Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
Gemma Taylor, the scholarship girl from our class, sneered at me from across the lawn.
"Chloe, how can you just lounge around at home like this? You used to be so ambitious. Don't tell me you've turned into a spoiled nepo baby living off your parents."
I set my book down and smiled serenely.
"What's wrong with that? Even if I spent ten lifetimes blowing through my family’s fortune, I wouldn’t put a dent in it. Oh, by the way... that Van Cleef bracelet on your wrist—Julian gave it to you, right? It cost a fortune. Be careful not to scuff it."
Gemma’s face instantly flushed bright red.
Right on cue, my childhood friend Julian Hayes walked over, immediately stepping in front of her like her personal white knight.
"Having money doesn't give you the right to look down on others, Chloe. In my eyes, people who earn everything with their own hard work are far more respectable."
I knew he was taking a jab at me. But instead of taking the bait, I turned to Gemma with an amused smirk.
"Hear that, Gemma? He’s hinting at you. He thinks you shouldn't be spending his hard-earned money. You’d better give that bracelet right back to him."
During our freshman orientation camp, my period hit at the absolute worst possible time.
The midday sun beat down relentlessly, baking the asphalt. Clutching my lower abdomen through waves of sharp cramps, I was just about to raise my hand to ask Julian—our squad leader—for a break.
Before I could, a girl in the front row spoke up in a soft, delicate voice.
"Leader, I'm not feeling well. Can I sit out the rest of the drills?"
Julian glanced at her once and nodded without hesitation. "Go rest in the shade."
When it was my turn, I stepped forward. "Julian, I'm on my period and having terrible cramps. I need to sit down too."
He didn't even bother looking at me. Just hearing my voice was enough for an immediate dismissal.
"You've always had an athletic build. Push through it."
Meanwhile, Gemma bounced off toward the shade of the trees, completely fine. Julian even walked over to fill her pink thermos with ice water and left her a portable mini-fan.
Talk about double standards. "Push through it?" If I hemorrhage on the track, are you going to take responsibility?
I bit back a groan, swallowed my anger, and dragged my aching body back into the formation.
Lap after lap, sweat ran into my eyes and soaked my collar. My stomach cramped so violently my vision blurred, and I was running purely on sheer willpower.
If I collapsed here, the stampede of students behind me would trample me to death.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out ahead.
Someone had collapsed from heat exhaustion.
Julian immediately halted the drill and bolted toward the front where Gemma had been sitting.
Taking advantage of the sudden pause, my roommate Brianna noticed how pale I was. Just as my knees buckled and my vision went black, she caught me.
"Leader! Chloe's passing out too!" Brianna shouted.
Her yell dragged everyone’s attention straight to me. Judging by how cold my clammy skin felt, I probably looked worse than Gemma did.
Julian paused, gave me a hard, cold look, and scoffed. "If you couldn't handle it, you shouldn't have played tough. Brianna, take her to the infirmary."
With that, he scooped Gemma into his arms, carrying her bridal-style all the way to the medical tent.
I, on the other hand, was dragged across the grass by my roommates, my feet barely touching the ground.
Right. My life as his childhood friend meant nothing.
Lying on the cot under the air conditioner, sipping hot ginger-honey tea, my senses slowly returned.
Brianna couldn't hold back her frustration. "What is his deal? Is there bad blood between you two? It feels like he deliberately targets you."
I stared at the ceiling, silent.
Bad blood? Oh, absolutely. A human life’s worth of bad blood.
Two years ago, I was kidnapped by a human trafficking ring. The criminals demanded a ten-million-dollar ransom from my parents.
Julian's father was a senior police detective. When he found out, he stopped my sobbing parents from handing over the bags of cash.
He told them, "You cannot give them the money. Paying them off only enables them."
Detective Hayes led the raid himself and got me out alive. But he took a bullet to the chest and died on the scene.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. "It's nothing. I guess I'm just easy to hate. I don't blame him for despising me."
Brianna’s tone turned sharp. "Why shouldn't you blame him? Stop taking all the guilt onto yourself! You didn't do anything wrong!"
Rrrrip!
The curtain separating the beds was violently yanked back.
Julian stood there, his jaw clenched, staring down at me with cold fury.
"Who are you putting on this pathetic victim act for, Chloe?" he snapped. "All because I didn't let you skip one damn drill?"
I pushed myself up, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm not."
Behind him, Gemma tugged at his sleeve softly. "Forget it, Julian. We're all classmates here..."
Julian exhaled a bitter sigh, turning his back on me. "Transfer to another class, Chloe. I don't ever want to see your face again."On the way back to the dorms, my phone buzzed with a message from my mom.
"Mom: [Chloe, sweetie, I shipped two care packages of essentials to your campus. Make sure to drop one off for Julian.]"
I replied with a brief "[Okay]", pressed a hand against my sore stomach, and dragged myself to the campus package hub.
Our families had been close for decades, living in neighboring villas. Julian and I grew up together as best friends.
If not for that horrific kidnapping, we would still be inseparable.
Instead, fate made a cruel joke of us. Julian hated me with every fiber of his being because his father died saving me.
And crushed by unbearable guilt, my parents constantly pressured me to do whatever I could to make it up to him.
Today’s chore: delivering his care package.
I opened SnapChat and typed out a message to Julian.
"[I'm waiting outside your dorm hall. My mom sent some essentials for you.]"
He replied with two cold words: "[At a party.]"
At least he didn't tell me to throw it away.
I sat on the low brick wall near his dorm entrance, waiting for over an hour in the chilly evening air.
Finally, his silhouette appeared under the streetlights.
His messy dark hair shadowed his eyes, hiding his expression. As he stepped closer, the sharp scent of alcohol hit me.
"Drinking this late isn't good for you," I muttered.
"Mind your own business."
I held out the box, but he made no move to take it. My grip slipped, and the items scattered across the pavement.
I dropped to my knees to pick them up, but a hand gripped my wrist and hauled me upright, slamming me back against the brick wall.
Julian stared down at me, his gaze dark and suffocating.
"I told you I never want to see you again. Are you deaf?"
"Does your family really think tossing pocket change and care packages at me will clear your conscience?"
"Fine. If you're so desperate to make amends... how about you sleep with me tonight?"
He let out a cruel, humorless laugh, gripped my chin, and forced his mouth onto mine.
Adrenaline surged through me. I shoved him away with everything I had and swung my hand across his face with a loud "SLAP!"
"You've crossed the line, Julian!"
Tears spilled over my lashes, betraying my anger.
He froze, his cheek stinging red, stunned by the tears streaming down my face.
I spun around and bolted back to my room, burying myself under the covers to cry my eyes out.
Then my phone chimed.
"Mom: [Did you give the box to Julian?]"
"Mom: [You're at the same college, you need to look out for each other. Be extra patient and kind to him, Chloe. His father died for our family. We owe him everything.]"
At first, I truly pitied him.
I used to knock on his door every weekend trying to cheer him up. I took baking classes just to make his favorite cakes, only for him to toss them directly into the trash right in front of me.
Eventually, the pity dried up. If anything, I felt sorrier for myself.
I had done nothing wrong, yet I was forced to shoulder Julian’s endless resentment and my parents’ suffocating guilt.
After I pulled myself together, I texted my mom back: "[I know. He got it.]"
At four in the morning, a notification popped up on SnapChat from Julian.
"[I'm sorry. I had too much to drink.]"
"[Don't get the wrong idea. I have zero feelings for you. I already like someone else.]"
It was the first apology he had offered since the tragedy two years ago.
Yet it felt more like a slap in the face than an apology.
The girl he liked turned out to be Gemma Taylor—the girl he carried to the medical tent during orientation.
She was the top-ranking scholarship student in our department. Fragile on the outside, but painfully insecure and fiercely proud underneath. Yet Julian was completely infatuated with her.
He once sneered that Gemma at least had self-respect, unlike me, who acted like a spineless leech.
Throughout our college years, the two of them were joined at the hip. Even though Julian never publicly confirmed Gemma was his official girlfriend, everyone on campus treated them as a couple.When our senior year wrapped up, the Hayes family’s driver pulled up to the campus gates to pick us up for summer break.
I was already sitting in the backseat waiting for him.
Julian yanked the door open and barked, "Get out."
Behind him stood Gemma, clutching her duffel bag.
"This is my family's car. Get out," he repeated coldly. "I'm driving Gemma home on the way. Call an Uber."
My eyes stung. Growing up, I had never been pushed around or humiliated by anyone—except Julian Hayes.
Pulling my backpack over my shoulder, I climbed out onto the curb.
Gemma tilted her head, feigning innocent surprise. "Chloe, doesn't your family have cars? I thought you were supposed to be super wealthy."
I didn't give her the satisfaction of an answer.
By the time my rideshare dropped me off at our villa, it was almost dinner time.
My mom popped her head out of the kitchen. "Chloe, we're having dinner next door at Eleanor's tonight. Head over first."
Despite the tragedy between our families, the parents had maintained their close friendship. The adults were mature enough not to let grief turn into senseless vendettas.
Mom handed me a container of homemade pastries she had spent hours baking. The sweet, buttery aroma made my mouth water.
"Take these over to Julian," Mom added gently.
I stared down at the warm box.
Growing up, Julian had loved these treats as much as I did. We used to bicker over the last piece at the breakfast table.
Surely, he wouldn't reject food from his childhood? At least this would check off my mom’s assignment.
I walked next door and knocked on his bedroom door.
To my surprise, Gemma opened it.
She blinked, clearly startled to see me standing there, and her eyes flicked down to the plastic container in my hands with unmistakable disgust.
"What are you doing here?"
Hearing the noise, Julian walked over to the doorway, his brows furrowing deep.
"Why are you in my house? I told you I don't want to see you."
I held up the box. "My mom baked these for you. You loved them when we were kids."
"Stop bringing up the past," he snapped, his voice venomous. "Anything that comes out of your house disgusts me."
I stood frozen in the hallway.
He didn't hate the food. He just hated me.
Gemma stepped forward with a condescending smile. "Chloe, you know how Julian gets, don't take it personally. But street-style comfort food really isn't the cleanest. We're about to sit down for dinner, do you want to join us?"
She tilted her chin up slightly, looking at me like an unwelcome guest begging for scraps.
I pulled the pastries back, handed them to their housekeeper, Martha, and asked her to plate them for dinner.
Then I smiled sweetly at Gemma. "Sure. That was the plan all along."
Downstairs in the dining room, Gemma froze when my parents walked through the front door and took their seats at the table.
Only when Julian’s mother, Eleanor, warmly introduced Gemma as a guest did she regain her composed, humble persona.
Throughout dinner, our parents chatted warmly, catching up like old friends. Julian sat in stony silence, his face like a thundercloud.
Nobody paid much attention to his mood except Gemma, who kept placing food on his plate.
Halfway through the meal, Eleanor brought up our future plans.
"You kids are all graduating now. You have to think carefully about the next step—whether you pursue graduate school or jump straight into the corporate world will shape your twenties."
Gemma chimed in politely, "Mrs. Hayes is absolutely right. For kids from ordinary backgrounds like Chloe and me, securing a solid job offer is top priority. Chloe spends too much time with her head buried in textbooks. She really should get more internship experience to pad her resume if she wants a decent corporate offer. Don't you think so, Chloe?"The table fell dead silent.
It was obvious Julian had never told Gemma a single thing about who I was.
My dad broke the awkward silence with a chuckle. "It's wonderful that you're so career-driven at your age, Gemma. But our Chloe is planning to continue her studies. Otherwise, I’d have handed over the keys to the family enterprise the day she walked across the graduation stage."
Gemma's eyes darted around the luxurious dining room, her face pale.
She turned to me, her voice cracking. "Chloe... your family owns a corporation?"
Julian immediately shot me a murderous glare from across the table.
Right. He thought I was deliberately embarrassing his precious charity case.
Whatever. In his eyes, everything I did was an offense anyway.
Gemma spent the rest of the summer break staying at the Hayes residence as Julian's guest.
Seeing how much Julian seemed to care for her, my parents finally stopped nagging me to ‘repay’ him.
It was a blessing in disguise. I threw myself entirely into preparing for grad school applications. Even though my desk was buried under prep books and online lectures, at least I didn't have to walk on eggshells around Julian.
One evening, Gemma surprisingly messaged me, inviting me to a late-night stargazing camping trip organized by our high school alumni.
I found it bizarre—she hadn't even attended our private prep school.
I was about to decline when my mom yelled from downstairs, "Julian and the others invited you out! Go get some fresh air, Chloe. You'll lose your mind cooped up with those books all day!"
Unable to argue with my mother, I dragged my feet out the door.
The moment I arrived, Julian greeted me with his usual icy scowl.
"I didn't want to invite you," he muttered. "Gemma doesn't know anyone from our high school, so she needed someone familiar around."
Right. I was brought along as an unpaid chaperone.
I didn't care. Looking up, the night sky was crystal clear, dusted with thousands of stars.
The alumni gathered were all heirs and heiresses from our old social circle. The event was hosted by our high school valedictorian, Ethan Scott, who was currently doing his graduate work in astrophysics.
When Julian showed up with Gemma on his arm, the guys instantly teased him about finally bringing a girlfriend around. Gemma beamed, basking in the flattering attention.
Until someone casually dragged me into the spotlight.
"Man, we all thought Julian would end up with Chloe back in the day. He wouldn't give any other girl the time of day."
"Guess that leaves the door open for Ethan! Hey Chloe, are you single?"
I shook my head in utter bewilderment. Beside me, Ethan’s ears flushed bright red.
A lightbulb flicked on in my head.
That anonymous love letter left in my locker back in senior year... it wasn't from Julian. It had been from Ethan.
Before the peak meteor shower window, someone suggested playing a staring contest game. Two people paired up randomly, staring into each other's eyes without smiling; the first one to laugh lost.
My name was drawn alongside Ethan’s.
Out of nowhere, Julian shoved his way in and demanded to swap with Ethan.
His excuse? "Staring at someone I don't know well makes me dizzy."
Did anyone actually buy that ridiculous lie?
Sitting across from me on the picnic blanket, Julian broke the silence. "You're applying for grad school?"
"Yeah."
"Gemma is pursuing higher ed too."
"Cool. I didn't ask."
Julian exhaled a tight breath. "The dean gave me an exclusive recommendation letter. But since I'm taking over my mom's firm after graduation, I don't need it."
"Nice. Give it to Gemma, then."
Julian narrowed his eyes, a dangerous storm brewing in their depths.
I kept my face completely blank.
Suddenly, he let out a frustrated, mocking huff of laughter.
"Fine, Chloe. Don't come crying to me later."
"You lost," I said calmly.
"What?"
"You laughed. That means you lost the game."
I think I managed to drive him completely insane with a totally straight face.
Over the next few weeks, I buried myself in admissions prep.
Because our villas were separated only by a low hedge, Julian started showing up unannounced in my house.
He would push open my bedroom door without knocking.
"Stop wasting your time. You won't get accepted."
"The slots for our local university are extremely limited this year."
"You'd be better off just taking a desk job at your dad's firm."
I covered my ears, pretending to be glued to my practice tests.
He was clearly trying to sabotage my confidence. How petty.
"Thanks for the advice," I deadpanned.
I knew the local university slots were tight, but I never planned on staying in this city anyway.
He probably assumed I would, remembering a naive promise I made years ago about never wanting to move far from home.
People grow up, and plans change. I wanted a fresh map to explore.
By the time our university graduation ceremony passed, Eleanor insisted on throwing a celebration dinner for us at the Hayes villa.
Martha had prepared an elaborate feast. Julian showed up with Gemma on his arm.
Dinner was about to start, but even after my parents arrived, I was nowhere to be seen.
Julian remarked with subtle disdain, "Chloe sure loves making an entrance. Making everyone wait on her."
Right then, my dad propped his phone up on the table and initiated a FaceTime call with me.
"Chloe had an interview at USC today," my dad announced proudly to the table. "Her flight doesn't get back until tomorrow morning. Let's not wait on her—we can celebrate through the screen!"
Julian jumped to his feet, knocking his chair back. "What? She applied to USC in California? Did she already get accepted?"
My dad beamed. "Her test scores were through the roof. If the interview went well, the offer should be in her inbox soon."
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
- Search this code in the NovelMaster app:
500006Open NovelMaster → Search code → Find the title