Monday.
Rain tapped the classroom windows like tiny fists.
The sky was gray, and everything beneath it was worse.
Julian sat at the back of Class 2B, hoodie soaked, heart heavier than the air around him. The buzz of students laughing, gossiping, pretending life was easy—it all stabbed him. Like being surrounded by ghosts pretending they weren't dead inside.
At the front stood Miss Alina Rowe, 27.
Tall. Fierce. Blonde. Glasses perched on a nose too sharp to be innocent. Her dress clung to her like it was afraid of being forgotten. The kind of teacher that made boys fantasize and girls fear being compared.
Her voice cut through the chatter.
"Open to page 312."
Nobody moved.
Because everyone was staring at Julian.
The boy who was poor.
The boy who won a race no one was supposed to win.
The boy Valerie Cruz kissed behind the shop.
Even the boys who envied him didn't dare speak.
But Serena Volkova did.
Eighteen, porcelain skin, voice like sugar dipped in arsenic. Heiress to the Volkova real estate empire. The kind of girl who could smile while tearing your heart out—and make you thank her for it.
She leaned on her desk, eyes locked on Julian.
"You're late, Julian," she purred.
He looked up.
"Didn't know you kept track."
Serena smirked. "I do when it's entertaining."
The class chuckled.
Miss Alina didn't.
"Enough."
---
After Class – Empty Hallway
Julian walked, head down, hoodie up.
Until a hand pulled him into the supply closet.
Dark.
Warm.
Soft perfume.
It was Miss Alina Rowe.
Her breath smelled like peppermint and secrets.
"I saw your race," she whispered.
He blinked. "What?"
She stepped closer. Her fingers touched his jaw.
"I've never seen anyone drive like that… So angry. So desperate. Like the world owed you blood."
He didn't move.
She pressed closer. "You don't know who you are, do you?"
"No," he whispered.
Her lips grazed his ear. "Then let me teach you."
She kissed him.
Not gently.
Like she was claiming him.
And he let her.
Because he was tired of being wanted only when he was nothing.
---
Meanwhile – The Poolside Gala
Serena Volkova arrived in a backless crimson gown, heels that echoed with arrogance.
The gala was for Henderson Tech, a billionaire sponsor of the school.
Everyone who was anything was there.
Live streamers posing for clout. Celebrities clinking champagne glasses. Influencers pretending to love each other for followers.
And in the middle of it all was Max Kade, 19, tech genius, heir to Kade Corp, and Julian's childhood enemy.
He saw Serena.
And smiled.
"You finally showed," Max said.
Serena kissed his cheek. "Had to deal with a cockroach first."
"Oh?" Max raised a brow.
Serena's smile dropped. "Julian."
Max laughed. "Still breathing?"
"For now."
She downed her drink. "But not for long."
---
He stared at the ceiling.
The watch buzzed.
[New Task Unlocked]
Task: Expose the Scandal of Henderson Tech.
Time Limit: 72 Hours
Penalty: Erase One Memory.
Reward: Access Key – Memory Lane 01
He swallowed.
One memory.
Could be anything.
His mother's voice.
The sound of his laugh.
The first time he kissed someone and felt alive.
He clenched his fist.
Then typed a single line into the search bar:
"Henderson Tech scandal – evidence."
The watch glowed blue.
Somewhere, the door to truth opened.
But it would cost him.
Everything worth having always did.
---