Chapter 2

Scarlett's POV

The loud sound of my alarm clock jolted me awake.

I quickly sat up, my heart racing, and for a moment, I couldn’t tell if I was still dreaming. My breath came in shallow gasps as I looked around.

Slowly, the familiar sight of my dorm room came into focus. My posters, my books stacked haphazardly on the desk, the small plant by the window—everything was right where it should be.

I let out a shaky breath. "Thank goodness," I whispered to myself. "It was just a dream. A stupid dream."

The sudden knock on my door startled me again.

"Scarlett!" It was my roommate, Hannah. Her voice was sharp but playful, as always. "Are you up? First class is with her. You know she locks the door if you're late!"

I groaned, rubbing my temples. “I’m up, I’m up! Give me a second!”

“Two minutes,” she called back, her voice teasing but firm. “Or I’m leaving without you.”

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, ready to get up, but the moment I moved, a sharp pain shot through my lower body.

I winced, holding my stomach, and then froze. It wasn’t just a normal ache—it was deeper, harsher, as if my body had been put through some kind of…torture.

My legs felt heavy, and every joint seemed to creak as I moved.

“What the hell…” I muttered, pressing a hand to my chest. My heart raced as memories of the dream—if I could even call it that—rushed back to me.

The man. His voice. His accusations. The rape. The way I had felt, as though every part of me was breaking apart.

I shook my head. “It wasn’t real,” I said out loud. “It couldn’t have been real.”

But my body didn’t agree. Every step to the bathroom felt like proof that maybe…just maybe it wasn’t as fake as I wanted to believe.

Hannah knocked again. “Scarlett! I’m serious!”

“I’m coming!” I shouted back.

After quickly brushing my teeth and throwing on the first clean clothes I found, I swung open the door to see Hannah standing there, arms crossed.

Her auburn hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, and her green eyes narrowed at me. “Finally!” she said. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I managed a weak laugh. “I didn’t sleep well.”

“Well, get it together,” she said as she pulled me by the arm. “You can nap later. Right now, we’ve got to deal with Professor Ward, and I would rather not have her chew us out for being late. Again.”

The walk to campus was fast, with Hannah chattering away about her new favorite TV show. Normally, I would have joined in, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the dream.

It was just so clear. I could still hear his voice, see his eyes—those piercing blue eyes.

“Scarlett?” Hannah’s voice snapped me back to the present. “Hello? Are you even listening?”

“Yeah, of course,” I said quickly. “Something about…gangsters?”

“Not just gangsters,” she said with a dramatic flourish. “The most ruthless, stylish gangsters. Honestly, I can’t believe you haven’t watched it yet. I’m dragging you into my binge session this weekend.”

I gave her a small smile, but my mind was elsewhere.

As we neared the main courtyard, we saw a crowd forming near the central fountain. Dozens of girls were gathered, their excited whispers and laughter filling the air.

“What’s going on?” I asked, stretching my neck to see over the crowd.

Hannah’s eyes lit up as she grabbed my arm. “Oh my God, it must be him!”

“Who?” I asked, confused.

“The director!” she said, practically bouncing on her feet. “You know, the young billionaire one? Super rich, super hot, and probably here to inspect the campus or something.”

I blinked at her. “We have a billionaire director?”

Hannah rolled her eyes. “Do you ever pay attention to anything? He’s, like, all over social media. People call him the ‘modern prince.’ You seriously don’t know?”

I shrugged. “Not really my thing.”

“Well, it’s my thing!” she said, already pulling me towards the crowd. “Come on, let’s get a look!”

I hesitated. The idea of pushing through a sea of screaming girls to see some rich guy didn’t seem interesting to me in the slightest. “You go ahead,” I said. “I’ll see you in class.”

Hannah frowned. “You’re no fun.”

“I’m plenty of fun,” I shot back with a grin. “Just not the kind who gets excited over rich guys.”

She sighed but didn’t argue. “Fine. But if he proposes to me on the spot, you’ll regret not being there.”

“I’ll take my chances,” I said, laughing as I waved her off.

The hallways were quieter as I made my way to class, the buzz of the courtyard fading behind me. The air felt lighter, though my body still ached with every step.

I told myself it was just from sleeping weird. Nothing more.

As I settled into my seat, I pulled out my notebook and tried to focus. But then I heard it—the sound of loud, excited chatter coming from the hallway. It was growing closer, and with it came an odd energy, like the air itself was shifting.

I glanced towards the door just as the noise reached its peak. That’s when I saw him.

He was tall—so tall he seemed to tower over everyone around him. His suit was perfectly tailored, hugging his broad shoulders and lean frame. His dark hair was effortlessly styled, and his stride was confident, almost predatory. But it wasn’t his height or his clothes that made my heart stop.

It was his face. Those sharp, striking features. And his eyes—those piercing blue eyes.

The world seemed to tilt as our gazes locked. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. My pulse raced, and my chest tightened as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.

“It can’t be,” I whispered, gripping the edge of my desk. “He can’t be real.”

But he was. And he was staring right at me.