Ring! Ring! Ring!The harsh, loud alarm on Baron’s phone shattered the silence of the morning.Juliana groaned, burying her face into Baron’s chest. "Turn it off..."Baron reached over, blinking sleep from his eyes, and looked at the digital clock on the screen. His eyes went wide. It was already late for their morning lecture."Juliana, wake up," Baron said quickly, shaking her shoulder. "Class started fifteen minutes ago.""What?!" Juliana shot up out of the bed, her messy hair flying everywhere. She looked at the window—the sun was already high in the sky. "Oh my god! We are so late!"The peaceful, romantic atmosphere instantly broke into a hilarious, frantic rush. They both jumped out of the bed in total haste, grabbing their shoes and trying to straighten their clothes at the same time."Where is my other shoe?!" Juliana cried, hopping on one foot."It’s under the desk," Baron said, rushing to wash his face at the small sink.Despite the rush, they were still playing love, laughi

Back on the bustling Tuntadel campus, the sun was shining brightly, casting long shadows across the stone pathways.Standing near the exit of the main science lecture hall was Luke. He was leaning against a concrete pillar, adjusting his backpack. Luke had just returned to campus after traveling to his village to visit his parents and attend his grandfather's funeral. He had missed a lot of classes, but his mind was mostly on his friend.Luke was in great debt to Baron. If it weren't for Baron stepping in and saving him from Leo Vance’s brutal bullying weeks ago, Luke probably would have been forced to drop out of school entirely. He wanted to thank him properly now that he was back.Finally, the heavy double doors of the lecture hall swung open. A crowd of tired students poured out into the hallway.Among them was Baron. He looked a bit stressed, his shoulders slightly tense from the long, boring academic lecture. But as Luke looked closer, his excitement dampened just a bit. Baron w

The glass doors of the Smith estate’s grand vibrated as a sudden, sharp ring cut through the tense silence between the two sisters.Juliana looked down at her phone. The screen flashed: FATHER.She quickly swiped to answer, placing it to her ear. "Father? I was just about to call you. Rose is home, and we need to talk about Matt—""Juliana, get out of the house right now," her father’s voice interrupted.It didn't sound like Richard Smith. The powerful, unflappable billionaire who ruled the city’s shipping industries sounded completely broken, his breath ragged and terrified.Juliana froze, her hand tightening around the phone. "Father? What's wrong? What are you talking about?""It’s the Windgates," Richard gasped, his voice trembling. "They’ve struck us. I don't know how they pulled the strings so fast, but federal investigators just stormed our corporate headquarters. They have a warrant. They’ve frozen every single one of our bank accounts, our offshore reserves, our personal cred

The students in the courtyard backed away in terror, forming a wide circle. The psychological pressure in the air was suffocating. The campus had instantly been turned into a police state, and the target was a single boy."I'll ask you one more time, kid," the lead mercenary sneered, pressing the cold steel of his rifle under Luke's jaw. "Where is Baron?""He's right here."The voice was quiet, but it cut through the panicked murmurs of the crowd like a razor blade.The mercenaries spun around, raising their weapons in unison.Walking slowly down the main stone steps of the library, completely unfazed by the dozen rifles pointed at his chest, was Baron. His hands were tucked casually into his pockets, his posture relaxed. Standing right beside him, her face set in a cold, aristocratic mask of fury, was Juliana."Step away from my friend," Baron said. His voice was calm, but his eyes were already beginning to hum with a faint, lethal violet glow.The lead mercenary laughed, raising his

The trustees screamed, scrambling backward, clutching their chests under the intense psychological pressure. Chairman Sylvester fell to his knees, his gold pen clattering to the floor. He looked up at Baron, his eyes wide with a terrifying, primal fear. He was looking at a force of nature he couldn't comprehend."Please..." Sylvester gasped, clutching his collar as he struggled to breathe. "What do you want?""It’s very simple," Juliana said, stepping over the split table. She looked down at the kneeling chairman. "First, you are going to sign a formal, unanimous resolution clearing Baron Colgate of all charges, with a public apology broadcasted to the entire student body.""Yes... yes, we can do that!" Sylvester nodded frantically, his face covered in sweat."Second," Juliana continued, her eyes flashing with pure steel, "you are going to sign a complete confession detailing every bribe, every threat, and every directive given to you by Mr. Windgate. And you are going to hand it dire