chapter 4

Monday, September 7, 2026

3:45 p.m.

Las Vegas Elite Academy Library

The last class of the day had just ended.

The hallways buzzed with excitement.

Students laughed as they made plans for the welcome party scheduled for Friday night.

I wasn't in the mood to celebrate.

Noah's words kept echoing in my mind.

"Put that picture away... I can't stand looking at it anymore."

How could he possibly know that photograph?

I decided to stop by the library before heading home.

Maybe a little peace and quiet would help me think.

---

I wandered through the bookshelves when a book suddenly slipped from one of the shelves.

I bent down to pick it up.

At the exact same moment, another hand reached for it.

I looked up.

A young man with chestnut-brown hair smiled at me.

"Sorry... I guess we had the same idea."

I smiled shyly.

"It's okay."

He handed me the book.

"Here."

"Thank you."

"You're the new student, aren't you?"

I nodded.

"Elina Carter."

"I'm Ethan Hale."

My heart skipped a beat.

Hale...

The same last name as Noah.

Before I could say anything, Ethan added with an awkward smile,

"Yeah... Noah is my younger brother."

I fell silent.

"Don't worry," he said, noticing the expression on my face. "I know he can be... difficult."

Difficult was a huge understatement.

"I don't understand why he hates me."

Ethan's smile faded.

For a few moments, he seemed to hesitate.

"Noah isn't a bad person."

"Then why does he treat me like I ruined his life?"

Ethan lowered his gaze.

"He's still suffering because of something that happened several years ago."

"What happened?"

He remained silent.

Then he slowly shook his head.

"It's not my story to tell."

---

4:20 p.m.

Las Vegas Elite Academy Parking Lot

The sun was beginning to set.

I was walking toward the bus stop when several luxury cars pulled out of the parking lot.

A black Lamborghini came to an abrupt stop in front of me.

The driver's window rolled down.

Noah was behind the wheel.

He stared at me for a few seconds.

"Get in."

I looked at him in disbelief.

"No way."

"That wasn't a request."

"And I already gave you my answer."

His fingers tightened around the steering wheel.

He took a deep breath, struggling to stay calm.

"You're incredibly stubborn."

"And you're unbelievably annoying."

For the first time since that morning...

I saw the corner of his lips curl upward.

A genuine smile.

It disappeared almost instantly.

As if he regretted letting it show.

He slipped on his sunglasses.

"See you Friday."

I frowned.

"Friday?"

"The welcome party."

He slowly pulled away before adding,

"You'll be there."

"What makes you think I even want to go?"

He gave me one last look.

"Because everything that's about to happen... begins that night."

The Lamborghini roared away.

I stood there, unable to move.

Why did he talk about that party as if it were going to change our lives?

Not far away, someone was secretly watching the entire scene from behind the trees.

A young woman with long black hair clutched her phone tightly in her hands.

Her eyes burned with jealousy.

"So... she's the one..."

Her voice trembled.

"The girl who dares to get close to Noah..."

A cruel smile spread across her face.

"She's about to learn that at Las Vegas Elite Academy, no one touches what belongs to me."

She snapped a picture of Elina with her phone.

Then disappeared into the shadows.