Baited by Love

I was born for drama and had an almost unhealthy obsession with good looks. My life motto was simple—never let a handsome guy feel disappointed. And my ultimate dream was just as clear. I wanted to make every beautiful man feel safe and cared for. So, the moment I set foot in this elite academy, my eyes zeroed in on Caleb Johnson. Everyone agreed he was the hottest guy on campus. I immediately threw myself at him with everything I had. Caleb's features were exquisite, like a living work of art, but his personality was terrible. He had a sharp tongue, and a single word from him could leave you reeling.Hence, even with his perfect face, his love life was a total disaster."Caleb would be perfect if he were mute," the ladies at school would whisper, their voices edged with regret. On the very first day I tried to make my move, I got a firsthand taste of his cutting remarks. When I confessed my admiration, he barely spared me a glance. "Who's making all that noise?" Caleb ha

I happened to reach the doorway when I heard Caleb's voice. I froze mid-step, and my ears perked up instantly. "Are you serious?" Asher raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced."Valerie's back, so I'm not going to keep dragging things out with Sabrina. Besides, it was never serious," Caleb said with a sneer. Asher leaned back lazily. "You don't know Sabrina. She's super clingy. Getting away from her won't be easy.""That's why I need your help." Caleb lifted his gaze and went on, "Go flirt with her. Let her be the one to break up with me."At that, Asher shot upright. "What? You want us to do it? No way. I can't stand women like her. She's pathetic and desperate. Just the sight of her irritates me."He scowled as he spoke, disgust written all over his face.Then, Caleb turned to the quiet one. "What about you, Marcus?""I'm not interested," Marcus answered, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses.Even so, Caleb remained calm. He slowly pulled out his phone and said, "Once it's don

Without saying a word, Marcus handed me a black pen. I flashed him a sweet smile and reached for it, deliberately letting my fingertips brush against his. He pulled his hand back immediately, and a flush crept up his ears.I had heard that Marcus only had eyes for studying and that any woman who came near him would cause him to go completely silent. I hadn't believed it before. But seeing him now, I wanted to award him for being the world's most uptight guy. And Caleb actually expected him to flirt with me? That was like asking a wallflower to suddenly become a Casanova. Oh, Caleb… What kind of confidence did you have to think this was a good idea?For the rest of the lesson, Marcus explained everything with complete focus, while I watched him just as intently.When he finally stumbled his way through a problem, I bit the end of my pen, tilted my head, and blinked at him. "Hmm.. I still don't get it. Could you explain it one more time, Mr. Perfect?"Even I could hardly st

I tucked the card away with a smile. "Alright. See you Saturday at 2:00 pm. Let's meet at the gate of the arcade."With that, I turned to leave. Then, after just a couple of steps, I glanced back and waved at Asher. He stood rooted to the spot, something complicated flickering in his eyes as he stared at my retreating figure. I was in an impossibly good mood and hummed a little tune on my way back to class. No sooner had I sat down than my phone buzzed.It was a message from Marcus. He wrote, "You're really not going to tell Caleb about yesterday, right?"Smiling, I typed back, "Of course not. It's our little secret."He was silent for a long moment before finally sending a single period. I stared at the period. Moments later, I replied, "By the way, are you free on Sunday? I'd like to treat you to a meal. It's my way of thanking you for helping me with that problem yesterday."This time, Marcus responded almost instantly. "Sure."Satisfied, I put my phone away. Everything

Valerie stared at me for a long moment, a flicker of something complicated in her eyes. Out of nowhere, she pulled me into a hug. "Sabby, you're really amazing. I'm so happy!"I patted her back, but my mind was racing. It seemed like she was involved now, too. This just made things more interesting.…At school, I handed Caleb his breakfast. He took it and thanked me quietly.I returned to my seat with a smile. Then, I pulled out my phone to check the time. My date with Asher was at 2:00 pm, and lunch with Marcus was at noon on Sunday.Everything was going according to plan. Now, all I had to do was wait for the right moment to make Caleb slip up.And that moment came sooner than I expected.At lunchtime, I went to the washroom. On my way back, I overheard Caleb and Valerie talking in the hallway."Valerie, do you remember anything from when we were kids?" Caleb asked, his voice unusually gentle.A smile played on Valerie's lips as she answered, "Some of it. You were so timid