On Monday morning, Chloe stood at the security desk in the lobby of her dorm building. The guard handed her a massive black gift box tied with a thick silk ribbon. There was no return address.

Chloe frowned. She pulled the ribbon loose and lifted the heavy lid.

Inside, resting on a bed of black velvet, was an extremely rare Hermes Himalayan Birkin bag.

Chloe sucked in a sharp breath. The air left her lungs. She knew instantly this was Arthur's idea of compensation. The bag felt like it was burning her hands. She wanted to throw it across the room.

Just as she moved to slam the lid back on, Katlyn walked into the lobby holding an iced coffee.

Katlyn stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes locked onto the bag. She let out a loud, exaggerated gasp and marched straight over to the security desk.

Katlyn looked Chloe up and down, her eyes full of pure jealousy. Chloe was wearing a cheap, faded gray hoodie and worn-out jeans. "Did you go down to Canal Street and buy a fake?" Katlyn sneered.

Chloe did not want to fight. Her head was already pounding. "It is none of your business," she said coldly. She grabbed the box and walked quickly toward the elevators.

Katlyn followed right behind her, raising her voice so everyone in the lobby could hear. "If that is real, there is only one way you got it. You found yourself a Sugar Daddy. Some old creep who pays for your company."

Students waiting for the elevator turned their heads. Their eyes crawled over Chloe, filled with curiosity and disgust.

A hot flush of humiliation crept up Chloe's neck. She had no way to explain the bag without exposing the truth. The elevator doors finally slid open. She rushed inside and hit the button, letting the metal doors shut out the whispers and the stares.

After locking the box in the deepest corner of her closet, Chloe grabbed her backpack and ran across campus to the business school building for her mandatory lecture.

She walked into the large tiered classroom and stopped. The back rows, usually empty, were packed with students. The air in the room was buzzing with nervous energy.

Katlyn was sitting in the middle row. She turned to the girls next to her and said loudly, "The guest lecturer today is Arthur Beaumont. The legend himself."

Chloe heard the name and her feet froze to the floor. She spun around, ready to run right back out the door.

But Dean Price was already walking through the entrance, blocking her path. He was smiling widely, ushering Arthur into the room.

Arthur wore a sharp, dark blue suit that made his shoulders look impossibly broad. His presence sucked all the oxygen out of the room. His cold eyes swept over the crowd.

Chloe had nowhere to hide. She kept her head down, practically crawling to an empty seat in the very back corner. She pulled out her thickest textbook and propped it up, hiding her face behind it.

The lecture began. Arthur's voice was low and magnetic. He broke down global merger and acquisition cases with brutal precision. The girls in the room stared at him like he was a god.

Right in the middle of explaining a hostile takeover, Arthur stopped talking. He put down his laser pointer. His eyes cut straight to the back corner of the room, locking onto the textbook hiding Chloe's face.

"Miss Tucker," Arthur said. His voice echoed through the silent room. "Tell us the most effective defense strategy against a hostile takeover."

Every single head in the room turned to look at Chloe. Katlyn smirked, clearly enjoying the show.

Chloe's hands shook as she lowered the book. She stood up. Her legs felt like jelly. She forced herself to speak, her voice trembling slightly but her logic flawless as she delivered the correct textbook answer.

The corner of Arthur's mouth twitched upward just a fraction. "A very clever resistance," he said smoothly. "But capital always finds a way to make you submit."

It was a double meaning. Only Chloe understood the violent threat hidden in his words. Her knees gave out and she dropped back into her chair.

The lecture ended to thunderous applause. Students rushed the podium, holding out business cards and resumes.

Chloe grabbed her backpack and bolted for the back door.

A woman in a sharp gray suit stepped in front of her. It was Lauren, Arthur's executive assistant.

Lauren smiled a perfect, professional smile. She did not ask. She simply placed a firm hand on Chloe's back and guided her into the VIP waiting room next to the lecture hall.

The heavy door clicked shut behind Chloe, locking automatically.

Arthur was leaning against the edge of the mahogany desk. He was unbuttoning his suit jacket. He looked at her the way a predator looks at a cornered animal.

Chloe pressed her back against the door. She looked like a terrified rabbit. "What do you want from me?" she demanded, her voice cracking.

Arthur closed the distance between them in three long strides. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small, expensive tube of bruise ointment, and shoved it roughly into the front pocket of her hoodie.

He reached up and pinched her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. His voice was absolute ice. "Apply the ointment. And remember to take Plan B."