تسجيل الدخولAdrian continued to pat her back with slow, heavy rhythm, letting the quiet warmth of his palm anchor her as her sobs gradually subsided into soft, ragged hiccups. "Tell me what happened," Adrian asked again, his voice dropping into a low, firm murmur that left no room for deflection. This time, Elara couldn't hold it back anymore. The dam broke completely, and she blurted out everything that had been suffocating her. "So what if I don't have a family?!" she cried out, her voice cracking with every hiccup as she clutched at his blazer. "Does that mean I'm completely worthless?! So what if I wasn't born into some super-rich, powerful family?! I worked so hard to get here! I earned my place! But every single person in this school looks at me like I'm trash just because I'm an orphan!" She mumbled all her grievances, spilling out every cold, logical insult Vance had thrown at her face in the library lounge. With every single word that spilled from her trembling lips, Adrian’s expr
Without another word, Elara turned on her heel and stormed out of the library lounge, leaving Vance sitting alone with his cold, analytical posture.As her feet hurried down the stone stairwell, her eyes burned fiercely with unshed tears. She had never met her parents, but until coming to Velmora Academy, she had never truly realized how heavy that loss was. Back home, she was just Elara…a quiet, hardworking girl trying her best. But in this academy, the absence of her parents was thrown in her face like a crime. Having a family, a backing, and a last name meant everything here. Vance hadn't even yelled at her, yet his calm, matter-of-fact words had slashed deeper than any open insult.Her vision blurred slightly behind her glasses as she practically ran down the corridor.Bump!Elara collided hard against a solid, warm chest. Before she could stumble backward or offer an apology, a strong, warm hand clenched firmly around her waist. In one swift, effortless motion, the man pulled
The sun had already begun to sink beneath the horizon, casting a long, amber glow through the high windows of Elara’s dormitory room.She was sitting at her small study desk, organising her lecture notes for the week, when her phone suddenly vibrated against the wooden surface.Buzz! Buzz!Elara picked it up, glancing at the screen. It was an unknown local number. She hesitated for a second before tapping the green button and placing the phone to her ear."Hello?""Is this Elara? The first-year student?" A quiet, deeply formal male voice spoke from the other end.Elara adjusted her glasses. "Yes, speaking. Who is this?""I am calling on behalf of the Fourth Faction leadership," the voice replied smoothly, completely devoid of any emotion. "We received your online application this morning. The senior executive would like to meet with you briefly regarding your request to join. Please come to the secondary library lounge on the third floor immediately."Before Elara could even ask a si
The next morning passed much more peacefully than the day before. Elara sat quietly in her usual seat near the back of the lecture hall, her head down as she diligently took notes. No one came over to trouble her, and no one bothered to speak to her either. She had already gotten used to the isolation; in fact, being completely ignored felt like a massive blessing compared to being harassed or bullied. Although the professor hadn't arrived yet, the classroom was already buzzing with excited, loud chatter from the new students. "So... which faction are you joining?" "I heard the First Faction is by far the strongest." "No way, man. The Second Faction has the most resources and connections." "My cousin told me to apply to the Third Faction." "I heard the Fourth Faction is completely crazy, though. They are the craziest people!" Elara quietly listened to the conversation while pretending to read her open notebook. Even though no one spoke directly to her, she couldn't help but
"I came here to study," Elara said firmly, looking Asher straight in the eye. "I didn't come here to play high school politics or hide behind anyone's jacket." Asher blinked, clearly surprised by her stubborn defiance, before a slow, genuinely fascinated smirk spread across his face. "You really are something else, Little Red." "Don't call me that," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. Before Asher could tease her any further, the heavy wooden door of the private VIP room swung open. A young waiter stepped inside carrying a tray of fresh drinks, but as the door hovered open, the noisy chatter from the main bar area leaked in, and along with it, a group of tall, broad-shouldered students standing near the counter outside caught Elara's eye. Sitting right at the center of the bar counter outside was Julian. He was surrounded by his usual arrogant inner circle, laughing loudly with a whiskey glass in his hand. But as the VIP room door opened, Julian casually turned his
Asher chuckled, leaning his head back against the sofa cushions. "This pretty lady was sitting all alone, looking utterly bored. We had to give her some proper company." Reaching over to the table, Asher picked up a glass of bright amber juice and pushed it toward her. "Drink up. Don't worry, everyone here is just chilling." Without waiting for her, Asher grabbed a bottle filled with a dark red liquid and poured himself two continuous glasses, chugging them down one after the other. The drink didn't look like wine, but it definitely didn't look like fruit juice either. Elara eyed the strange red drink suspiciously. Asher caught her looking and smirked behind his empty glass. "Want a sip? Though I doubt a delicate girl like you could handle pure stamina liquor without passing out." He chuckled, drowning a third glass in one smooth gulp. Setting the glass down with a heavy clink, Asher leaned forward, his playful tone shifting into something slightly more serious. "Listen







