جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 50

Later that afternoon, the central courtyard of the university was bustling with activity, but the atmosphere completely shifted the moment Portia and Antonia stepped out into the sun. For the first time in their entire university life, they didn't seek out hidden stairwells or empty offices. Instead, Portia guided Antonia straight toward the most prominent, sun-drenched wooden table at the center of the manicured campus garden. They were having a public lunch date, right in front of the entire student body. Portia had her personal driver bring a gourmet spread from one of the city's finest bistros, but as she laid out the containers, she intentionally included the small container of home-cooked leftovers Antonia's mother had packed for her the night before. "Are you sure you want to eat that here?" Antonia asked with a soft, teasing smile, her cheeks flushing a light pink as she noticed dozens of students watching them from the surrounding balconies. "The campus queen eating humb

Later that evening, after Portia had reluctantly returned to her empty mansion to keep up appearances, the quiet of the house was broken by the sharp buzzing of Antonia’s phone. Looking down at the screen, she saw Monica’s name flashing. The moment Antonia pressed the receiver to her ear, Monica’s frantic voice exploded through the line, completely devoid of her usual playful neighborhood energy. "Tonia! Oh my god, I just saw you on the national business news!" Monica gasped, her tone laced with immediate, deep anxiety. "My jaw completely dropped. Why is your face all over the financial networks? They’re calling you a Cinderella story, but they're tracking stock market percentages right next to your picture!" Antonia let out a long, heavy sigh, sitting down on the simple fabric couch and rubbing her temples. "It’s complicated, Mon. Portia’s mother found out about us, and instead of destroying my scholarship, she pivoted. She's capitalizing on our relationship to boost their fam

The heavy, frosted glass doors of the executive boardroom slid shut behind them, and the moment they stepped into the private express elevator, the clinical world of the corporate headquarters dissolved. The elevator began its smooth, quiet descent, and with it, the suffocating adrenaline that had kept them upright finally faded away. Portia’s rigid, regal posture completely cracked. The terrifying armor she had worn to face her mother shattered into a million pieces. She let out a ragged, breathless gasp, her hand trembling violently as she dropped her leather bag onto the polished elevator floor. Without a word, Portia lunged forward, throwing her arms desperately around Antonia's neck. Antonia met her halfway, catching her in a passionate, emotional embrace that pulled their bodies flush against one another. Portia buried her face deep into the crook of Antonia's neck, her fingers clutching the back of the freshman's uniform fabric so tightly her knuckles turned white. She w

By mid-week, the suffocating pressure of midterms paired with the endless, prying eyes of the student body had pushed both of them to their absolute limits. The public fairytale was exhausting to maintain, and the constant whispers in the hallways were beginning to feel like a physical weight. Needing a moment to breathe, Antonia slipped away to the furthest, most isolated corner of the university's grand library—the old archives section, where towering oak shelves blocked out the light and students rarely ventured. She sat at a secluded wooden desk, staring blankly at her open textbooks, when the faint, unmistakable scent of expensive jasmine drifted through the dusty air. A second later, a sleek, slender figure slid into the shadows right beside her. It was Portia. Her unyielding campus armor was still intact, her chin lifted with that characteristic aristocratic frost, but the moment she settled into the hidden space behind a row of encyclopedias, her shoulders visibly dr

The following day, after the comforting afternoon with Monica, Portia reluctantly returned to her massive family estate. Walking through the grand marble entrance hall, the familiar coldness of the towering columns and priceless art no longer had the power to suffocate her. Her heart was still completely full, anchored by the warmth of the modest house and the feeling of Antonia’s fingers tightly intertwined with hers. Her mother was away on an extended international corporate summit, a business trip that Portia knew would take a significant amount of time to conclude. For the first time in months, the invisible eye of the corporate matriarch wasn't actively watching her every move. In the meantime, Portia could finally ease her mind. She walked up to her private bedroom, placing her leather bag on the desk. She reached inside and pulled out their bound leather sketchbook—the blueprint of their future coastal home. Flipping open to the living room page Antonia had sketche