Mag-log in~MARCELLA~The driver's door opens, and then….he steps out.Albert Morrison.I blink…once, twice.My surprise is instant and very real.“What…?” I whisper under my breath, my grip tightening slightly on my keys.What on earth is he doing here?I watch him as he straightens, completely unbothered, like showing up at my house uninvited is the most normal thing in the world.My gaze flickers briefly to his car, and I pause.His car is sleek, so beautiful, and expensive.A matte black Lamborghini Huracán that practically screams money, power, and arrogance.My lips press together slightly.Of course….It suits him.I shift my weight, crossing one arm slightly as he starts walking toward me, that same confident, almost cocky energy in every step he takes.And then he stops in front of me.Close….too close.Close enough that I can catch a faint scent of his cologne….something deep, expensive, and distracting.A slow smile spreads across his face.“Good morning…” he say
~MARCELLA~I don’t think I’ve ever woken up this… alive.My eyes snap open even before my alarm goes off, my heart already racing like it knows something big is about to happen.For a second, I just lie there, staring at the ceiling.Then it hits me.I'm having a joint class today with Lucas and Albert.It's finally time to play the game.A slow smile spreads across my lips.“Today…” I whisper to myself, my voice soft but filled with something sharp and dangerous, “…is going to be interesting.”The excitement curls in my chest, warm and electric, chasing away every trace of last night’s heaviness.Stephanie and I are good again.The plan is set.And today… I start playing.I push the blanket off and sit up, stretching slowly, my body humming with energy. Even my reflection in the mirror looks different when I stand in front of it—brighter eyes, a hint of mischief dancing in them.“Let’s see how strong you really are, Lucas,” I murmur, tilting my head slightly.Th
~MARCELLA~Sleep doesn’t come even as I'm now lying on the bed in my nightwear.Not even close.I toss, turn, kick the blanket off, pull it back on, stare at the ceiling for long, but nothing works.The silence in my room feels louder than any noise I’ve ever heard. It presses against my ears, crawls under my skin, sits heavy on my chest like something I can’t push away.Stephanie’s face won’t leave my head.The hurt in her eyes.The way her voice cracked.The way she looked at me… like I wasn’t someone she recognized anymore.I squeeze my eyes shut tightly, groaning under my breath.“Ugh… Marcella, you idiot…”I flip over again, burying my face into my pillow.But that doesn’t help either.Because now all I can hear is her voice….“I tell you everything…”My chest tightens painfully.“No…” I whisper into the darkness. “No, no, no…”I sit up abruptly, dragging my hands down my face.The room feels suffocating, cold, lonely and wrong.I glance at my phone on the
~MARCELLA~I'm frantically searching my mind on what I'm going to do about Albert Morrison.And then, I finally have an idea on what I think I'm going to do.I open my mouth to respond…“I’ll just ignore him…”But then…Something clicks.A thought, sharp, sudden and dangerous.My lips slowly curl into something that feels… wrong.But also tempting….very tempting.Stephanie notices immediately.“…Why are you smiling like that?” she asks.I look at her, and the idea settles fully into place.“What if I don’t ignore him?” I say slowly.She blinks. “What?”“What if I use him?” I continue, my voice quieter now, more calculated.Her eyes widen slightly.“Marcella…”“To make Lucas jealous,” I finish.There's silence, and then…“Oh my God.”I nod slightly, my mind already racing.“I flirt back. Publicly. Obviously. Enough for Lucas to notice.”Stephanie stares at me like I’ve lost my mind.“And if Lucas reacts…” I add, my voice softer now, almost hopeful, “then I’ll know
~MARCELLA~The moment the classroom door slams behind me, the air hits differently….cooler and sharper.But it does nothing to calm the storm raging inside my chest.My heels strike the floor in a quick, furious rhythm as I walk down the hallway, my jaw tight, my fingers curling into fists at my sides.Damn!The audacity.The arrogance.The way he just sat there like he owned me already….like I was something he could simply take because he wanted to.I exhale sharply, dragging a hand through my hair.“Marcella! Hey—Marcella, wait!”Of course, it's Stephanie.But I don’t stop…..not immediately.But I hear her footsteps quicken behind me, almost breaking into a run.“Marcella, slow down!” she calls again, slightly breathless.I finally halt near the end of the corridor, spinning around just as she catches up to me.She bends slightly, hands on her knees, catching her breath.“God… you walk like you’re about to murder someone,” she pants.I cross my arms, irritation
~MARCELLA~Alber exhales and laughs.Not casually, not smoothly, but with genuine surprise.“How did you know that?” he asks, his eyes searching mine now, sharper than before.My heart skips…. just once.But my face? Unmoved.“I didn’t,” I shrug lightly, flipping my pen between my fingers. “I guessed.”He studies me, really studies me now.Like he’s trying to peel something back.Figure something out.And then slowly… a grin spreads across his face.“Interesting,” he murmurs.Then he leans closer, closer than necessary, his presence pressing into mine.His voice drops.“Yeah,” he says quietly. “You’re right.”My fingers tighten slightly on my pen.“I’m the Mafia heir of the Morrison family,”he admits.There it is…. heavy, real and dangerous.And suddenly, everything about him makes perfect sense.The arrogance.The confidence.The way he carries himself like the world bends around him.My chest tightens slightly, but I keep my expression neutral, unbothered.“







