For a long minute, the only sound in the interrogation room was the heavy, labored breathing of the Prime Minister.He stared at the smartphone on the metal table, watching the video of his son stabbing himself play over and over again. The undeniable proof was right there in high definition. The trap had closed, and he was caught right in the middle of it.Slowly, the pale shock on his face melted away, replaced by a desperate, ugly rage. He slammed his fists on the table, refusing to accept defeat."This is a trick!" the Prime Minister shouted, his voice cracking. He pointed a shaking finger at Governor Delano. "You manipulated this! You doctored that video, Richard! My boy is lying in a hospital bed, fighting for his life right now, and you are trying to frame him to save your crazy daughter! He deserves justice!"Governor Delano didn't even blink. He looked at the screaming man with pure pity. "It’s over. Save your breath for the judge.""You were never a good man, Richard!" the P

The morning sun cast long, golden shadows across the pristine, manicured lawns of Braxton College. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Nathan Walters didn't feel a deep sense of dread during the walk from the campus bus stop to the main engineering building. He kept his hands buried deep in the pockets of his dark, unbranded jacket, his face an unreadable mask of cold calm. As he walked up the wide concrete steps and approached the main courtyard, he immediately noticed a massive, undeniable shift in the atmosphere. People were looking at him differently.This was not a new thing, however; he was entirely used to being stared at by the student body. Before now, he would always be stared at as the chicken boy. He remembered the countless mornings he had walked these exact same stone steps, only to be met with cruel snickers, people making pathetic clucking noises under their breath, and arrogant rich kids intentionally bumping their shoulders into his chest just to watch th

The lecture hall suddenly exploded into pure, unadulterated chaos.Books slipped from desks, clattering loudly against the floor. Several students in the middle rows actually stood up on top of their wooden chairs, their jaws hanging open so wide it looked like they had just seen a ghost. Nobody was paying attention to Professor Harrington anymore. The entire room went into a frantic, wild frenzy. They simply could not believe their own eyes. They had just witnessed the absolute greatest, most unbelievable plot twist in Braxton College’s entire history.Every single corner of the room was filled with overlapping, frantic murmurs."Is this real? Tell me I’m dreaming right now!""Are you seeing this? Nina Delano is actually kissing him!""Does she even know who he is? Did she forget he's still just a nobody compared to everyone else in this room?"“The governor’s daughter kissing the chicken boy!?”Even though Nathan had done some truly incredible stuff yesterday—even though the rumors a

LoveEventually, as the professor threatened to hand out automatic failing grades for the day, the deafening noise in the room began to slowly die down. The lecture technically resumed, but nobody was listening to a single word about mechanical engineering. The heavy ripple effect of what had just happened in those thirty seconds was already multiplying through the campus infrastructure. Phones were buzzing under desks every two seconds. The videos were being shared, forwarded, and reposted across every single group chat in the city.A couple of hours later, the final bell of the morning session rang. Nathan didn't wait for anyone. He threw his notebook into his backpack, zipped it up with a sharp jerk, and walked out of the classroom before the rich kids could even gather their thoughts to confront him.He made his way through the maze of the university, deliberately avoiding the main courtyards where people were already congregating to look at their phone screens. Instead, he headed

Nina didn't even wait to hear the rest of the sentence. She turned on her heel and ran straight toward the restricted elevator bank at the back of the hallway, her legs shaking with every single step she took against the polished stone floor. Her guards moved like a wall of black fabric behind her, their heavy tactical boots clicking loudly in the quiet space.As she stood before the elevator, repeatedly, desperately slamming her thumb against the metallic arrow button, her mind began to spiral into a dark, terrifying abyss.Richard Delano was the only person who genuinely, truly cared about her in her entire family. He was her absolute rock. Growing up with a cold, status-obsessed mother like Martha and a group of shallow, arrogant siblings had been a lonely, exhausting nightmare. Her father had been the only one who ever looked at her with real warmth, the only one who ever asked about her dreams, and the only one who protected her from the toxic corporate vultures that circled thei