Chapter Eight : Brewing Storm

Alice had promised herself she wouldn't think about him again.

She told herself that the look Brian gave her that day was meaningless. A slip. A mistake. Something her tired brain made into more than it was. But no matter how many times she repeated it, the memory lingered. It clung to her like perfume you couldn't wash off.

Now, sitting on the campus steps with Sophie, she tried to shove the thought down. Sophie was rambling about a professor who gave her too much homework and how she planned to bribe him with cookies, her voice quick and playful, her hands moving as if she was on stage. Alice smiled, but her thoughts drifted again, drifting where she didn't want them to go.

She hated that Brian Carter had taken up space in her head. She hated it even more that she noticed the way her heart had stumbled when his eyes locked on hers.

"You're not listening to me," Sophie announced suddenly, poking Alice in the arm. "I'm here pouring my soul out about my academic suffering and you're staring into thin air like you've seen a ghost."

Alice laughed weakly. "Sorry. I didn't sleep much."

Sophie tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. "Mmhm. Sure. And here I thought it had something to do with a certain tall man in a very expensive suit."

Alice stiffened. "What? No. Don't start."

Sophie grinned, wicked and sharp. "Oh, I saw it. I saw that look. He looked at you like the rest of us disappeared, and you looked at him like....well like I should go write the both of you into a romance novel."

Alice's cheeks burned. "You're making it sound like something it's not."

"Sweetheart, if it wasn't something, Clarissa wouldn't have looked ready to commit a crime right there in the parking lot."

The mention of Clarissa made Alice's stomach twist. She hated attention, and Clarissa thrived on it. The blonde girl was a shadow always looming over her, dripping with wealth, beauty, and everything Alice wasn't.

And as if the universe wanted to prove Sophie right, Clarissa's voice cut through the air like sharp glass.

"Well, well. If it isn't the charity case and her little sidekick."

Alice froze. Sophie groaned under her breath, already rolling her eyes before turning toward Clarissa.

Clarissa stood there with two of her friends, their arms crossed, smiles sharp. Her blonde hair gleamed under the sun, her outfit probably worth more than Alice's entire semester's rent. She looked down at them like a queen inspecting peasants.

Alice hugged her books tighter, wishing she could vanish. But Sophie shifted beside her, folding her arms and grinning like she'd been waiting for this.

"Clarissa," Sophie said sweetly. "Didn't your stylist ever tell you you're too young to look this washed out? Or is that just your personality shining through?"

Clarissa's lips thinned. "How cute. Always trying to cover for your little friend. Tell me, Sophie, is it exhausting babysitting her? She barely belongs here. Everyone knows she's here on scraps and handouts. Do you really want to waste your time?"

Alice's chest tightened. She wanted to shrink, to walk away, but Sophie wasn't having it.

"My time is my own," Sophie snapped. "And if I want to waste it on someone with an actual brain and heart, I'll do that. Better than wasting it on someone who thinks breathing is a talent just because their last name buys them everything."

The students nearby began to whisper, watching like it was entertainment. Clarissa's cheeks flushed, but her smile stayed fixed, though it faltered at the edges.

"Don't get too comfortable," Clarissa said coldly, her eyes sliding to Alice. "Some people need to be reminded of their place. Especially girls who think they can stare at men who are far, far above them."

Alice's stomach dropped. She knew exactly who Clarissa meant.

Sophie laughed loud enough for everyone to hear. "Oh, please. If you're so confident in your relationship, why are you pressed about a look? Maybe you should focus on keeping your man's attention instead of policing who he glances at."

Gasps rippled through the small crowd. Clarissa's face hardened, her composure cracking.

"You'll regret that," she said, her voice low and venomous. "Both of you."

She spun on her heel, her friends scrambling after her.

Silence hung for a moment, then Sophie stretched her arms wide like she'd just won a performance. "And that, my dear Alice, is how you deal with poisonous snakes."

Alice let out a shaky breath. "Sophie... what if she really does something? You know what she's capable of."

Sophie slung an arm around her shoulder. "Let her try. She can't scare me. And she shouldn't scare you either. You've got me. And trust me, I can fight dirt with dirt if I need to."

Alice smiled faintly, comforted, but the knot in her stomach didn't ease. Clarissa's words weren't empty. Alice had seen the way her eyes burned with promise.

As they walked away, Alice tried to laugh at Sophie's jokes, tried to focus on class and work, but her mind drifted again. Not to Clarissa. Not to the whispers around campus.

To Brian.

To the way his gaze had lingered, even if only for a moment.

She hated herself for it. She hated how her chest tightened and warmed at the thought, even while fear coiled around her ribs. Clarissa wasn't bluffing. She was planning something.

And Alice had a sinking feeling she had just been pulled into a storm that she couldn't run from.

Chapter Nine : Restless Nights

The sharp click of poker chips being shuffled should have grounded Brian. The laughter, the smoke, the clinking of glasses, he should have felt at ease here, surrounded by familiar faces.

But tonight, nothing settled.

"Your turn, Carter," one of his friends nudged, pointing at the cards in his hand.

Brian glanced down at them, realizing he hadn't even looked. He threw a chip into the pile, not caring whether he won or lost. His friends didn't notice. They were too wrapped up in their own competition, voices rising as the game heated.

He leaned back in his chair, loosening his tie, his glass untouched on the table. The whiskey in it looked golden, glowing under the light, tempting him to drink until his head was blank. But even that wouldn't help.

Not when every time he closed his eyes, he saw her.

Alice.

He didn't know how or when she had slipped into his thoughts, but now she was everywhere. The stubborn spark in her eyes, the way her voice trembled yet held steady against him. The way she looked when she thought no one was watching, like she was carrying the weight of the world and refused to let it crush her.

Brian rubbed his temple, exhaling slowly. He should have been focused on his fiancée. Clarissa had been in his life for years, tied to him not by choice but by the binding pressure of family expectations. Her parents, his parents, every move between them calculated like a business transaction.

She was beautiful, polished, exactly what everyone thought he should want. And yet...

His chest tightened.

The truth was simple. Clarissa didn't move him. Not the way Alice did. Not with the same raw, unsettling force.

"Fold," he muttered, tossing his cards onto the table without a glance.

"Fold again?" His friend Marcus raised a brow. "What's going on with you? You've been out of it all night."

Brian forced a smile. "Long day at the office."

It was an easy excuse, believable enough. He had been working himself thin lately contracts, investors, meetings that stretched past midnight. But work wasn't what kept him awake when the city finally went quiet.

It was her.

He reached for his drink, swirling it slowly before setting it down untouched again.

Marcus wasn't fooled. He leaned in slightly. "This about Clarissa? Did you two fight?"

"No," Brian said quickly, sharper than intended.

A beat of silence followed. Then laughter erupted from the other side of the table, breaking the tension. The game moved on, but Marcus still watched him with curiosity.

Brian didn't bother explaining. What could he even say? That every time Clarissa smiled at him, he caught himself comparing it to the way Alice's lips curved? That Clarissa's voice, smooth and practiced, could never echo in his mind the way Alice's raw, unguarded words did?

He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. He unlocked it, scrolling through messages without seeing them. For a moment, he hovered over Clarissa's name. A picture of her smiling at a gala stared back at him, perfect and cold.

He slid the screen away.

Then, against his better judgment, his mind conjured up the image of Alice again. The way her eyes had met his across campus, wide and startled, as if she hadn't expected him there. The way she had held his gaze, even when Clarissa slipped her hand into his arm.

Something had shifted in that glance. Something he couldn't name.

"Your turn, Carter," another friend barked.

Brian looked at his cards again, not seeing them. He tossed them down anyway, standing. "I'm done for the night."

There were groans, protests, laughter, but he ignored them. He needed air. Space. Something to break this restless storm clawing inside him.

Out in the cool night, the city stretched around him loud, alive, but empty all the same. He tugged his coat tighter, walking slowly toward his car.

This was dangerous.

He knew it. He wasn't blind to the mess waiting at the edge of this road. Clarissa was already suspicious,he'd seen the way her eyes hardened when Alice was near. And if his family caught wind of his distraction, there would be hell to pay.

Alice didn't belong in his world. She deserved freedom, not the crushing weight of expectations and deals. He should stay away.

But when he closed his eyes again, all he saw was her.

The girl who wasn't his. The girl he couldn't stop craving.

Chapter Ten

Alice could feel the weight of exhaustion on her shoulders as she walked across the courtyard. The sun was out, warm against her skin, but inside she felt heavy. Her bag pressed into her side, filled with books she barely had the energy to read. All she wanted was to get through the day without drawing attention to herself.

But attention, it seemed, had already found her.

She heard the giggles first, sharp and pointed. When she looked up, Clarissa stood at the center of a group of girls, her blonde hair shining like it had its own spotlight. Her eyes locked onto Alice like a predator finding prey. Alice slowed down, a sick feeling curling in her stomach.

"Well, if it isn't the little waitress," Clarissa said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. Her friends laughed on cue. "Did you wipe down tables this morning before rushing here, Alice? Or maybe you brought a tray with you. Do you need to take our orders?"

Alice froze. The students nearby turned their heads. Whispers spread fast, like fire on dry grass. She gripped her books tighter to her chest. Her face felt hot, but her feet wouldn't move.

She wanted to say something, anything, but the words lodged in her throat.

Sophie stepped forward before Alice could breathe. "At least she's not busy sleeping her way through designer handbags," Sophie said casually, brushing an invisible speck off her blazer. Her tone was light, almost amused, but her eyes were sharp as glass.

Gasps filled the air. A few students covered their mouths, others exchanged shocked looks. Clarissa's smile faltered for the first time.

"You don't get to talk about me, Sophie," she snapped, her voice rising. "Your family name doesn't give you the right to."

"Oh, it gives me exactly that right," Sophie interrupted smoothly. She tilted her head, her long curls catching the sunlight. "See, unlike you, I don't need to use other people to feel important. You should try it sometime. Might do wonders for your personality."

The courtyard buzzed with energy. Everyone was watching now. Clarissa's face flushed an angry red.

Alice wanted to melt into the ground. She hated being in the middle of this. She hated the way Clarissa's eyes bore into her like she was a stain that needed scrubbing.

And then, just when Alice thought she would collapse under the pressure, another voice cut through the air.

"Enough."

The crowd shifted, a path forming without anyone saying a word. Brian was there, tall, composed, his presence commanding silence. His eyes swept across the scene and landed on Alice.

Alice's heart leapt into her throat.

"Clarissa," Brian said calmly, his voice carrying enough authority to make even the boldest students quiet. "I think you've made your point. That'll be enough for today."

Clarissa blinked, caught off guard. "Brian, I was just..."

"Humiliating someone who did nothing to you," he finished, his gaze steady, unflinching. "You're better than this. Or at least, you should be."

The murmurs around them grew louder. Clarissa's face went pale before flushing again. She opened her mouth to argue, but Brian had already shifted his focus. His eyes lingered on Alice for just a second too long. A look that spoke louder than words.

Alice's chest tightened. The noise of the courtyard faded, replaced by the sound of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

Brian turned, placing a hand lightly on Clarissa's arm. "Let's go," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Clarissa stiffened but followed, her expression dark with embarrassment and anger. Her friends trailed behind her, whispering furiously.

And just like that, the crowd began to disperse, though not without lingering stares and hushed voices.

Alice stood frozen, her books clutched against her chest like armor. Her cheeks burned. She wasn't sure if she wanted to thank Brian, scream at him, or collapse into the grass.

Sophie nudged her shoulder gently. "Well," she said with a smirk, "that was dramatic."

Alice let out a shaky laugh, though it came out closer to a sob. She turned her face away quickly, blinking back the sting in her eyes.

She hated how vulnerable she felt, but even more, she hated the warmth that had sparked in her chest when Brian had looked at her.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Sophie's POV

The mansion was quiet when Sophie got home, too quiet for a house so big. The marble floors gleamed under the chandelier lights, but the shine meant nothing to her. She had grown up in this world of wealth, but it had always felt more like a museum than a home.

Her parents were gone again, probably in another country, shaking hands with people just as rich and cold as they were. They had always cared more about deals and alliances than about being present. Sophie had stopped expecting anything else a long time ago.

She walked into her room, slipping off her shoes and tossing her bag onto the bed. The walls were lined with books and paintings, gifts from her mother that were meant to "cultivate" her. Sophie never cared much for the expensive things. She cared about people. Real people.

That was why she had chosen Alice.

Alice wasn't like anyone else at school. She didn't put on masks. She didn't care about last names or family fortunes. She was stubborn, honest, and so frustratingly humble it made Sophie want to shake her sometimes.

And maybe that was why Sophie felt so protective. Because if Alice broke under the weight of people like Clarissa, then what did that say about the rest of them? Sophie had the power to fight back. Alice didn't. So she would always step in, sharp tongue and all.

Sophie flopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She replayed the courtyard scene in her mind. The way Clarissa had sneered, the way Alice had shrunk back, and the way Brian Carter of all people had shut Clarissa down.

Her lips curved into a slow grin.

"Oh, this is going to be interesting," she murmured to herself.

Because Sophie had seen the look in his eyes too. The way his attention had lingered on Alice, just long enough to make the truth obvious.

And if Clarissa hadn't noticed yet, she would soon.

Sophie closed her eyes, already bracing herself for the storm that was coming. But she wasn't worried. Together, they would survive whatever Clarissa planned .