Chapter 23

Aarya

I finally walked back into my dorm room. Convincing Xander that I needed to stay here rather than in his penthouse wasn’t easy, but he relented only on one condition that I gave him my sweatshirt to wear and he gave me his. Not that I minded wearing his clothes; I actually liked them.

The look on his face when he dropped me almost made me change my mind. Almost being the keyword. My thoughts were racing at a frenetic pace, and I needed a moment to process the whirlwind of events from the last 24 hours.

Lea’s sly grin greeted me, “So you’ve finally graced us with your presence? I assumed you’d forgotten about your modest peasant, my queen .”

I played along, lifting my chin dramatically. “Ah, my dear peasant, your queen was preoccupied with achieving greatness!”

Our laughter filled the room, momentarily pushing aside the weight of recent revelations. Settling down beside her on her bed, I felt a mischievous plan forming in my mind. Straightening my posture and adopting a serious