INICIAR SESIÓNLivia"Absolutely not," Professor Sterling said sternly, his grey eyes narrowing as he stared down at the small paper cup of vanilla ice cream resting in my hands."Sir, just one little spoon won't give you diabetes," I countered, scooping a heap of the cold cream into my mouth and letting out a quiet sigh as the sweet flavor hit my tongue."I believe I made it very clear back at the restaurant that I do not like sweet things," "True, but it's Ace's birthday, remember? You are doing this for him."He pointed a finger toward the brick building behind us. "Ace is not even out here."Professor Sterling and I stepped outside to take a break from the noisy hall. After the coordinators finished reading the children's books, the room erupted into pure chaos, with dozens of kids running around to play with the massive piles of brand-new toys Professor Sterling had bought.Right after that, everyone gathered around to sing the happy birthday song for Ace. We cut the cocoa-brown cake, and it t
LiviaYou have got to be kidding me.I stared at him with my mouth slightly open. This man literally commissioned six massive, luxury birthday cakes, all because he couldn't decide on the exact shade of brown to get for his four-year-old son.Truth be told, looking at the display in front of us, it was almost impossible to tell them apart. To any normal human being, they all looked like the exact same shade of brown.Yet, as absurd as the whole situation was, a small part of me found it kind of funny. I mean, who goes to these lengths over the hex code of a birthday cake?I cleared my throat, leaning forward to inspect the cake line-up sitting on the cart. My eyes landed on the first tiered creation right at the front."Let's go with this one then," I said, pointing my finger straight at it.Professor Sterling shifted his weight, his grey eyes narrowing as he gave the cake a long, overly critical inspection."That is coffee brown," he noted flatly. "From what I know, young children do
LiviaI kept my gaze fixed on my lap, my fingers slowly tracing the delicate texture of the baby-pink chiffon dress. It felt so light and soft on my skin that for a fleeting moment, I felt transformed. Like a girl in a movie who had suddenly stepped into the shoes of a wealthy heiress rather than a struggling student constantly worrying about her next tuition payment.My eyes drifted down to the silver heels strapped around my ankles. They were simple, elegant sandals, but even a quick glance revealed their fine craftsmanship. The subtle glint of the buckle, the flawless leather, and the way they hugged my feet told anyone they didn’t come from any ordinary high-street shop.When I had tried to object to Professor Sterling’s sudden order to buy every single outfit I had tried on, he simply turned to the shopper with a calm instruction to fetch the finest footwear to match the dress.When I opened my mouth to protest a second time, he made his rules crystal clear: every complaint I u
LiviaThe car glided smoothly to a stop directly in front of a towering, multi-story building constructed almost entirely of dark, reflective glass. Sleek gold lettering above the grand entrance caught the afternoon light, practically screaming opulence. I couldn't help but stare, my eyes wide, as we stepped through the automatic doors into a climate-controlled sanctuary that smelled faintly of something expensive.Words completely failed me as I took in the quality of everything surrounding us. The ground floor stretched out like a museum of unmitigated wealth. High-end boutiques lined both sides of the clean aisle, some displaying rows of luxury cosmetics behind well lit glass, while others toward the far end, left featured designer shoes and bags arranged like works of art.As we walked further inside, we passed a high-tech gaming lounge with massive curved displays. I coudn’t help but smile a bit as I knew Jared would have lost his mind in there, desperate to try out every sin
RonanI watched as the waitress’s entire expression went deathly pale. The sickly-sweet, forced smile that had been plastered on Lena’s face while she desperately tried to charm me vanished in an instant, replaced by cold panic.She swallowed hard, her throat bobbing as she stared at me, probably wondering who the hell I was to hand down such a ruthless ultimatum in a high-end establishment. Her frantic eyes darted toward Livia, who was sitting there with wide, disbelieving eyes, looking just as shocked by my harshness as the waitress was.I had half-expected Livia to make a scene, to complain about the sticky brown stain ruining her shirt or demand a manager, but she sat completely silent, her instinct still leaning toward being nice as she tried to dab at the mess herself.She was a strange, unpredictable person. But it was that exact trait that kept me somewhat drawn to her. I just couldn’t explain it even if I tried."It’s really fine, sir. I can just wipe it off," Livia murmured
LiviaThis is not a date.This is not a date.This is not a date.I held the chair by the side and repeated the words over and over like a mental spell, silently praying my pounding heart wouldn’t burst right through my chest, If my stomach didn’t betray me and let out an embarrassing growl like a dying engine back in his car, I wouldn't be sitting in a place where a glass of water probably cost half my rent.Across from me Prof. Sterling picked up a leather-bound menu and flipped it open."Have you ordered yet?""THIS IS NOT A DATE!" The words erupted from my mouth before I could stop them.The couple at the adjacent table snapped their heads towards us, shooting me a collective look of pity and awkwardness. Heat instantly rushed up my neck, burning right to the tips of my ears.Professor Sterling froze, his grey eyes raising slowly over the top of his menu and his left eyebrow arched high above his forehead. "What?"I winced, digging my chin into my collarbone as I snatched up my ow







