Chapter 7

“I’m sorry,” I whispered softly while avoiding his eyes.

Jacob frowned immediately as if my apology annoyed him even more. His sharp gaze stayed on me, making my chest tighten painfully.

He looked like he wanted to say something.

But before he could even speak.....

“Jacob! Sweetheart!”

A feminine voice suddenly echoed behind me.

I froze slightly before turning around.

A beautiful woman wearing expensive clothes walked toward us confidently. Her long curled hair bounced perfectly behind her while the students around us immediately stared in admiration.

Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around Jacob’s neck and kissed him directly in front of me.

My fingers unconsciously tightened around my books.

I quickly looked away.

The woman then noticed me standing there awkwardly.

Her perfectly shaped eyebrow lifted before she looked at Jacob curiously.

“Who is she?”

For a brief second, Jacob’s eyes landed on mine again.

Cold.

Unreadable.

Then he answered carelessly.

“Nobody.”

The word hit me harder than I expected.

“Let’s go,” he added indifferently before walking away with her.

The woman smirked slightly at me before clinging onto his arm as they disappeared into the crowd of students.

I remained standing there silently.

Embarrassed.

Humiliated.

Like I didn’t belong there at all.

I lowered my gaze and forced my feet to move.

"It’s okay, Vida. You didn’t come here to make friends. You came here for your future.  You’ve endured too much just to study at Dravik. You didn’t fight this hard just to give up now. You sacrificed so much to earn your place in Dravik."I told myself. 

I continued walking after that until I heard Emilia’s voice. I turned around and saw her running toward me, concern visible in her eyes.

I forced a small smile on my lips even though my chest still ached from what happened.

"Are you okay?"she asked me. 

“I’m fine, Emilia. Don’t worry about me,” I told her softly while fixing the strap of my worn bag on my shoulder.

“I can handle myself. I already expected things like this in an expensive school.”

Her brows furrowed with guilt. “But they embarrassed you in front of everyone.”

I shrugged lightly even though the humiliation still burned beneath my skin.

“I won’t let them ruin my dream.”

Emilia stared at me for a few seconds before sighing heavily. “Next time, I’ll defend you.”

A genuine smile finally appeared on my lips.

“There’s no need. Goodbye, Emilia.”

I turned around before she could see how shaky my expression had become. I walked toward the huge campus gate while tightly clutching my notebook against my chest.

I only survived my first day.

That alone was enough.

But before I could finally leave, A loud static sound echoed from the speakers around the campus.

“Attention to Ms. Vida Elene Moretti. Proceed immediately to the Guidance Counselor’s office now.”

My footsteps stopped and whispers instantly erupted around me.

“Who’s Vida Moretti?”

“Isn’t she the scholarship student?”

“What did she do already?”

Heat crawled painfully up my neck.

My grip around my notebook tightened as dozens of students turned to look at me openly. Some were curious. Some were amused.

Others looked excited like they were waiting for drama.

I swallowed hard.

What the hell was happening?

Before I could even process everything, Emilia finally reached me while catching her breath.

“Vida!” she called worriedly.

I immediately looked at her.

“Why are they calling me publicly like that?” I asked in confusion. “Did something happen?”

Emilia looked equally surprised.

“I don’t know.”

I blinked at her. “What?”

She shook her head quickly. “I swear, Vida. I didn’t even know they were going to call you.”

A deep frown slowly formed on my face.

“But you’re the guidance assistant,” I said quietly.

“I know, but the counselor didn’t give me any order,” Emilia explained immediately. “Usually, if they need a student, they contact them privately first or ask me to fetch them personally.”

My chest tightened even more after hearing that.

So this wasn’t normal.

Then why announce my name in front of the entire campus?

Humiliation settled heavily inside me once again. I could already feel the judgmental stares surrounding me while students continued whispering nearby.

It felt intentional.

Like someone wanted to embarrass me publicly instead of handling things formally.

I clenched my jaw.

“This is ridiculous,” I muttered under my breath.

Emilia looked at me sympathetically before gently touching my arm.

“Come on,” she said softly. “I’ll go with you.”

I looked at her for a few seconds before nodding slowly.

“Okay.”

We started walking toward the Guidance building together.

The farther we walked, the more nervous I became.

The Guidance office was located in one of the oldest buildings inside Dravik University. Unlike the luxurious modern structures around campus, this building felt cold and intimidating.

Students rarely came here unless they were in serious trouble.

My stomach twisted anxiously.

“I didn’t even do anything,” I whispered mostly to myself.

Emilia glanced at me. “Maybe it’s just some misunderstanding.”

I wanted to believe her.

But something about this situation felt wrong.

Very wrong.

When we finally reached the office, the atmosphere immediately turned tense.

Several students sitting outside silently looked at me the moment I entered.

The strict-looking woman behind the front desk adjusted her glasses before staring directly at me.

Her sharp eyes felt suffocating.

“Vida Elene Moretti?” she asked coldly.

I nodded slowly.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She stood up immediately.

“Get inside.”

Her tone was firm and strict enough to make me straighten unconsciously.

I glanced briefly at Emilia beside me.

But before Emilia could even speak, the woman added sharply, “Only Ms. Moretti.”

Emilia looked worried. “Ma’am, I’m her----”

“I said only Ms. Moretti.”

The office instantly fell silent.

I swallowed nervously before giving Emilia a small reassuring nod.

“It’s okay,” I whispered.

Even though it honestly didn’t feel okay at all.

I slowly walked toward the closed door the counselor pointed at.

My heart pounded heavily inside my chest with every step. Then the door from the other room suddenly opened. My breath caught instantly when Khaelon stepped out and my entire body froze.