woke up to the sound of my alarm ,I stretched my hands to turn it off, how could it be 7 am so quick.i had a class to attend by 8 so I had to be up. She hurriedly stood up to get a bath,she was running late.

Alice balanced her books on her hands as she hurried around campus dodging a group of students standing. She had just finished from class and was on her way to the diner,she was running late for her next shift.

Her life had become a constant loop of classes, work, and exhaustion. Sleep was a luxury she couldn't afford, but at least she was moving forward. One step closer to her degree. One step closer to leaving behind the never-ending stress of overdue rent notices.

"Ouch", she had just bumped into something hard pulling her out of her thoughts. She saw a nice pair of shoe in front of her and trailed it up till her eyes landed on a very familiar face,the man from the diner.

What are you doing here ?" She asked"

She knew he wasn't here for pie, which left her wondering if he was stalking her.

He arched a brow, that same unreadable half-smile tugging at his lips. "I thought this was a school "

She frowned, clutching her books tighter "for students yes, but you...",she stopped herself her cheeks burning. What was she supposed to say? But you look like you belong in a magazine or some big company and not in a college

He'd stared at her with that unreadable half smile on his lips as though he heard her thoughts before she said it . "Let's just say business brought me to campus." His eyes flicked over her and her books for a second ."Didn't expect to...find you here."

The air between them thickened. Alice looked away first,her cheeks burning hotter than ever.

Finally he spoke " are you through with your classes for the day".

She was about to reply when she realised he wasn't talking to her . He was standing next to a blonde girl,she didn't realise when he left.

She watched them leave. He opened the car door for the blonde, glanced at her for a second before getting into the car driving off

She stood frozen, long after he disappeared ,staring into space.

"Oh shit". I'm late, she muttered before running off.

She walked of with thoughts of what just happened replaying in her head.

Chapter Three: Name revealed

Alice Monroe had never cared much for the grand events her university occasionally hosted. Business galas, charity luncheons, networking nights, those were worlds far removed from her own. She only attended this one because her best friend, Sophie, had bribed her with promises of free food and the chance to "mingle with the ridiculously rich."

"Honestly, Alice, you should thank me," Sophie whispered as they slipped into the chandelier lit hall. "This is where futures are made. You never know, you might meet your prince charming."

"I don't need a prince," Alice muttered, clutching her notebook like a shield. "I just need to pass my finals."

But Sophie wasn't listening. Her eyes were already wide, darting toward the entrance where a hush had fallen over the crowd.

That was when Brian Carter walked in.

He wasn't just handsome; he was magnetic. Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit that seemed to command the air around him. His presence turned heads instantly, the kind of man who didn't need to speak to be noticed.

Alice felt her chest tighten as his gaze swept over the crowd,distant, uninterested,until, for the briefest second, his eyes met hers. A spark lit up her veins, startling in its intensity, before he looked away.

"Holy..." Sophie fanned herself dramatically. "That, my dear, is not a prince. That's a king. And I think he just looked at you."

Alice forced a laugh, though her cheeks burned. Men like him didn't look at girls like her.

She was proven right moments later, when a tall blonde,the girl from school,in a glittering gown slid up beside Brian and slipped her hand into his with practiced ease. The room whispered, voices rippling with recognition.

"That's Clarissa Hale," Sophie whispered, leaning close. "Daughter of the Hales, you know, old money, massive empire, scandalously rich. Rumor has it their families have been planning this engagement forever."

Alice's stomach twisted. A fiancé. Of course. Someone like him would never be free.

Brian's expression remained composed as Clarissa smiled up at him, but Alice caught something fleeting in his eyes, something sharp, restless, like a man caged by his own life.

And when his gaze flickered back across the room, landing on Alice again, the world seemed to tilt on its axis.

Sophie nudged her with a wicked grin. "Oh, girl... this is going to be interesting."

Before Alice could argue, Sophie grabbed her wrist and tugged her toward the refreshment table,right where Brian and Clarissa were standing. Alice's heart thundered as Sophie, utterly unbothered, reached past Clarissa to grab a glass of champagne.

"Excuse me," Sophie said with a dazzling smile. "My friend here nearly died running to make it on time tonight. Don't you think she deserves the last croissant?"

Alice's eyes went wide with horror. "Sophie..." she hissed.

But Brian's lips curved ever so slightly, his eyes settling on Alice again. "If she nearly died for it," he said smoothly, his voice low and rich, "then by all means... let her have it."

Alice froze, caught in the weight of his attention. "I-thank you," she managed, clutching the plate Sophie had shoved into her hands.

Clarissa's smile tightened, her grip on Brian's arm sharpening. "Darling, we really should greet the board members," she said pointedly.

Brian didn't look away from Alice immediately. For a heartbeat too long, he held her gaze, unreadable and yet almost... curious. Then he inclined his head slightly, the faintest trace of a smirk lingering on his lips.

"Enjoy the croissant," he murmured.

And then he let Clarissa pull him away, leaving Alice shaken and Sophie grinning like she'd just watched the opening act of her favorite drama.

"Oh, Alice," Sophie whispered, sipping her champagne. "You're in so much trouble."

Chapter four– Brian

Brian Carter had attended more university galas than he cared to count. His father called them "opportunities." To Brian, they were obligations tedious evenings wrapped in stiff suits and polished smiles. He was expected to show his face, charm the donors, and let Clarissa, his perfectly groomed fiancée, shine on his arm.

Nothing ever surprised him at these events.

Until tonight.

He saw her the moment he stepped into the hall. The girl from the diner standing near the doorway, hair damp from the drizzle outside, clutching a bag like a soldier clinging to a shield. She didn't blend in like the others. No carefully rehearsed laugh, no designer gown. She looked like she'd stumbled into the wrong world entirely and yet Brian couldn't look away.

Her eyes met his. Wide, startled, recognition flashing through it. And then she flushed, gaze darting down as if she'd been caught doing something forbidden.

Something inside his chest shifted an ache he hadn't felt in years.

"Darling," Clarissa's voice cut in, smooth and practiced. She curled her hand around his arm, her diamond catching the chandelier's glow. "They're waiting for us."

Brian blinked, tore his gaze away, and let her guide him forward. He reminded himself who he was, where he was, and why. Clarissa's family aligned with his. Their engagement wasn't about love but legacy. Tonight, like every night, he had a part to play.

Still, as they made their rounds, shaking hands with professors and trustees, Brian caught himself searching the crowd. Looking for her.

And then she was there.

At the refreshment table, next to a petite brunette with a mischievous grin who seemed to be doing all the talking. The girl from the diner his girl, his mind betrayed him stood stiffly, mortified at the attention.

Clarissa's presence sharpened beside him. Her posture straightened, her grip on his arm just a little too tight. Brian should have kept walking. But when the brunette joked about "nearly dying for the last slice of pie," the words left his lips before he could stop them.

"If she nearly died for it," he said evenly, "then by all means... let her have it."

The girl looked up at him then. Properly.

Her lips parted in surprise, her lashes fluttering as though she didn't know what to do under the weight of his gaze. She whispered a shy thank you, voice barely audible over the chatter of the hall.

It shouldn't have meant anything. But Brian felt the echo of her words ripple through him, unexpected and unsettling.

Clarissa tugged on his arm. "Darling, the board members are waiting." Her smile was perfect, practiced, though her eyes carried the sharpness of someone who noticed too much.

Brian allowed himself to be pulled away, slipping easily back into his role the charming heir, the future CEO, the fiancé. It was the sensible choice. The expected choice.

But as he opened the car door for Clarissa later that night, his gaze betrayed him one last time. Across the parking lot, she stood frozen, still clutching her bag, still staring into the night as though she wasn't sure what had just happened.

For a fleeting second, her eyes lifted. Met his.

Something passed between them then. Something neither of them spoke, but both of them felt.

Brian tore his gaze away first, sliding into the car beside Clarissa. He told himself it was nothing. That she was nothing. Just a face in the crowd he keeps on running into.

And yet, as the car pulled away, he realized with a jolt of irritation and something darker, more dangerous that he was already wondering when he would see her again.

"Hopefully soon".