusted the collar of Eli’s shirt.

The touch was calm.

Too calm.

Eli flinched instantly. “Don’t touch me.”

Lucien paused, his fingers still hovering near Eli’s collar.

“I’m not trying to hurt you,” he said quietly.

Eli let out a dry laugh. “That’s what people always say right before they do.”

A flicker of something crossed Lucien’s eyes—but it was gone quickly.

He lowered his hand.

“Walk with me,” Lucien said again.

“I said no.”

Lucien’s voice dropped slightly. “You don’t have a choice.”

That sentence hit harder than anything else.

Eli’s chest tightened. “You don’t own me.”

Lucien looked at him for a long moment, then said softly:

“Not yet.”

The word sent a strange chill down Eli’s spine.

Before Eli could respond, Lucien turned slightly and began walking again, slower this time, as if giving him a chance to leave.

But Eli didn’t move.

Not because he trusted him.

But because something about Lucien’s confidence felt like a trap already closing around him.

He followed.

They stopped in front of a private elevator Eli had never noticed before. Lucien pressed a hidden button, and the doors opened silently.

Inside, the space was too clean, too quiet, too expensive.

Eli stepped in reluctantly.

The doors closed.

For the first time, he was completely alone with Lucien Vale.

And he had no idea what he had just stepped into.

Lucien’s voice broke the silence.

“You should stop looking at me like that.”

Eli frowned. “Like what?”

“Like I’m your enemy.”

A pause.

Eli looked away. “Aren’t you?”

Lucien didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he said:

“That depends on what you choose next.”

The elevator began to rise.

Eli’s heartbeat didn’t slow once.

Eli’s heart pounded so loudly it felt like it was echoing in the empty hallway.

Lucien Vale stood too close.

Too calm.

Too dangerous.

Eli forced himself to breathe. “I didn’t see anything,” he repeated quickly. “I swear. I was just passing by.”

Lucien didn’t respond immediately. His dark eyes studied Eli like he was solving a problem only he could see. The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating.

Finally, Lucien released his grip—but didn’t step back.

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” he said quietly.

Eli frowned. “Then what—”

“You saw enough,” Lucien interrupted.

Eli stiffened. “I won’t tell anyone.”

A faint, almost unreadable expression passed over Lucien’s face. Not anger. Not relief. Something colder.

“I don’t need promises,” Lucien said. “I need certainty.”

Eli’s stomach tightened. “What does that even mean?”

Lucien tilted his head slightly. “Come with me.”

Before Eli could refuse, Lucien turned and walked down the hallway as if he already knew he would be followed.

And somehow, against his better judgment, Eli followed.

They entered a private lounge on the top floor of the building. The room was too clean, too expensive, too quiet. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the storm outside, lightning flashing over the city.

Lucien gestured to a chair.

“Sit.”

Eli didn’t move. “I don’t take orders from you.”

A brief pause.

Then Lucien looked at him again—slower this time.

“That’s unfortunate,” he said, “because right now, your situation depends entirely on me.”

Eli’s jaw tightened. “What are you talking about?”

Lucien walked to the window, hands in his pockets.

“You’re a scholarship student,” he said. “Working part-time. Barely sleeping. Your mother is in Westbridge General Hospital, correct?”

Eli froze.

“How do you—”

“I know a lot of things,” Lucien interrupted calmly. “Including what happens if your scholarship is questioned… or withdrawn.”

Eli’s blood went cold.

“You’re threatening me?”

Lucien turned slightly. “No.”

A pause.

“I’m offering you a solution.”

Eli let out a short, humorless laugh. “A solution? You just stalked my entire life.”

Lucien’s expression didn’t change. “Call it what you want.”

He stepped closer again, slower this time. Controlled.

“Here’s the offer,” Lucien said. “You become my boyfriend.”

Eli blinked. “Excuse me?”

“A contract,” Lucien corrected. “Public. Temporary. Convincing.”

Eli stared at him like he had lost his mind. “You’re insane.”

“Six months,” Lucien continued. “You stay close to me. Act like we’re dating. In return, your tuition is covered. Your mother’s treatment is paid for. And your academic record stays untouched.”

The room went silent except for the rain against the glass.

Eli’s fists clenched. “And if I refuse?”

Lucien looked at him for a long moment.

“You won’t,” he said simply.

Something about the certainty in his voice made Eli’s chest tighten.

Not because it was comforting.

Because it was true.

Eli swallowed hard. “You can’t just buy people like this.”

Lucien’s gaze darkened slightly.

“I’m not buying you,” he said. “I’m securing silence.”

A beat.

Then softer, almost quiet:

“And control.”

Eli hated how honest that was.

He looked away, breathing unevenly.

“I don’t trust you,” Eli muttered.

Lucien stepped back slightly, giving him space for the first time.

“You don’t need to,” he said. “You just need to survive.”

Silence stretched between them again.

Eli closed his eyes briefly.

He thought of his mother.

The hospital bills.

The overdue fees.

The scholarship review next month.

Slowly, painfully, he opened his eyes.

“…Six months?” he asked.

Lucien nodded once.

Eli exhaled sharply.

“Fine.”

Lucien’s expression didn’t change—but something in the room shifted.

“Good,” he said.

Then he added, almost softly:

“Welcome to the contract.”