Playful fire

The morning air was cool, but Aria’s mind burned with unease. She had barely slept after yesterday’s chaos. The fight, Damian stepping in, his stare everything replayed like a film she couldn’t pause.

Her phone vibrated as she sat in the lecture hall, balancing her pen nervously between her fingers. She didn’t expect to see the name that flashed across the screen.

Dr Adrian.

She hesitated, then answered softly. “Hello?”

“Aria.” His tone was low, calm but heavy. “I need to speak with you before next week. The hospital board will be holding a major meeting. As the largest shareholder, you have to be there. No excuses.”

Her grip on the phone tightened. Shareholder. Heiress. Words she never asked for, titles that tied her to a legacy she barely understood. She kept her voice even. “Alright. I’ll come.”

There was a pause. “Good. But one more thing.” His voice sharpened. “Where were you last night? Around eight? I called your security. They said you weren’t home. Were you safe?”

Her stomach knotted. Eight p.m. That was when she had been in the library. With Damian.

“Yes,” she lied quickly. “I was safe. I just… needed air.”

He exhaled, half relief, half suspicion. “Aria, you can’t take risks. Not with the enemies circling. You’re Lancaster’s blood whether you accept it or not. That makes you a target.”

Her chest tightened, but before she could answer, a sharp voice cut across the lecture hall.

“Butterfly.”

Heads turned.

Damian Cole stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame like he owned the entire building. His voice was loud, deliberate, dripping with arrogance. “Come here. We have things to talk about.”

Murmurs rippled instantly.

“Did you hear that? He called her Butterfly.”

“Wait, weren’t they seen last night together?”

“Some say they were fighting. Others say…”

“No way. Damian Cole chasing a girl?”

Aria’s face heated, her jaw clenching. She ignored him and fixed her eyes on her notebook.

But the whispers grew louder.

A guy two rows down leaned back toward her, a cocky grin on his face. “Aria, don’t stress yourself with him. I’m low-key, yeah? Money dey. Let me take care of you. I’ll change your car, give you everything.”

Laughter bubbled from the students around them. Aria shot him a sharp side eye, lips curling in disdain. She didn’t need to speak her silence spoke louder than words.

But before she could, another voice came from behind. A girl, calm and cutting.

“She doesn’t need you. She’ll buy you and your father.”

The class erupted in gasps and laughter. Aria turned slightly, stunned. The girl smiled faintly at her, almost knowingly, then bent her head to her notes.

Aria’s chest tightened. Buy him and his father? Did she know? Or was it just coincidence? She masked her shock with a polite smile and faced forward.

Damian’s shadow fell across the cocky guy’s desk. His voice was low, dangerous. “Move. Now. Unless you want me to show you exactly what I can do.”

The guy’s grin vanished. He swallowed, grabbed his bag, and bolted to the back.

Satisfied, Damian slid into the seat beside Aria without asking. She exhaled sharply, refusing to look at him.

“You’re welcome,” he murmured.

“I didn’t ask for your help.”

“You never do,” he said, smirking. “But you needed it.”

Her pen scratched across the page, pretending he wasn’t there. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

He leaned closer, his voice brushing her ear. “Not when you’re in the room.”

Her pulse betrayed her, racing. She pushed her chair an inch away. “You’re impossible.”

“I’m irresistible,” he corrected. “There’s a difference.”

The professor entered, silencing the murmurs, but Damian never moved his gaze. His presence pressed on her like gravity, unshakable and maddening.

When class ended, Aria rushed out, books clutched tightly. But Damian was on her heels.

“Aria.” His voice was smoother now, quieter. “Talk to me.”

She spun around in the courtyard, glaring. “Why won’t you leave me alone?”

He stopped inches from her, his jaw sharp under the sunlight. “Because you’re the only one who looks at me and doesn’t see money or power. You see me.”

Her laugh was bitter. “I don’t see you, Damian. I see a spoiled, arrogant brat who thinks the world bends at his feet.”

Instead of anger, his grin widened. “And yet you keep talking to me.”

Her cheeks burned. “Because you keep forcing yourself into my space!”

“Because I want to.” He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “And because deep down, you want me there.”

Her throat tightened. She opened her mouth, but no words came. His confidence was infuriating and terrifyingly close to the truth.

“Stay out of my way,” she whispered.

“Impossible,” he replied, his eyes burning into hers. “You’re already in mine.”

Before she could react, a group of students passed by, murmuring about the morning’s drama. Aria grabbed her chance, turning sharply and walking away.

Damian watched, his fists clenching, then forced a slow smile. This wasn’t over.

Night fell.

Aria lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. The day replayed again and again: Dr Adrian’s warning, the whispers, Damian’s smirk.

She hated how his words lingered. She hated that her body reacted to his nearness.

“He’s the enemy,” she whispered to herself. “Nothing more.”

But her heart didn’t listen.

Her phone buzzed suddenly, lighting the dark room. She reached for it, frowning.

A message.

From Damian Cole.

You can run all you want, Butterfly… but you’ll always find me waiting.

Her heart slammed against her ribs. She dropped the phone onto her pillow, staring at it as if it might explode.

Sleep became impossible. Because even in the silence of night, Damian’s presence lingered.

And Aria knew this was only the beginning.