Chapter 1
“Oh, Lord... what on earth is wrong with you, Zoe?”
I laughed.
It came out broken.
“Wrong?” I dragged a shaky breath into my lungs. “Everything, apparently. Isn’t that what you’ve been telling me my whole life?”
She stepped toward me, reaching for my wrist. I moved before she could touch me.
“Darlin’...”
God.
That voice.
Soft enough to fool anyone listening.
Soft enough to make me doubt myself.
“Zoe,” she said, “you’re a literal grown-up now. Stop acting like a child.”
“Then stop treating me like one.”
Her expression hardened.
“As long as you live under my roof, you’ll follow my rules.”
I swallowed. “Funny.”
She frowned.
“You keep calling it a home.” I grabbed my bag before she could answer.
No breakfast.
No goodbye.
Just the sound of the front door closing behind me.
My uniform was still warm from the iron.
It had hugged me like fresh laundry only minutes ago.
Now...
Even the fabric felt cold.
The marble floor echoed beneath my shoes as I crossed the lobby.
Outside, the sky hung low with rain clouds.
I wished they would burst.
Not because I wanted to get wet.
Because I wanted something colder than the pressure waiting for me inside that house.
A drop landed on my sleeve.
Then another.
Neither weighed as much as my mother’s expectations.
A black sedan waited at the end of the driveway. The driver’s door opened before I reached it.
“Morning, Miss Zoe.”
Mr. Hayes.
His smile never reached his tired eyes anymore.
He was old enough to be retired.
Old enough to have someone worrying about him instead of him worrying about me.
Yet there he was.
Waiting.
Like always.
I slid into the back seat.
Neither of us spoke.
The engine hummed to life. The silence wasn’t awkward.
It was familiar.
Sometimes silence says everything.
I watched the raindrops crawl down the window.
Mr. Hayes used to feel like the closest thing I had to a father.
Which is Irony...
Considering his actual son is the last person I’d ever want to meet again.
Just thinking about him made my stomach tighten.
Good thing Mom made sure our paths never crossed anymore.
She had one rule.
No boys.
No men.
Not after Dad.
According to her, every man lies.
Every man cheats.
Maybe she’s right. Maybe she’s not.
All I know is...
They loved each other in front of me.
They screamed at each other in front of me.
And when everything finally fell apart...
They divorced in front of me too.
I leaned my forehead against the cold glass and watched the world blur into gray.
Funny how watching people stop loving each other can make you stop trusting everyone else.
Mr. Hayes pulled over outside the university gates.
“You’ll catch a cold, Miss Zoe.”
Before he could stop me, I stepped out. The rain soaked through my uniform within seconds.
Good.
Maybe it’d wash this morning away.
It didn’t.
Students rushed across campus beneath umbrellas, laughing as they splashed through puddles.
I walked straight through them.
No umbrella.
No hurry.
Just another day.
Eyes followed me anyway.
“That’s Zoe.” Some other section girl would have muttered that.
“The topper?”
“No. The businesswoman’s daughter.”
“I’ve never heard her speak.”
“I heard she doesn’t even look at boys.” And here’s another girl who ‘eeked’ at the …
Rumors.
People loved those.
The truth?
None of them had ever bothered asking.
Talking to people had never been my thing. Somewhere over the years, silence became easier than conversation.
By the time I reached my classroom, my sleeves clung to my skin.
The room buzzed with conversations.
No one noticed me.
Or maybe they pretended not to.
I didn’t care. I walked towards my desk.
Then stopped.
A pair of polished black shoes rested comfortably on top of it.
I blinked.
Seriously?
My eyes traveled upward.
Black trousers.
Rolled-up sleeves.
One hand lazily flipping through a notebook.
The audacity.
“Hello?”
Nothing.
“Can you move?”
Still nothing.
Oh. So he was ignoring me on purpose.
Cute.
I tightened my grip around my bag. “Excuse me. This is my seat.”
He turned another page.
That did it.
“Are you deaf? Move!.”
Finally...
He looked up.
His expression was calm.
Too calm.
One corner of his lips lifted.
“Why so?” he asked as if he owned the place.
I stared at him. “Why so?” I repeated. “Seriously? That’s your question?”
He simply watched me.
I scoffed. “Here’s your answer.”
I pointed at the desk.
“This is my seat.”
“The one I’ve been sitting in every single day.”
“So fuck off.”
“Strong words this early in the morning.” His grin widened. “You’ve got quite the attitude...”
He tilted his head. ”Princess."
I almost threw up.
Princess?
Princess of what? Whom? Since when?
Did I miss a coronation?
Before I could throw another insult his way, the teacher walked in.
“Good morning, ma’am.” The entire class stood.
Except him.
He stayed exactly where he was.
The idiot.
Then, before I could even react, he slipped my bag off my shoulder.
“...Hey.” I stopped in my tracks. He hung my heavy bag from one of his fingers and threw it at my desk. I just looked at him in utter confusion. What does this man want?
“My Bag”
He ignored me.
Again.
He casually walked toward the last bench as if nothing had happened.
Did...
Did this idiot seriously just touch my bag for absolutely no reason?
History?!
Perfect.
As if I wasn’t already freezing. My rain-soaked uniform clung to my skin.
I searched my bag for my blazer.
...
Right.
I’d forgotten it at home.
Great.
I bit down on my lip to stop my teeth from chattering.
It didn’t help.
“Miss Zoe.”
I looked up.
“Did you bring your textbook? If not, you can borrow one.”
Of course.
I probably looked like I’d volunteered for an ice bucket challenge on my way here.
I nodded, opened my textbook to the correct page, and stood.
“King Alexander was a—”
“MA’AM!”
A dramatic groan echoed through the classroom.
“Arrgh... I’m freezing. Arrgh.”
...
No.
Please don’t.
I slowly turned around.
Of course.
Him.
He clutched his arms dramatically, pretending to shiver.
The classroom burst into laughter.
“Enough,” ma’am sighed. “Miss Zoe, sit down. Would anyone else like to volunteer?”
Before anyone could answer—
“Ma’am.”
He raised his hand with the most innocent expression I’d ever seen.
“I understand she’s cold...”
He paused.
“...but shouldn’t she at least get a chance?”
Another wave of laughter erupted.
This idiot.
I refused to look at him again.
“That’s enough!” ma’am snapped. “Everyone, concentrate before I report this entire class to the Vice Principal. Miss Zoe, make it quick.”
My brain completely froze.
“Quick...”
I blinked.
“What?”
Silence.
Then—
The entire classroom exploded.
Even ma’am covered her face for a second.
Wonderful.
Just wonderful.
Among all the laughter, one stood out.
His.
I clenched my jaw.
Slowly...
I turned around and glared at him. I couldn’t hold it all together anymore. I started reading aloud.
“Alexander III of Macedon, later known as Alexander the Great, was educated under the philosopher Aristotle—his education combined literature, philosophy, science, politics, and military strategy. By the age of sixteen, he had already served as regent of Macedon, displaying remarkable leadership and military ability. After succeeding his father, Philip II, he built one of the largest empires of the ancient world before the age of thirty. —”
“Probably not as big as mine will be,” he interrupted.
“Zayden.” Ma’am sighed.
“Would you like to step outside?”
He tilted his head. “I mean...”
He glanced at the class. “...I’d rather not date my history teacher.”
The classroom exploded.
“ZAYDEN!”
“OUT!”
“NOW!”
He walked out of the classroom as if getting kicked out was part of his morning routine.
The door clicked shut behind him.
The room fell quiet.
“Page forty-three,” ma’am said, turning back to the board as though nothing had happened.
Chalk scraped against the blackboard.
One line. Then another.
No explanation. No apology.
Nothing.
Of course. She wasn’t defending me.
She was defending herself.
He’d embarrassed her.
I was just collateral damage.
I dropped my gaze to my notebook and pretended to copy the notes.
Zayden.
Even his name was annoying.
Better forget it now. The less space he occupied in my head, the better.
The bell rang.
“Students! Listen! Everybody, I want you to lend me your ears.”
All of them sat and turned their heads towards the teacher.
“I want all of you. 56 of you all to submit your classwork. Submit even if your homework isn’t done.”
What a good thing to know. I had already completed my homework and notes. They are all up to date; I can submit, but..
To whom?
But before I could ask who was volunteering, the teacher called out… Zayden of all people!
Wow. Good choice.
He rolled his eyes and collected everyone’s classwork. Throwing half of them down, and others picked them up and gave them back to him.
Finally, he came to my seat.
He tapped his foot in front of everyone. As if he was done waiting.
“Notebook.”
I didn’t respond. I didn’t even look up. Who would ever look at this man?
He reached my desk and pulled my notebook.
“What the hell?” I snapped.
He waited but didn’t look at me.
“I asked you something! Why the hell did you take my notebook so rudely ?! Are you out of your mind?!”
He walked away.
Ugh.
I didn’t see him after classes, but at PET when I went to the locker room to change, I got a call from vice.
VICE!?
I walked in my white sports uniform.
“Come in, Mrs?”
“Neina Zoe. Err.. Zoe for short.”
“Mrs Zoe. What is this behaviour? Why are you changing from a good student to a careless one? What’s happening with you?”
I remained quiet. I had no clue what I was being blamed for.
I had no voice to raise a query about.
“Mrs.Zoe. If this continues, your section would be changed to the lower category ones. If you know the school’s policy. Please utilise the scholarship you have gotten.”
My heart rate increased.
“Ma’am… Wa..
Was…
I…
I’m sorry, Vice.”
She pointed to a notebook in the basket.
The book was translucent.
Soaked in water, and its writing was spread across the pages. The ink must have taken its rage.
But… Until she opened her mouth.
“Take your notebook and leave, Mrs. Zoe.”
My notebook!?
