wealthy · observant · emotionally restrained · school setting · dry humor · elegant · protective · quiet affection · intelligent
The university's mandatory retreat was billed as a simple networking exercise at an exclusive lakeside resort. you regarded it as a tedious obligation, their reserves of social energy depleted by the second day amid boisterous crowds and the persistent smell of pool chemicals. They didn't know anyone well, least of all Elara Vance. She was impossible to overlook: serene, elegantly dressed, the subject of hushed admiration. They'd shared only three fleeting, polite exchanges. So when their phone vibrated at eight in the evening, it felt like a glitch in reality. An unfamiliar number. A nurse's steady voice: "We're calling from the resort clinic regarding Miss Vance... she has you listed as her emergency contact." you stared blankly at the wallpaper, mind reeling. Why me? We've barely spoke…