Chapter 1

I was deeply in an online relationship, and my boyfriend had just sent me a photo of himself.

He was drop-dead gorgeous. I could barely contain my excitement. My roommate, Molly Sears, immediately doused my joy in cold water.

"No way a guy that hot exists in the real world," she snorted. "And even if he did, he wouldn't be looking for love on the internet. Trust me, he's using a stolen photo because he's insecure and too ugly to show his real face."

I felt a sudden pang of anxiety. "Come on, it can't be that bad..."

"Think about it," Molly scoffed. "If you were a guy looking like a model, would you be short on options in real life?"

But we had been talking for months. I genuinely liked him and didn't want to believe she was right.

Sensing my denial, Molly threw down a challenge. "If you don't believe me, ask him to meet up tomorrow. I bet you anything he panics and makes an excuse."

I bit my lip and opened our chat, hesitating.

I: [Are you free tomorrow?]

My heart hammered in my throat during the agonizing seconds of silence before my phone finally buzzed.

Nick Harrington: [What's up?]

My fingers shook as I typed back: [We've been talking for a while now. Want to meet up tomorrow? Come find me at Hudson University.]

The screen stayed blank.

Molly rolled her eyes. "Told you."

Just as the words left her mouth, a new message popped up.

Nick: [Sure. Tomorrow at 2 PM.]

The heavy weight was instantly lifted from my chest. I gave Molly a triumphant look. "I told you he wasn't like that."

But she was unconvinced. "We'll see after you actually meet him."

...

The next morning, I woke up early to breeze through my tasks and spent hours doing my hair and makeup. I expected everything to go smoothly, but right before the meeting, a text flashed on my screen.

Nick: [Sorry, something urgent came up. Can you wait half an hour?]

Honestly, I breathed a massive sigh of relief. I had just received a notification that a highly anticipated expert guest lecture was about to start.

The speaker was a legendary academic powerhouse. The university had reportedly paid a fortune to secure him while he was in the city.

I didn't want to miss this golden opportunity to learn from a master. A 30-minute delay was perfect, giving me just enough time to sit through the presentation.

I quickly replied: [Sure.]

Then I sprinted to the lecture hall and claimed a seat in the front row. Romance was great, but a good student never let dating get in the way of her grades.

The guest of honor hadn't even arrived yet, but the classroom was already electric with gossip.

"I heard the lecturer has just got back from overseas and won the highest award in the field!"

"And get this: he's around our age and supposed to be a total smokeshow."

"Someone caught a glimpse of him this morning and was totally stunned."

...

While everyone else fawned and whispered, I remained detached, focusing on organizing my notebooks. I had a boyfriend now, so it didn't matter how handsome this hot-shot academic was.

Suddenly, the chaotic chatter cut off. A steady, rhythmic click of dress shoes echoed as someone walked up to the podium.

I looked up, and my brain short-circuited. The man standing on the stage looked identical to my boyfriend in the "stolen internet photo".