Chapter 1: The Name on the Top List

The first day of classes always felt the same.

Noise. Chaos. New faces pretending they weren’t nervous.

But for her, it was different—because today wasn’t just about starting a semester.

It was about surviving it.

She stepped into the lecture hall clutching her notebook tightly against her chest. The room was already half full, students scattered across rows, some laughing too loudly, others scrolling through their phones like nothing mattered.

She chose a seat near the middle.

Not too far. Not too close.

Safe.

“Okay class, settle down,” the professor called, adjusting his glasses. “Before we begin, I want you all to take a look at last semester’s rankings.”

A few students groaned.

Some straightened in their seats.

And then the projector lit up.

Top 10 Students of the Semester.

Her eyes scanned the list without much interest at first—until she saw it.

Kieran Vale

The room didn’t react, but she noticed something strange.

A shift.

Whispers.

Like everyone already knew the name… and respected it.

“Kieran Vale,” someone behind her murmured. “He’s insane. Always first. Like, no one even comes close.”

She frowned slightly.

So what? A smart student. Big deal.

Then—

The lecture hall door opened.

And everything changed.

A tall guy walked in, calm and unreadable, backpack hanging loosely over one shoulder. He didn’t rush. Didn’t look around. Didn’t care that every head turned toward him.

He just walked in like he already owned the room.

And then he sat two rows behind her.

The air felt different after that.

Like the noise got quieter without anyone telling it to.

She didn’t turn around.

She refused to.

But she could feel it.

The presence.

“Late again, Mr. Vale,” the professor said, but there was no real anger in his voice.

“Traffic,” the guy replied simply.

One word.

Cold. Controlled.

Like he didn’t owe anyone more explanation than that.

Class began.

But she couldn’t focus.

Because for some reason, the atmosphere kept pulling her attention backward—like gravity.

And she hated that.

She finally risked a small glance over her shoulder.

Just one second.

That was all it took.

Dark hair slightly messy. Sharp eyes looking down at his notes like nothing in the world was interesting enough to bother him. Calm expression. No emotion.

Then suddenly—

His eyes lifted.

And met hers.

She froze.

For a moment, neither of them looked away.

It wasn’t dramatic.

No music. No sparks in the air.

Just silence.

And something dangerously unfamiliar sitting between them.

Then he looked away first.

Like she wasn’t important enough to keep staring at.

Her chest tightened slightly.

Rude.

She turned back around quickly, forcing her attention to the board.

“Forget him,” she whispered to herself. “He’s just another student.”

But behind her, Kieran Vale tilted his pen slightly between his fingers…

…and for the first time that day, he wasn’t listening to the lecture either.

He was thinking about the girl who looked at him like he wasn’t supposed to matter.

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