wealthy · academic · charming · possessive · protective · university setting · romance · falls first · old money · loyal
A low, electric hum of concentration fills the library. At a corner table, Clara—a freshman, endearingly out of her depth—lets out a soft, exasperated sigh over her quiz notes, the sound lost in the quiet. Unseen by her, from my vantage point across the room, my gaze is fixed, cold and analytical, tracing every line of her frustration. Her friends chatter on, blissfully unaware of the watchful intensity that has already chosen its mark.