Chapter 2

I quietly swallowed my nerves, my eyes glued to the lecturer commanding the stage.

He spoke with effortless eloquence, but he was entirely detached—cool, clinical, and never cracking even the slightest hint of a smile. He was the definition of aloof and unattainable.

I mentally compared his icy demeanor to the warm, attentive messages my boyfriend sent me daily. They might share the same name, but there was no way they were the same person.

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the presentation and actively participated in the Q&A.

The lecture was masterclass level. Whether it was due to his striking looks or his brilliant insights, the entire hall paid closer attention than they ever had all semester.

When the session wrapped up, I was packing my bag to head back to the dorm when a text from my professor popped up.

[Bianca, please deliver the lecture materials to Mr. Harrington's office.]

I sighed, heading to the office anyway since it was a direct request from the faculty. I knocked softly on the door, and a deep voice answered from within, "Come in."

I stepped inside cautiously and found the expert leaning over the desk, methodically sorting through a stack of papers. Even from this proximity, his face was flawless—arguably even more striking up close than from the front row of the lecture hall.

It made perfect sense if my boyfriend had stolen his photos to use as a catfish profile. The man was objectively stunning.

I was still admiring his jawline when his calm, measured voice cut through my thoughts. "Just leave the materials there."

I hastily averted my eyes, dropped the papers onto the desk, and practically bolted out. Back in the classroom, Dorothy Mercer blocked my path with a mocking grin.

"Weren't you supposed to meet your grand internet boyfriend today?" she sneered. "What happened? Got stood up?"

Dorothy and I had been at each other's throats since freshman year. I just didn't want to bother with her.

"He's busy. We rescheduled," I said flatly, trying to brush past her.

How she had found out about my love life remained unknown, but she was clearly determined to weaponize it against me.

She clapped a hand over her mouth, letting out a performative, snorting giggle. "Oh, sweetie. Are you really that naïve, or just plain stupid?"

My brows furrowed. "What is your problem, Dorothy?"

"Just pointing out the obvious." She shrugged with practiced indifference. "Your boyfriend is clearly dodging you because he's ugly."

Her obsession with my personal life left me speechless.

"People have emergencies," I shot back, keeping my voice steady. "Just look at today's lecture. It was thrown together at the last minute."

Dorothy's smirk widened, her voice growing sharper to ensure the lingering students nearby could hear every word. "Your boyfriend isn't an elite academic, is he? He's just some random, ordinary nine-to-fiver. Don't insult Mr. Harrington by comparing his schedule to that of a nobody."

Before the tension could escalate into a full-blown scene, Molly grabbed my elbow and firmly pulled me out of the gathering crowd.

"Don't stoop to her level," she whispered. "Dorothy never liked you much anyway. She is just saying that to rile you up."

I knew exactly what was driving Dorothy's bitterness. She was still nursing a massive grudge because I had beaten her for the scholarship last semester.

It was pathetic, really. Some people simply couldn't handle seeing anyone else succeed.

My roommates and I had chatted about this stuff that morning, but their vibe was totally different from Dorothy's snarky teasing. She was clearly one of those petty people who couldn't stand seeing others do well.

Back in the dorm, I flopped onto my bed, letting the irritation drain out of me. I opened the chat app and sent a message to Nick.

I: [Are you done with your urgent business yet?]

As always, his response was practically instantaneous.

Nick: [Just finished up. Are your classes done for the day? Tired?]

Before I could reply, another message popped up.