A goodbye gift
Nancy's pov.
Once something was decided at the dinner table, that was it—especially in the Aldridge family. The house help cleared the dishes, and my father stood.
“Get ready to pack your bags and leave tomorrow morning. The school will be expecting you.”
“Yes, Father,” I said, watching him leave.
My gaze flicked to my mother, who stared at her plate. No matter what I said, I knew he wouldn’t change his mind—and I wouldn’t want him to. I wouldn’t have to sit through their arguments again, or endure endless toxic family events just for the sake of the Aldridge image.
“I’ll take your leave, Mother,” I said, standing and exiting the dining hall toward the stairs that led to my bedroom.
As I picked out my clothes, there was a soft knock on the door.
“It’s me, Nance. Can I come in?” The voice belonged to my nanny—my real mother in many ways. She’d raised me more than my own parents ever had.
“Come in, Rita,” I said. She entered with a box of chocolates in hand and quickly shut the door behind her.
“Got these from the kitchen for you,” she said. “Think of them as a goodbye gift. It’s all my salary can afford.” She chuckled.
“Thank you, Rita.” I pulled her into a big hug. She always did things like this for me. I wasn’t allowed sugar; my mother would probably ban me forever if she saw. My meals had always been strictly monitored, all day, every day—a routine that had been in place since I was four.
“Let me help you,” Rita said, moving toward my closet.
“Are you excited to move to a new school?” Rita asked as she folded a black overall into my suitcase.
“I hope I will be eventually. I am happy, Rita. Don’t get me wrong—I’m really happy to move away from this place. The only thing is… you won’t be there to help me.”
Rita smiled, but before she could respond, Mother entered the room.
“I’ll take it from here, Rita. Thank you.”
“No, it’s fine. I can help her,” Rita protested.
“I don’t think there’s any reason to,” Mother said sharply. “You’re fired.”
“Mother, what?” I interjected, my brows furrowing.
“I don’t understand,” Rita said, shock coloring her voice. “Did I do something wrong?”
Mother walked over to my suitcase and picked up the box of chocolates. “You’ve been with Nancy since she was little. You know her routine by heart. This… is definitely not in it.” She dumped the chocolates into the trash. “Get out,” she yelled. “You have until tomorrow to leave!”
Adrien’s pov
The next morning
My eyes opened as the car came to a stop.
“Master, we’re here,” Derrick said as he stepped out and opened the door for me.
“Thanks, Derrick,” I replied, getting out and walking toward the entrance.
The walls were decorated in bold red with gold lining. The interior was even darker. This place was known as the best elite high school in the city. To me, it was trash—because the man who owned it was trash.
The bell rang. I was late.
As I walked down the hall, a familiar figure came into view. A middle-aged woman with terrible posture and forced authority.
Ms. Clauster.
The students called her House Wrecker.
She had wrecked her own house by having an affair with the principal and founder of the school—my father. Another piece of trash. I was about to walk past her when she stepped directly in front of me.
“Is there a problem, Ms. Clauster?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You’re late, Adrien,” she said. “I’m afraid you’ll have to collect a slip from the office.”
I laughed.
“What’s so funny?” she asked sharply.
“I’m just stunned, Ms. Clauster. Truly,” I said calmly. “You still have the courage to show up here after sleeping with my father. I expected you to disappear. Or at least bow your head in shame.”
“Adrien, I—”
“No worries,” I cut in, smiling. “I’ll go get the slip.”
Her shoulders relaxed for a moment.
“But I will keep my promise.”
“And what might that be?” she asked, gripping the hem of her dress.
“That you’ll bow your head in shame,” I said softly. “Not just in front of me. In front of the entire school.”
I stepped past her.
“Have a nice day.”
A smile crept onto my face as I walked away.
I skipped my last class. Figured I’d do something far more interesting.
“Is this the last set?” I asked as Milo lined the guys up in the abandoned basement.
“Only batch I could find,” he said, lighting a cigarette. “The rest were chickens. Ran off.”
“Alright,” I yelled across the room. “Begin.”
They lunged at each other the moment I spoke and bodies were hitting the floor. Way better in person than on a screen.
“Come on!” Nick whistled beside me, laughing.
Arms wrapped around me from behind.
“Baby,” Olivia’s voice.
I pulled away immediately, stepping to the side.
“Adrien—” she moved in front of me, ready to argue.
I was done.
“Olivia, what don’t you get?” I snapped. “We’re done. I broke up with you over a week ago, and you’re still chasing me. You won’t stop messaging me. It’s over. Get that into your head.”
I threw the cigarette across the room and the basement went quiet. I left the room stepping back onto school grounds. I'd decided to go for a swim to clear my head which was at the end of the wing.
But i wasn't alone.
Someone was already in here.
A girl.
And she was beautiful.
