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".

The hum of the diner was almost comforting, a steady blend of clinking plates, chatter, and the hiss of the coffee machine. To Alice, it was the sound of routine the rhythm of her second life after classes. But tonight, even the familiar noise did little to ease the weariness pressing down on her. Her feet ached in her worn sneakers, her apron bore faint coffee stains no matter how often she washed it, and her back screamed for rest.

She shoved a tray across the counter, balancing a plate of sandwiches for a group of freshmen who'd been laughing so loudly she envied their carefree joy. Then she grabbed her order pad, ready to move on to the next table.

"Excuse me"

The voice was crisp, sharp enough to cut. Alice froze. Slowly, she turned and her stomach dropped.

Clarissa.

The same blonde who had slipped her arm through Brian's at school, the girl from the gala . She sat in a booth near the window, posture perfect, chin lifted with effortless arrogance. Two other girls flanked her, both equally polished, their nails gleaming as they tapped against their phones. Clarissa didn't need to say anything to command attention. The way she scanned the diner, lips curled ever so slightly, said it all: she thought the place and the people in it were beneath her.

Alice gripped her order pad tighter, pushing down the flicker of unease in her chest. "Can I get you something?" she asked, polite but clipped.

Clarissa's eyes slid over her with deliberate slowness, taking in the apron, the scuffed shoes, the stray strands of hair that had slipped from Alice's ponytail. Then, with a small, knowing smile, she spoke.

"Yes. I'll have a salad. No dressing. And water. Sparkling, if you have it." Her gaze swept the diner, and then back to Alice. "Though judging by... this place" she gestured vaguely to the cracked vinyl seats and sticky tables "I won't get my hopes up."

Her friends laughed softly, the sound like nails scratching glass.

Alice's cheeks heated, but she forced herself to nod. "I'll see what I can do." She turned quickly, eager to put distance between them before her voice betrayed the sting she felt.

But then

"Clarissa. What a surprise."

The words floated in like a breeze, edged with mischief.

Sophie.

Alice blinked as her best friend slid into the booth opposite Clarissa without so much as a glance for permission. Sophie tossed her designer bag onto the seat beside her and leaned back, her sharp brown eyes locked on Clarissa like she'd been waiting for this moment.

Clarissa's smile faltered. "Sophie. I didn't know you frequented... places like this." Her tone dripped with disdain.

Sophie arched a brow. "Unlike you, I don't get nosebleeds if I breathe the same air as normal people." She reached for the sugar bowl on the table, stirring it into the black coffee Clarissa hadn't touched. Then she glanced up at Alice, flashing her a quick grin. "Hey, babe, don't let Queen Iceberg here get to you. She's allergic to humility."

Alice's lips twitched despite the heat crawling up her neck. Typical Sophie, bold, sharp, and completely unafraid of making enemies.

Clarissa's friends snickered, this time less out of loyalty and more out of nervous amusement. Clarissa's jaw tightened, her cheeks blooming a dangerous pink.

"You've always been a nuisance," Clarissa hissed.

"And you've always been boring," Sophie replied sweetly, propping her chin on her hand. "Some things never change."

The words hung in the air like a spark waiting to ignite. The tension in the booth thickened, pulling Alice in even though she wanted nothing more than to disappear.

Clarissa leaned forward slightly, her tone dropping lower. "Careful, Sophie. Not everyone has the patience for your... theatrics."

"Oh, don't flatter me," Sophie said, her smile dazzling. "I save my theatrics for the stage. This?" She gestured between them. "This is me being generous."

The girls at Clarissa's side shifted uncomfortably, clearly caught between loyalty and the magnetic pull of Sophie's confidence.

Alice cleared her throat softly, stepping in before the clash escalated. "I'll get your order," she murmured, retreating toward the counter.

Her hands trembled as she poured water into a plain glass, no sparkling, obviously. She focused on the task, willing herself not to dwell on Clarissa's words. Don't let her under your skin, she told herself. She doesn't matter.

But the truth was, Clarissa did matter. Not because of who she was, but because she was with Brian.

A hand slipped around her arm, warm and steady. Sophie.

"You okay?" she asked, voice softer now.

Alice nodded quickly. "Yeah. Just... didn't expect that."

Sophie's lips pressed into a thin line. "She thrives on making people feel small. It's her favorite sport." Then her eyes softened, and she gave Alice's arm a squeeze. "But you're not alone, got it? Let her try her games, she's not half as powerful as she thinks."

Alice managed a small smile. Sophie had a way of making the world feel a little less heavy.

Together, they walked back to the booth. Alice set the salad and glass of water down in front of Clarissa without a word. Clarissa raised one perfectly arched brow, tapping a manicured nail against the rim of the plain glass.

"No sparkling?" she asked coolly.

Alice forced a polite smile. "Unfortunately, no."

Clarissa's lips curved in mock sympathy. "Of course not."

Before Alice could respond, Sophie leaned forward, her eyes glinting. "Funny thing, Clarissa, water's still water. Whether it bubbles or not, it won't make you any less bitter."

The girls at the table burst into muffled laughter, quickly stifled when Clarissa shot them a glare sharp enough to cut.

Alice fought back a laugh, biting her lip as she retreated again. Sophie winked at her before turning back to Clarissa, as if daring her to say more.

But Clarissa only lifted her fork delicately, her face a mask of icy composure. She didn't look at Alice again, though the weight of her presence lingered like a shadow.

From the counter, Alice watched them in silence. Her chest was tight, her thoughts tangled. Clarissa's cruelty didn't surprise her, it was the kind of disdain Alice had faced before, from people who thought they were above her. What unsettled her was the reminder that Clarissa wasn't just another entitled girl. She was Brian's fiancée.

And that made the sting sharper than anything Clarissa had said.

Alice sighed, rubbing her temple. Sophie caught her gaze and mouthed, She's nothing.

Alice wanted to believe her. She really did. But as she wiped down the counter, her mind betrayed her, circling back to Brian, his half smile, the way his eyes had lingered on her earlier, and that fleeting moment when it had almost felt like she mattered.

She shook her head quickly, forcing the thought away. It was foolish. Dangerous. Brian Carter was untouchable. And Clarissa was proof of that.

Still, a quiet ache lingered in her chest, one she couldn't quite name.

Chapter Six (Brian's POV)

The office windows stretched from floor to ceiling, letting the city skyline pour in like a taunt. The glass towers gleamed in the afternoon sun, perfect, controlled, orderly. Everything I was supposed to be.

I shoved the file shut with more force than necessary, my pen clattering across the desk. Another report, another demand from the board. Meetings stacked one after another until the day blurred into an endless cycle of numbers, contracts, and obligations. And yet, despite all the hours, all the supposed power in this corner office, I felt nothing but suffocation.

The clock on the wall ticked sharply, its hands reminding me of something I'd rather forget. Clarissa.

I exhaled, rubbing the back of my neck. It was nearly time to pick her up from the college. A ridiculous tradition, really, she had her own car, her own driver. But she liked the attention, the stares when I stepped out to open her door. The golden couple, paraded like trophies. And my parents loved it.

I gathered my keys, forcing myself to move, but a thought slipped in unbidden. Alice.

The memory of her lingered, her startled eyes meeting mine on campus, the quiet strength in her face even as exhaustion weighed her down. And then, at the gala, the way she looked was different from every other person . Something about it gnawed at me long after.

By the time I pulled onto campus, the weight in my chest had shifted. Against reason, against every careful boundary I told myself to keep, I hoped I might see her again.

The car rolled to a stop by the courtyard. Students moved in clusters, laughing, hauling books, living lives unburdened by board meetings and arranged engagements. I scanned them without meaning to, searching.

And then, there she was.

Alice.

She walked quickly across the quad, her books hugged tightly to her chest. A strand of hair had slipped from her ponytail, brushing her cheek as she moved. There was something about the way she carried herself, determined, guarded, but undeniably alive, that drew me in like a tide I couldn't fight.

For a second, I considered stepping out of the car. Closing the distance. Saying something, anything.

But the moment broke.

"Brian!" Clarissa's voice cut through the air like glass. She emerged from the crowd, flawless as ever, her hand already reaching for me. Students turned to stare, some whispering, some openly watching. The perfect picture, just as she liked it.

I hesitated, my eyes flicking back toward Alice. She had stopped, just for a moment, her gaze colliding with mine. The world seemed to still, the noise fading until it was just the two of us suspended in that fragile second.

Something unspoken passed between us. A question. A pull. A recognition neither of us dared name.

And then Clarissa's fingers curled around my arm.

The moment shattered.

I stepped out, opening the door for her as expected, slipping back into the role I was born to play. Alice turned away first, her shoulders stiff, her steps quick as if distance could erase what had just passed between us.

Clarissa smiled up at me, satisfied, oblivious. "Dinner tonight?"

"Of course," I said evenly, though my thoughts were nowhere near her.

As the car pulled away, I looked back once more, but Alice was already gone.

Still, her eyes lingered in my mind, haunting and unshakable.