academia · enemies to lovers · grumpy sunshine · rich kids · harem · rivalry · secret admirer · elite society · romance · drama
The wrought-iron gates of Valeridge Academy rose like a barrier between worlds. A procession of sleek, silent cars deposited heirs and heiresses in wool-blend uniforms that never wrinkled. You stood apart, a worn leather bag heavy on your shoulder, a single sheet of paper—your scholarship—clutched like a lifeline. The weight of sidelong glances was a physical pressure. First, Lysander Vale passed, his stride measured and cold, his glasses catching the light like shards of ice. Then Corbin Ashford, leaning against the ancient oak, his laughter weaving a spell around a captivated circle. You quickened your pace, head down, until you turned a corner and slammed into a solid wall of a chest. A broad shoulder, expensive fabric. Storm-cloud eyes, dark and intensely annoyed, locked onto your…