Stella Dawson had back-to-back classes all day and finally decided to settle into campus life.

She'd be stuck at the university for the entire semester anyway, and staying in the dorm would save commute time and make it easier to focus on her work.

Shuttling back and forth daily? Far too inconvenient.

After her midday lecture, her roommate Olivia Hayes dragged her out to shop for dorm essentials.

As for the other two roommates-Samantha Tate, the arrogant heiress of the Tate family, made no effort to conceal her disdain for Stella. In her view, Stella was nothing but a social climber.

The whole fake-heiress scandal involving the Dawsons might not be public knowledge, but within elite circles, that tea had been thoroughly spilled ages ago.

Samantha looked down on her completely.

Then there was Megan Lindley-she came from an average background. She used to be fairly friendly with Stella, but now? She acted as if seeing Stella was like encountering the plague. Cold stares and all.

So Stella only went shopping with Olivia.

"Did Megan Lindley wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something? Her attitude has been absolutely foul lately."

She casually scanned the shelf for shower gel, throwing shade without even looking up.

Olivia gave a knowing smile. "Oh, Stella, I guess you haven't heard-she's got a massive crush on Lindor Mitchell."

Stella paused mid-reach, then let out a short laugh. "Oh, that guy."

A total fool-made a complete spectacle of himself right in front of the university that morning, thanks to her.

No wonder Megan acted like she'd swallowed a prickly pear every time they crossed paths.

"Talk about questionable taste. Ditching a friend over a walking embarrassment," Stella scoffed.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. An unknown number. She answered casually. "Hello? Who is this?"

While on the call, she muttered to Olivia, "The packaging on these shower gels is seriously unattractive."

A sneering voice came from the other end.

"Judging shower gel by its bottle? You really have too much time on your hands."

She was the type to dismiss a product based on its packaging. Not that he particularly cared.

But she had called him old and unattractive-he'd been waiting for an opportunity like this to retaliate.

This woman had no taste-her entire judgment system needed an overhaul.

Recognizing the voice, Stella froze for a second.

Olivia nudged her. "Who is it?"

"No one important. Probably a scammer from one of those overseas call centers," Stella replied coolly. "Claimed my husband is dead. Couldn't even be bothered to do basic research before lying."

"I mean, seriously, I'm a university student. Where would I get a husband, let alone a dead one?"

A quiet, frustrated breath was audible from the other end.

Stella was barely containing her laughter.

"Right? Disgusting. These scam calls are getting more and more absurd," Olivia chimed in, shaking her head sympathetically.

Stella smirked and raised her voice toward the phone, "Hear that? No husband here. Let him die or whatever-it's got nothing to do with me. I don't even have a husband, understand?"

"What are you, pushing sixty and still cold-calling people to scam them? Get a real job!"

With that, she happily ended the call-and promptly blocked the number.

"Some people really have no shame," she clicked her tongue.

Olivia tugged on her arm. "Maybe he's just some unfortunate soul forced into making those scam calls?"

"I'm joking. That was my ex," Stella said with a playful grin. "He cheated, I dumped him, and now he's trying to crawl back."

"Oh-well, in that case, he totally deserved that."

Alexander Sterling sneezed violently.

His face darkened as he looked at his screen-confirmed, he'd been blocked.

"Mr. Sterling? Sir, are you alright-what was that noise?" Jack Holden rushed in, having heard the loud sound from behind the office door.

Before he could finish, he saw Alexander's flushed, furious face, practically steaming.

It didn'take a genius to guess who had managed to provoke him to this extent.

Jack Holden froze for a second, then quickly retreated, pulling the door closed behind him.

"The boss's temper is getting worse by the day..." he muttered under his breath.

That expression seriously looked murderous. What had Stella done this time?

Alexander Sterling stared at the screen, taking a deep breath to suppress the violent urge to hunt her down immediately. He entered her number, searching for her on Facebook. Her account appeared instantly.

Her Facebook ID? "PunchKickAlexanderPig" - it fit her perfectly, in his opinion.

Gritting his teeth against the irritation, he sent a friend request, adding a lame note: "Your classmate."

Meanwhile, Stella stood at the checkout with a large plastic bag, pulling out her phone to pay.

A friend request notification popped up on Facebook. One glance, and her face instantly showed disgust.

The username was outdated, and the profile picture was decidedly middle-aged.

Recalling Alexander's call earlier, it wasn't hard to deduce the sender's identity.

She tapped "Decline" and typed a reply: "Old man, get lost."

Alexander, nearly thirty and deeply offended by the label, tried again. This time, the request was accepted-only for Stella to delete him immediately afterward.

He stared at the screen for a solid ten minutes before attempting to send a message: "Stella, can we talk for a moment-"

The error notification hit him like a physical blow. Message not delivered.

"Damn it!" He snapped, his jaw clenching tightly.

.

Outside the supermarket, Stella had accumulated a small mountain of shopping bags.

"How are we going to get all this back to the dorm?" Olivia Hayes frowned at the pile of daily necessities.

It was far too much for two girls to carry comfortably.

"No problem." Stella grabbed the bulk of the bags without hesitation. "You just take the lighter ones."

Then she strode off toward the dormitory as if it were nothing. Olivia blinked in surprise.

They hadn't just bought toiletries-there were snacks, drinks, and more. Combined, it had to be quite heavy.

And yet Stella carried the majority with apparent ease, not even breaking a sweat.

Holding just two nearly weightless bags, Olivia hurried after her. "Wait for me!"

On the way back, several male students approached them.

"Need a hand, senior?"

"Can I help you carry those?"

"I've got it," Stella replied calmly. "Just please make way."

Ignoring their stunned expressions, she climbed the stairs with steady, quick steps. The elevator was out of service again today, and she lived on the fifth floor.

Olivia stood at the bottom of the staircase, looking up with wide eyes as Stella's slender figure vanished upwards under the heavy load. She glanced at her own legs and sighed, "Man, this is going to be a climb."

At the dorm room door, Stella paused and gave it a light kick with her foot.

Just as the door swung inward, she stepped aside slightly, and-thud-Megan Lindley, who hadn't seen it coming, stumbled out, spilling her water all over herself.

"Stella. what the hell are you doing-" Megan shrieked, flailing with her cup, fumbling for tissues, and slipping on the wet floor.

Thump.

She landed hard on the ground, dazed, clutching her backside as she looked up-directly into Stella's faint, cool smile.

That pretty face showed not a trace of sympathy, only serene composure and a hint of piercing insight.

Megan's face paled, then instantly flushed crimson with humiliation and rage.

The cup shattered loudly, drawing someone else's attention.

"What is going on here?" came Samantha Tate's sharp voice.

Stella lifted her chin slightly, let out a soft, derisive laugh, and walked into the room with her bags. "Excuse me, coming through."

Her voice was light, almost polite, yet carried a distinct edge.

Megan instinctively scrambled out of her way.

Samantha sat on her bed, glaring over with an expensive lipstick in her hand.

As the heiress of the Tate family, Samantha might not be classically beautiful, but the aura she projected was overpowering. Her piercing gaze alone was enough to make most people avoid her.

She sat directly opposite Stella's assigned space, on a bed that looked far too luxurious for a standard dorm room.

Stella tugged the corner of her mouth into a cool smirk, meeting her gaze directly. "Pretty sure that's none of your concern."

Samantha's expression tightened with irritation, but she clearly didn't want to stoop to bickering with someone like Stella-it would be beneath her.

She clenched her jaw and forced a mocking chuckle. Megan, now seemingly emboldened, scrambled fully to her feet and sneered at Stella. "Still putting on airs like you're the Dawson heiress? Know your place."

"A total fraud, pretending to be something you're not."

Stella narrowed her eyes and glanced pointedly at Samantha.

The whole "real vs. fake heiress" situation wasn't public knowledge-only a select few in their social circle were aware. Even when Emily first returned, very few people realized she was the biological Dawson daughter.

At university, Stella had always kept a low profile-except for her flashy arrival in the sports car today.

So, clearly, Samantha had been gossiping about her to Megan.

And she detested people talking behind her back-especially those two, since nothing good ever came from their mouths.

Back when she was still publicly regarded as the Dawson heiress, she might have swallowed her anger. But now? She had no reason to hold back.

"Megan Lindley, and you think you're in any position to comment?" Stella gave her a sweet yet mocking smile.

Megan's face paled for a split second but quickly hardened with renewed venom. "Oh, so the impostor gets offended when confronted with the truth? You stole twenty years of Emily's life. Doesn't that sicken you?"

"You lived in luxury as a Dawson while she grew up in hardship. And you still have the nerve to strut around campus like nothing's wrong?"

"Now that the real heiress is back, it's time you packed your things and disappeared!"

Stella let out a cold laugh. The Dawsons and Emily shared the same sentiment, yet they couldn't force her out no matter how hard they tried.

Not only that-she still held certain. assets from that arrangement.

And the idea of walking away from those hypocrites-and from Alexander Sterling-was gradually starting to feel like true liberation.

She found their petty greed and cruelty utterly repulsive.

"Yeah, you're right." Stella nodded calmly, then flung a plastic bag directly into Megan's face.

Megan, completely caught off guard, fumbled to snatch it away. It didn't hurt physically, but the humiliation was palpable.

"You've lost your mind!" she shouted, gripping the bag as her voice rose sharply. "You complete lunatic-"

Stella leaned her cheek on her hand, watching Megan's meltdown as if enjoying a show, her eyes filled with icy amusement.

Just as the situation threatened to boil over, Samantha discreetly pulled out her phone, aiming the camera at Stella to start recording.

"Whose cup broke? There's glass all over the floor!" Olivia's voice called out from the doorway. "Emily, watch your step, don't cut yourself!"

"Okay," Emily replied, following Olivia into the room.

She was holding a bag containing what looked like Stella's towel and toothbrush.

Everyone turned as Olivia added, "Since everyone's here, this is Emily-she's interning at the design institute. Just came by to visit."

Samantha twisted toward her, narrowing her eyes. "You're from the Dawson family?"

Megan's eyes lit up, and she rushed over to grab Emily's hand, overflowing with excitement. "So you're Emily? Wow, you're so beautiful and elegant-exactly what a true heiress should be. Far more fitting than some counterfeit!"

"What counterfeit?" Olivia asked, looking genuinely confused.

She was completely unaware of the Dawson family drama, and as far as she knew, Stella was the Dawson daughter.

Megan scoffed and shot Stella a triumphant glance. "She's right there-the shameless impostor pretending to be someone she's not."

She looked immensely pleased with herself, as if she'd just revealed a monumental secret.

"Stella? You're here too?" Emily slowly turned her head as if just noticing her, then let out a dramatic gasp as if connecting the dots. With an artificially innocent expression, she reached out to grab Stella's arm.

"Don't touch me." Stella Dawson frowned and slapped Emily Dawson's hand away.

Olivia Hayes sensed the rising tension and quickly tried to defuse the situation. "Stella, we're all classmates here. Can't we just calm down and talk this through?"

"Talk about what? The fact that she's a fraud with zero shame?" Megan Lindley scoffed, rolling her eyes dramatically, her voice rising sharply.

"When she was still playing the Dawson heiress, she acted like she owned this dorm. Now that she's nothing, what's she still putting on airs for? It's disgusting!"

"People like her should just vanish. What goes around comes around!"

Her sharply painted nail was practically jabbing into Stella's face.

Stella's expression hardened, her smile vanishing completely. She despised anyone pointing at her like that.

"Get that disgusting finger out of my face," she said coolly. "Final warning."

Back in her competitive days, if anyone had dared do this, she wouldn't have hesitated to throw a punch.

But Megan clearly didn't get the hint. She kept waving that finger and actually poked Stella's forehead. "Who are you calling disgusting? You lowlife-I'm pointing at you. What are you going to do about it?"

Staring at Megan's smug face, Stella's eyes darkened. In one fluid motion, she seized Megan's hand.

Caught off balance, Megan stumbled forward. Stella let out a cold laugh and brutally bent Megan's finger backward-a sickening crack echoed in the room.

"Ahhh!" Megan screamed as if being tortured.

Stella released her grip. Megan collapsed to the floor, clutching her hand, writhing and sobbing in pain.

"My hand! It hurts so much!"

"Someone call a doctor! I need to go to the hospital!"

Tears streamed down Megan's pale, pain-contorted face.

Emily stood frozen, clutching her sleeves in panic, her eyes wide with shock. "Stella, how could you do this to your roommate? This is going too far! You need to apologize to her right now!"

Stella just shot her a mocking sidelong glance and smirked without uttering a word.

"You're too violent! You can't just break someone's finger like that-do you have any idea how much that hurts?" Emily continued, her voice trembling.

Samantha Tate quietly remained in her corner, silent, but discreetly recorded the entire scene with her phone.

Stella stood with her arms crossed, unmoved, her face cold. "What? You want to be next?"

Emily's words caught in her throat. Her face flushed, and she averted her eyes, thoroughly rattled.

She knew she couldn't win an argument with Stella. She was terrified of ending up like Megan.

Soon, the dorm supervisor and the campus nurse rushed in and took Megan to the infirmary.

Olivia and Emily went with them, while Stella and Samantha were summoned to the principal's office.

Frowning deeply, the principal pressed Samantha for details.

Stella slouched on the office couch, barely paying attention, focused on her phone.

"Well, this is unfortunate. Looks like I'm getting a disciplinary mark on my record."

The group chat exploded immediately.

"Wait, what? Stella, it's only the first day."

"What happened?"

"I hit someone," Stella Dawson typed back, perfectly calm.

A few seconds of silence passed before a reply came. "How bad is it? I mean, come on, rich kids at City U get into fights all the time..."

"I broke my roommate's finger. Probably a step above the usual scuffle."

More silence followed. Stella scratched her nose.

"Is it that serious? I can call the principal and ask him to go easy on you."

"It's fine. The demerit will get expunged eventually anyway. Maybe I can earn some goodwill points," Stella typed quickly. "Or you could send me one of those 'Model Student' commendation banners?"

"Stella Dawson!" the principal barked her name.

Startled, she fumbled and dropped her phone on her leg, then looked up nervously.

"How do you intend to explain your actions?"

"By getting a banner?" The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Seeing the principal's face twist in confusion and anger, she quickly composed herself.

"Wait, no, I mean..." she shook her head. "No explanation, really. Megan Lindley's fingers were just too fragile. I barely used any force..."

"Do you feel no remorse at all?"

"Not a shred. Should I?" she retorted, raising her brows. "She cursed me out first. Told me to drop dead. Said I deserved whatever bad luck came my way. Would it have been better if I'd just cursed back and wished she'd get hit by a truck?"

"So yeah, sorry I ran out of patience. Guess I have a low tolerance for that kind of garbage."

Her blunt, icy tone left the principal speechless-and clearly made him give up on extracting an apology.

In the end, Stella received a formal demerit, and the incident was publicized across the entire campus.

The official notice about the fight spread like wildfire.

City University had barely started the semester and already had a major incident. The principal was making an example of her.

A pure scare tactic.

From that day on, everyone on campus knew the name Stella Dawson.

The arts department had officially produced an infamous "violent maniac" who broke her roommate's finger. The gossip was relentless.

But Stella didn't lose a minute of sleep over it.

She'd been through far worse-this was nothing in comparison.

Heartless, vicious, even unhinged-she'd been called all those things before.

Being labeled a violent bully? Child's play.

Since her second year of specialized training under her mentor, her temper had grown progressively shorter.

She simply refused to be wronged.

Later that evening, after leaving the study hall and returning to the dorm, only Olivia Hayes bothered to acknowledge her.

"Hey... you're back, Stella," Olivia said, her tone noticeably cooler than before.

Stella gave a brief nod, her expression unreadable.

She never cared for social cliques. She never had many friends to begin with. Even when someone got close, the connection usually faded quickly.

Situations like Olivia's barely registered on her radar.

The dorm was eerily quiet. Just before lights out, her phone buzzed several times.

It was a call from Mr. Sterling.

Stella glanced down and answered, already moving toward the balcony for privacy.

But the ringtone clearly irritated Samantha, who was lying in bed and rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "Seriously? Do you ever consider the time before taking a call? Are you trying to wake the dead?"

Ever since Stella's status as the Dawson heiress was exposed as a fraud, Samantha's arrogance had reached new heights-she spoke to Stella as if she were a servant in her own household.

But honestly, Stella couldn't care less what Samantha was posturing about. She stepped onto the balcony and closed the door behind her.

"Grandpa Sterling, why are you calling so late?"

"You blocked my number, child. How could I possibly sleep soundly knowing that?"

"My previous phone had some issues... I haven't had the chance to send you the new number yet."

"Hmph. What about that girl shouting just now-was she giving you trouble?"

Mr. Sterling, a military man in his youth, didn't have the best temper-especially when it came to protecting those he considered family.

He hadn't missed Samantha's little outburst.

Stella chuckled softly. "It's nothing I can't handle. Please don't worry about it."

"You must tell me next time! It might be late, but I'm wide awake and ready to stand up for you. A brat with no manners like that... Tell me who her parents are, and I'll have a word with them."

A wave of warmth spread through Stella's chest.

Mr. Sterling always had her back.

"Grandpa, it's really fine. You have to have a little faith in me."

"You're too soft-hearted, that's your problem. People think they can walk all over you."

He grumbled on, and Stella listened quietly, playing the part of the dutiful granddaughter.

Still, a flicker of doubt crossed her mind-would he still see her as the victim if he knew about the school's punishment?

They chatted a while longer, mostly him asking about her day, what she'd eaten for dinner. eventually steering the conversation toward Alexander, which he broached indirectly. Before she could deflect, he quickly changed the subject and insisted she come to the home that weekend.

"You both must be there. Do this for me, alright?"

With that, he hung up.

Stella stared at her phone, her lips twitching into a helpless smile. She hadn't even gotten a chance to refuse.

Right on cue, another call came in.

This time it was Kevin, ready to brief her on the latest company updates.

...

At Sterling Group.

Alexander finally set down his documents. It was pitch black outside.

He wasn't going home-just planned to crash in the company's lounge for the night.

Recalling the day's events, he pulled out his phone and tried Stella's number again.

No surprise-still blocked.

With a sigh, he hung up and dialed Jack instead.

"Mr. Sterling," Jack answered, sounding short of breath and heavy with exhaustion.

He'd been pulling overtime with Alexander and now sounded on the verge of collapse.

"I need you to get me ten new phones. Each with a different number," Alexander said coldly. "Don't use yours-she's already blocked that one."

Jack was stunned into silence for a moment before asking, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Just go! Now!" he snapped, his patience clearly gone.

Alexander Sterling set his phone down and began redialing Stella Dawson's number.

The monotonous failed-call tone echoed repeatedly in his office.

Half an hour passed. No matter which phone he used, her number remained unreachable.

Jack Holden stood quietly to the side, watching the calm fury building on Alexander's face. Any lingering drowsiness vanished from his mind.

Had Miss Dawson finally driven the boss completely insane?

Another thirty minutes slipped by, still without success. Not a single ring from her end.

Alexander cracked his wrist, determination unwavering as he continued his attempts.

As his assistant, Jack felt compelled to intervene. "Mr. Sterling, perhaps you should rest for a while. I can take over the calls."

"Fine. Keep trying. Notify me immediately if you get through."

Alexander didn't waste words. He stood and walked straight into the adjacent break room.

Jack stood there, stunned. A moment later, he let out a defeated sigh.

The middle of the night, and the boss actually went to rest. Left me here on redial duty.

Not even a "thank you" or a polite refusal.

Muttering under his breath, Jack sat down and began the tedious task of spamming the redial button.

Meanwhile, Alexander sat in the break room, wide awake.

He wasn't known for his patience. Quite the opposite-he was notoriously stubborn, especially when something got under his skin.

Even if he told himself Stella wasn't worth the effort, the inability to reach her tonight was pushing him toward madness.

If another half hour passes with no answer, I'm going to City University myself.

He needed to know exactly what-or who-was so important that she'd ignore his calls all night.

Maybe he'd catch her red-handed with whatever man she deemed worthy of ditching him for.

Half an hour later.

Still no luck. Jack was nearly face-planting on the desk from exhaustion.

Then-BANG! A loud noise jolted him awake.

He jumped up, eyes wide. "Mr. Sterling?!"

"Get the car. We're going to City U." The man's mood was pitch black.

He tossed a set of car keys toward Jack, grabbed a random phone, and stormed out of the office.

Watching the boss leave without even his coat, Jack sighed in resignation and shuffled after him with the keys.

'Maybe it's finally time to update my resume?

Seriously. Being a CEO's assistant wasn't just exhausting-it felt downright hazardous to one's health.'

The drive from Sterling Corp to City University wasn't short.

But traffic was minimal at that hour. Jack sped the entire way, racing toward the university gates.

Just then, Stella finally picked up.

"Hello? Who is this?" Her voice was soft, laced with sleep.

There was a lazy, tired drawl to her words.

"Stella..." Alexander practically growled through gritted teeth.

But before he could even finish her name, she hung up.

He hit redial. This time, the phone was off.

Then her text came through: "Persistent old fool. Get lost."

Alexander let out a low, bitter laugh.

Clutching the phone tightly, he chuckled darkly, the sound dripping with sarcasm and pent-up rage.

Even someone as typically detached and aloof as him completely lost his composure, firing off a string of furious messages to Stella.

"Stella Dawson, the divorce papers aren't finalized. You are still Mrs. Sterling."

"Grandpa expects us at the estate this weekend. He wants to see you, so you will comport yourself appropriately. If you make this easy, perhaps I'll allow you and your entourage to walk away unscathed. Otherwise, forget about receiving the divorce certificate."

"If I don't have your confirmation by tomorrow, I will personally shred the divorce agreement."

He dropped the phone, his face thunderous.

Jack Holden sat quietly in the driver's seat, not daring to breathe too loudly as he watched Alexander's grim reflection in the rearview mirror.

Finally, Jack clenched his jaw and ventured carefully, "Mr. Sterling, Miss Dawson is likely in her dormitory now..."

"If we attempt to enter the campus dormitories at this hour... wouldn't that cause a significant disturbance?"

What if someone called the campus police? That would be an absolute disaster.

As if on cue, a university security guard began approaching their vehicle.

The guard narrowed his eyes at the two men sitting in the car. "What's your business here, loitering like this?"

"I'm going to need to see some identification."

He'd seen his share of suspicious characters lurking around campus at night-usually up to no good.

Jack shot a nervous glance at Alexander. "Uh... you see-"

Was the boss really about to be escorted away like a common creep?

"Back to the office," Alexander said coldly.

Jack released a relieved breath, quickly explaining their situation to the guard before stepping on the accelerator and speeding away without a backward glance.

On the return journey, Jack lowered his voice and asked, "Mr. Sterling, if Miss Dawson calls again inquiring about the divorce certificate."

He didn't dare cross Stella-the way she'd spoken last time sent chills down his spine. She seemed capable of anything.

Alexander frowned, tapping his phone screen. "You are relieved of that duty."

"If she calls again, instruct her to come and make her request to me directly at the office."

Jack nodded rapidly, though internally he was grumbling.

His boss had truly lost his grip. Couldn't he see Stella's indifference was genuine?

She obviously never had any real feelings for him to begin with.

-

The next day.

Alexander waited the entire day, but still no word from Stella.

The phone number he'd used last night wasn't his primary one, so he'd had Jack procure a similar SIM card.

Still nothing.

-

The professor on stage droned on, delivering a monotonous PowerPoint lecture potent enough to sedate anyone.

Lucas Campbell was slouched at his desk, halfway to dreamland, his mind conjuring a certain captivating figure.

That face... stunning even beneath a plain hoodie and a pulled-down cap. Those endlessly long legs.

Stella Dawson-utterly occupying his thoughts.

"Lucas Campbell," the professor called out, her lips curved in a polite smile, but her tone as icy as a deep freeze.

No one dared make a sound. One of Lucas's friends elbowed him sharply.

Lucas jerked awake, blinking blearily to find every student in the lecture hall staring at him.

"Stella Dawson..." he mumbled, still half in his dream.

The room descended into dead silence-followed by scattered snickers.

The professor's smile vanished. She pointed to the door. "Get out."

"I just said her name and dozed off a little, what's the issue?" Lucas grumbled as he slouched out.

One of his buddies struggled not to laugh. "Bro, you've got it bad for Stella Dawson, huh?"

"Absolutely," Lucas admitted without hesitation. "She's fire. Who wouldn't be into that?"

He ambled out of the room, hands linked behind his head, looking utterly unbothered.

Classes weren't really his forte anyway, especially today's lineup-Advanced Mathematics and Corporate Finance? Hard pass. He couldn't stand that stuff. The Campbell family owned numerous companies, but he had zero interest in the inheritance.

What he truly desired? To be a legendary mercenary, dominating all challengers.

Just like in the adventure novels he devoured.

Lucas loitered in the hallway outside the classroom, which afforded him a clear view of Stella sitting in a neighboring lecture.

She was in the back row, twirling a pen between her fingers, gaze distant.

She looked completely disengaged-clearly zoning out.

Right on cue, the professor called on her to answer a question.

Lucas leaned forward, anticipating her being reprimanded, but instead, she offered a response that made the teacher nod, even smile, and gesture for her to sit down.

What the hell? She was actually paying attention?

Lucas was stunned, still watching her blank expression that somehow concealed a sharp intellect.

Finally, after a half-hour that felt interminable, the class ended.

Students began streaming out, hurrying to their next lectures. Stella gathered her belongings and prepared to leave.

Lucas quickly pushed through the crowd. "Hey, Miss Dawson."

She looked up slowly, waiting for him to state his business.

"Fate keeps bringing us together. How about we exchange numbers?" He flashed his phone with a confident grin.

Her laugh was sharp and dismissive. "Don't flatter yourself. Not a chance." She stood up without a second thought, slinging her backpack over one shoulder.

She had another class to get to, no time for nonsense.

"That's rather rude," Lucas followed her, whining. "Refusing my request is one thing, but must you insult me too?"

While he was attempting to nag her into compliance, someone hidden in a corner urgently made a phone call.

He was one of Evan Sterling's lackeys, tasked with keeping an eye on Stella.

"We have a situation-Campbell is making a move!" he whispered into the phone.

Evan's expression darkened the moment he heard.

That punk actually dared to hit on his sister-in-law?

Lucas Campbell, your time is up.

He was just around the corner from the classroom and stormed over with a couple of his guys in tow, looking like an approaching tempest.

Bystanders froze, alarmed. Who had provoked the young master now?

Lucas was shameless, continuing his pursuit even after repeated rejections. He stood his ground, acting as if obtaining her number was his divine right for the day.

He'd been a spoiled brat since childhood-this was his first time being so thoroughly curved.

When Stella still refused to budge, Lucas made a grab for her phone.

She frowned, her eyes turning cold, ready to physically remove him.

But before she could act, a foot shot out from behind Lucas and landed squarely on his backside.

"You've got to be kidding me, Lucas Campbell. Back off, you clown!"