THE DEAL

ELENA

I had never hated a clock more in my life.

Every second that passed inside the administrative waiting room made my anxiety worse.

11:52 AM.

Eight more minutes until my disciplinary hearing.

Eight more minutes until Blackthorn University possibly decided I wasn’t worth keeping anymore.

My hands tightened around the folder sitting on my lap.

Across from me, Elizabeth looked ready to start a riot.

“This school is actually ridiculous,” she muttered for the fifth time in ten minutes.

“Please don’t punch anyone.”

“No promises.”

Despite everything, I smiled weakly.

The waiting room was painfully quiet except for the ticking clock above us and the occasional sound of footsteps passing outside.

Students walked past the glass doors every few minutes, glancing inside curiously.

They knew why I was here.

Elizabeth leaned closer suddenly.

“Okay, hypothetically speaking,” she whispered, “if we had to fake your death and move countries, where would you wanna go?”

I blinked.

“What?”

“I’m being supportive.”

“That’s your version of support?”

“Yes.”

I laughed quietly before covering my face with one hand.

“I’m serious, Lizzy. What if they take my scholarship?”

Her expression softened instantly.

“They won’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

“No,” she admitted. “But I know you didn’t do anything wrong.”

That almost made me emotional before I could answer; the administrative assistant opened the door.

“Miss Carter?”

My stomach dropped immediately. Elizabeth squeezed my hand once.

“Breathe,” she whispered.

Easy for her to say.

I stood slowly and followed the assistant into the boardroom.

The room itself felt suffocating with its long dark table and cold expressions. Three faculty members sat across from me, folders already opened in front of them.

“Please sit,” one of them said calmly.

I obeyed quietly.

My heartbeat felt painfully loud. A woman near the centre adjusted her glasses before speaking.

“Elena Carter. First-year scholarship recipient with outstanding academic performance.”

Something about the way she said it made me nervous.

“We are concerned,” another board member continued, “about recent allegations involving inappropriate conduct.”

Humiliation burned through me instantly.

“It wasn’t what it looked like,” I said quickly.

“Then perhaps you’d like to explain why you were alone in West Hall after hours with Adrian Laurent.”

I froze slightly because honestly?

I didn’t even know how to explain it myself.

“I was told there was a scholarship review.”

“By whom?”

I couldn’t exactly say Chloe without sounding desperate. The woman folded her hands neatly.

“Miss Carter, scholarship students are expected to uphold a certain standard of behaviour.”

There it was. The reminder that students like me were never allowed mistakes.

“We’ve also received concerns,” another member added, “regarding the possibility of inappropriate relationships influencing academic performance.”

My chest tightened painfully.

That hurt more than I expected because deep down… that was exactly what my aunt would say too, but I forced myself to stay calm.

“I earned my grades fairly.”

“Then how do you explain the images?”

Before I could answer, the boardroom door opened. Every person in the room looked up immediately, and suddenly the entire atmosphere changed.

Adrian Laurent walked inside calmly, as if he belonged there more than anyone else with his black coat and completely unbothered. Even the faculty members looked slightly uncomfortable.

One of them frowned.

“Mr Laurent, this hearing is private.”

Adrian closed the door behind him slowly.

“Then you should probably stop discussing my girlfriend without me present.”

The woman near the centre frowned immediately.

“ Mr Laurent, whether or not you're involved with Miss Carter does not erase concerns about student conduct.”

Adrian didn’t even blink.

“Then perhaps the university should focus on the person who leaked private photos instead.”

Silence, complete silence.

My brain stopped working.

“What?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Elizabeth, still visible through the glass outside, nearly choked. The faculty members exchanged confused looks instantly. The woman near the centre frowned harder.

“Your… girlfriend?”

Adrian’s gaze shifted toward me briefly, which was calm at the same time completely terrifying.

“Yes.”

I stared at him as he had completely lost his mind.

Because what?

WHAT?

One of the board members cleared his throat awkwardly.

“The university was under the impression the relationship shown in the photos was inappropriate and potentially connected to Miss Carter’s scholarship status.”

Adrian looked unimpressed.

“Elena’s grades were already excellent before we started dating.”

Started dating?!

I couldn’t even process what was happening anymore.

The room fell into another uncomfortable silence because Adrian Laurent had just casually destroyed the entire narrative everyone built around me.

It wasn't seduction; it was a real relationship, and apparently nobody in this university knew how to react to that.

The woman adjusted her glasses again.

“If that is true, then this situation may have been misunderstood.”

Understatement of the century.

Adrian slipped one hand into his pocket.

“I’d appreciate it if Miss Carter’s academic future wasn’t threatened over rumours.”

The room went quiet immediately.

Right, because Adrian wasn’t just some student. His family practically funded half the university.

The hearing ended less than ten minutes later. No suspension. No expulsion. No scholarship removal.

I should have felt relieved, but instead, I felt confused. The moment I stepped outside the boardroom, I turned toward Adrian sharply.

“What was that?”

Elizabeth stood nearby, looking equally shocked.

“Actually yes,” she said quickly. “I would also like answers.”

Adrian looked completely calm.

“It solved the problem.”

“You told the disciplinary board I’m your girlfriend.”

“You needed protection from the rumours.”

“That does not explain why you picked that solution!”

Elizabeth pointed between us dramatically.

“You two are dating now??”

“No!” I snapped.

Adrian looked at me.

“Not officially.”

I stared at him.

“Oh, my God.”

He stepped slightly closer, lowering his voice enough that only I could hear. His jaw tightened like he was forcing himself to stay calm.

“We both benefit from this arrangement.”

I frowned immediately.

“Arrangement?”

“The university stops questioning your scholarship,” he said calmly. “And the rumours become less damaging.”

My stomach tightened because annoyingly…he was right.

People would treat this differently if they believed we were actually together.

Still insane. Still gossip-worthy but less scandalous.

I crossed my arms.

“And what exactly do you get out of this?”

For the first time, something unreadable crossed Adrian's expression.

Then he said quietly:

“You.”

A chill ran through me.

“That sounds incredibly threatening.”

Elizabeth looked between us suspiciously.

“I hate this already.”

Adrian's gaze stayed on me a second longer than normal, and for the first time since meeting him, I realized something terrifying. The rumours might have been fake, but whatever was happening between us wasn’t.