Se connecterhe said flatly, before turning his back on me like I was nothing.
“What a fucking waste of time,” he muttered as he walked back into the room, shaking his head softly. I stood frozen in the hallway. From inside, I could hear his muffled voice as he told his friends, followed by their laughter, loud and careless. The sound echoed in my ears, slicing through me like knives. My body felt hollow. My mind— blank. Then security appeared, one in front of me, another behind. “You’re not allowed to be here, ma’am,” one of them said, gripping my arm. “I— please, I just—” I tried to explain, but they didn’t listen. They dragged me out, my protests drowned beneath the noise of celebration spilling from the auditorium. --- THREE DAYS LATER. The Vice Chancellor’s Building. The elevator hummed as it carried me upward, its wall pressing cool against my back as I leaned into it, trying to steady myself. It’s been three days since I told Tony I was pregnant with his child, and in that short time, everything has spiraled from bad to worse. Now I’ve been summoned to the vice chancellor’s office. I didn’t need anyone to explain why. The CCTV cameras had been there— hidden in the conference hall backstage— watching, recording. They caught every word of my confession. And somehow, the footage had leaked. Now I was infamous. The girl everyone whispered about. The liar. The whore. The one who dared to claim she was carrying the golden boy’s child. Half the campus spat my name like venom, convinced I was staging a scandal for attention. The other half stared at me with wide eyes, stunned, curious, wondering if maybe— just maybe— what I said was true. My phone had become a weapon against me. Messages poured in, each one sharper than the last— insults, threats, curses. One girl even stopped me in the hallway yesterday, her voice dripping with hatred as she warned me to stay away from “her man.” Her insults had burned, but the fury in her eyes was worse. The elevator chimed, the doors sliding open with a hiss. The corridor stretched out before me, polished floors gleaming under the lights. My heart hammered against my ribs, each beat louder than the last. For a moment, I stayed frozen, staring at the path ahead. Then, with a breath that felt like a prayer, I stepped forward. Down the hallway, a boy and girl approached, their phones angled slyly, recording me. I dropped my gaze to the floor instantly. “That’s her,” the girl whispered, laughter tucked into her voice. “It sure is,” the boy replied, giggling openly. Their laughter trailed behind me, echoing, clawing at my skin. I forced my legs to keep moving, each step closer to the large door at the end of the corridor. The nameplate gleamed: The Vice Chancellor’s Office. I exhaled sharply, then drew in another breath, before I tapped gently against the it. “Yes,” a woman’s voice called. I pushed the door open. A woman sat at her desk, posture straight, expression unreadable. “I’m Av—” I began, but she cut me off. “I know who you are. You’re the girl trending. You’re here because of the email you received from the VC’s office? I sent it myself. You’re right on time. I’m the VC’s secretary. He’s waiting for you in his office.” She gestured to the door beside her desk. “Thank you, ma’am,” I murmured, awkward, my feet dragging toward the door. My hand lifted, tapping once. “Come in,” a masculine voice answered. I swallowed hard, twisted the handle, and stepped in. Inside Tony lounged lazily on a couch at a corner in the room, his brown eyes locking onto mine the moment I entered. My heart spiked violently. It always did when he was near. His gaze pierced me, steady, unyielding. “Hey Ava, welcome,” another voice said. I tore my eyes from Tony, shifting to the man behind the desk. Vincent Blackwood. The vice chancellor himself. His smile was faint, unreadable. “I’m glad you could come. Not that you had a choice,” Vincent said, his tone calm, deliberate. He gestured to the chair opposite his desk. “Have your seat.” My legs felt weak as I lowered myself into the chair. You’re about to get expelled. The sentence repeated in my mind, over and over, louder each time. Vincent leaned forward slightly, his eyes locking onto mine. “I know you’re scared. You should be. This scandal you’ve wrapped my son into is not something I find funny.” His voice was low, dangerous, his gaze unwavering. My lips parted, but no words came. My heart pounded too fast. “You’ve successfully dragged us into a big mess. Now we manage and control it. The footage of you confessing to my son is out there. It’s even been aired on national TV. This college is prestigious. Globally recognized. This is not the light we want the world to see us in.” His voice rose, sharper now, cutting through the silence. My chest tightened. My fingers dug into the fabric of my backpack straps. “You’ve left me no choice but to bind you two together.” Vincent paused, his gaze hardening. “If you can fucking sleep together, then you can play the perfect couple. For the world to see we’re united.” “What the fuck?” Tony whispered. “Yes. My decision is final,” Vincent continued. “Miss Ava will move in with you.”The words slammed into me. My breath caught.“Dad, no!” Tony’s voice cut through, sharper than I’d ever heard. He pushed himself off the couch, disbelief etched across his face.My eyes darted to him. His expression— pure disgust.“Yes,” Vincent replied, folding his arms. “If what she claims is true, we can’t leave her out there as a laughing stock while she potentially could be carrying a Blackwood in her belly.”“She’s lying,” Tony snapped, irritation dripping from his voice. “I told you, we used protection the one time we slept.”“I don’t care,” Vincent replied smoothly. “It’s up to the DNA test now.”Tony groaned, his voice rising. “Ughh… oh my fucking God.” He collapsed back into the couch, resignation etched into his posture. I sat frozen, my heart pounding, my body trembling. My gaze flickered between them.“Are you okay moving in with my son?” Vincent asked, his eyes drilling into me. “Ye-s,” I stammered, the word breaking apart in my throat. “Good. Don’t feel rushed. Wh
he said flatly, before turning his back on me like I was nothing.“What a fucking waste of time,” he muttered as he walked back into the room, shaking his head softly.I stood frozen in the hallway.From inside, I could hear his muffled voice as he told his friends, followed by their laughter, loud and careless.The sound echoed in my ears, slicing through me like knives.My body felt hollow. My mind— blank.Then security appeared, one in front of me, another behind.“You’re not allowed to be here, ma’am,” one of them said, gripping my arm.“I— please, I just—” I tried to explain, but they didn’t listen.They dragged me out, my protests drowned beneath the noise of celebration spilling from the auditorium.---THREE DAYS LATER.The Vice Chancellor’s Building.The elevator hummed as it carried me upward, its wall pressing cool against my back as I leaned into it, trying to steady myself.It’s been three days since I told Tony I was pregnant with his child, and in that short time, every
TWO WEEKS LATER. AVA.Campus Dorm.I kept telling myself, today is the day. Over and over, like a mantra I didn’t believe but desperately needed to. Two weeks had passed since I made the decision— since I swore to myself I would tell Tony about the pregnancy. Two weeks of rehearsing words in my head, two weeks of imagining his reaction, two weeks of failing to even get the chance of getting close to him to try. He wasn’t the kind of person you could just get access to. He was Tony Blackwood— the heir, the celebrity boy. And me? Just another student, invisible in the crowd. But today felt different. Today, the school was alive with celebration. The 98th anniversary of Blackwood Institute had turned the campus into a carnival of laughter, music, and mingling. For once, the invisible lines of social class seemed blurred. Students from every background walked side by side, smiling, cheering, clapping. It was as if the air itself had been painted with joy. And yet, inside me, there wa
HOURS LATER. TONY’S POV.Noir Hotel & Suites — VIP Lounge.The bass pulsed through the walls like a second heartbeat.Low. Heavy. Relentless.Blue light washed over everything— skin, glass, leather— turning the VIP section into something unreal, something distant from the chaos below. It clung to Tony’s jawline, caught in the sharp edges of his cheekbones, glinted faintly in his eyes as he leaned back into the cushioned chair like he owned not just the space— but the night itself.Marcus sat to his left, one arm draped lazily over the backrest, a half-empty wine glass dangling between his fingers. Jerry lounged opposite, head tilted slightly back, smoke curling upward from the blunt resting between his fingers.The air smelled like alcohol, smoke, and money.Marcus let out a quiet laugh, the kind that started in his chest and slipped out slowly, like he was savoring a private joke.“Can you believe that riffraff that confessed she’s in love with me?” he said, shaking his head as he sw
Everything stopped.The words hung in the air, heavy… unreal.My eyebrows pulled together, confusion flashing across my face. “Pardon?”He looked at me over the rim of his glasses. His expression didn’t change.“You. Are. Pregnant.”Each word landed harder than the last.My lips parted, but nothing came out at first. My brain lagged behind, struggling to catch up.“What?” The word slipped out, barely a whisper. “That… that can’t be true.”My hands pressed against the edge of the bed as I shifted forward, as if getting closer would somehow change what I heard. My mouth stayed slightly open, my breathing shallow.He extended the file toward me.“That’s what the report says.”My fingers trembled as I took it from him. The paper felt too thin. Too fragile for something that heavy.My eyes dropped to the page.Words. Numbers. Medical terms.Then—Positive.My vision blurred.I blinked rapidly, trying to focus again, but the word didn’t disappear. It stayed there, bold, unforgiving.Positiv
Not loud. But it didn’t need to be. My throat tightened. I swallowed hard before slowly lifting my head. My eyes traveled upward— his chest, his neck, his jaw— Then his eyes. My breath caught. Up close, it was worse. Much worse. His gaze held mine, steady, unreadable, yet intense enough to make my stomach twist. “I’ve caught you staring,” he said, his tone calm but edged with something sharper. “For a while now.” My lips parted slightly. “I— was I?” My voice came out softer than I intended. His eyebrow lifted faintly. “Yes.” A pause. “I’d appreciate it if you stopped.” The words hit. Hard. Heat rushed to my face again— but this time it burned differently. Shame. Embarrassment. “I’m sorry,” I said quickly, nodding once, my gaze dropping again. A brief silence. Then— He turned. Just like that. No hesitation. No second glance. He walked away, rejoining his friends like nothing had happened. Like I was nothing. I stood there for a second longer. Then I turned







