Chapter 1
Nobody told me the school would look like a literal castle.
And nobody warned me that my ride there would be a helicopter slicing through the clouds like it was on a mission.
The moment my shoes touched the school’s perfectly trimmed grass, I knew this place wasn’t just out of my league—it was a whole different planet. Everything gleamed with an impossible kind of perfection. The air even smelled expensive.
Every instinct screamed at me to turn around and bolt.
But I couldn’t. My father—well, the man I’d met just two weeks ago—was right beside me, and his grip on my shoulder said don’t even think about it.
He turned to face me, his eyes sharp and calculating. “Look, I know this is a lot. I just adopted you, and now you’re an heiress. But you have to fit into this life.”
I raised a brow. “You think?”
“This is what I want for both of us,” he continued, ignoring my tone. “It’s a great opportunity. Not everyone wakes up and becomes the heiress to a six-hundred-million-dollar company.”
Sure, he was right. I could never have imagined I’d be dragged from a life of nothing to a life worth millions. But there was something about the way the other students stared at me—sharp, assessing, almost hungry—that made my stomach twist.
I sighed. “Yeah… you’re right. This is once in a lifetime.”
What I didn’t say was the part already gnawing at me:
In this place, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities came with a price.
I also couldn’t help thinking… if my birthday had come just a week earlier, I could’ve escaped all of this. One week. That’s all I needed.
But no. I had to turn eighteen after being adopted.
Which meant no running, no escaping, and no dodging the paperwork that bound me to a man I barely knew.
I’d been so close—so close—to slipping out before any of this could happen. I even had a plan. But now? Well… on the bright side, I was rich. I think.
Only, it’s not like money automatically turned me into Regina George. In this school, I was nothing. And even if Regina George herself showed up, she wouldn’t come close to touching the kind of wealth these people had.
Because here… they didn’t just rule the school.
They ruled the country.
I sighed. It was only one year. I could survive that, right? This man was basically just using me to make a name for himself here, and apparently, that was very important to him. Fine. One year in this hellhole, and then I could walk away.
Just one year, I told myself.
I forced a smile. “Anyways… I guess I’ll see you at the end of the term.”
He smiled back, full of that polished confidence only the rich seem to have. “Of course. You’ll be welcome back at the mansion then. Do well to impress me—and make a name for yourself at school.”
Yeah. Sure. Whatever.
Dragging my rolling bag behind me and clutching my single roll of books, I headed toward the main building. The automatic doors slid open with a smooth hiss, and I stepped into a hallway so pristine and brightly lit it almost hurt to look at.
Empty. Completely empty.
The silence pressed in on me. This was supposed to be a high school, right? Where was the noise? The chaos? The slamming lockers?
I glanced left. Nothing.
I glanced right. Still nothing.
And then… I saw someone.
Only, she had her tongue shoved halfway down another girl’s throat. And sitting just a few feet away,
lounging like a king on his throne, was a guy—watching.
