Chapter 1: THE GIRL WHO BEAT HIM
The auditorium at Blackwood University had never been this quiet.
Hundreds of students sat in rows, staring at the enormous screen at the front of the room. Some looked nervous. Others looked bored.
Scarlett Bennett looked at the clock.
Three minutes.
She tapped her pen against the desk.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
“Stop doing that,” Mia whispered beside her.
Scarlett glanced at her. “Doing what?”
“That.”
Mia pointed at the pen.
Scarlett looked down.
She hadn’t even realized she was tapping.
“I’m thinking.”
“You’ve been thinking for twenty minutes.”
“Then I’m thinking very thoroughly.”
Mia rolled her eyes.
Scarlett turned back toward the screen.
At the front of the auditorium, Professor Hayes stood beside the podium, waiting for the final students to finish submitting their answers.
The Business Excellence Competition was supposed to be the most prestigious academic competition at Blackwood University.
Scarlett thought it was unnecessarily dramatic.
It was an exam.
A difficult exam, admittedly.
But still an exam.
The winner would receive a full academic grant, a summer internship with one of Blackwood’s partner firms, and a recommendation from the university.
For Scarlett, the grant wasn’t just impressive.
It was necessary.
Her scholarship covered most of her tuition, but maintaining it meant staying at the top of her class. Losing it wasn’t an option.
She had worked too hard to get here.
She wasn’t about to let some rich kid with a famous surname take the opportunity away from her.
Speaking of rich kids…
Scarlett’s eyes drifted across the auditorium.
There he was.
Adrian Callahan.
Of course.
He was sitting three rows ahead, leaning back in his chair like he’d been personally invited to bore everyone with his presence.
Black shirt.
Messy dark hair.
One ankle resting casually over the opposite knee.
He looked completely relaxed.
Scarlett hated that.
She hated that he always looked relaxed.
In lectures, he looked relaxed.
During exams, relaxed.
During presentations, relaxed.
Even when professors called on him unexpectedly, he somehow had an answer.
And the worst part?
He was good.
Really good.
Adrian Callahan had been at the top of Blackwood’s Business and Economics program since his first year.
He was also arrogant.
Extremely arrogant.
Scarlett had met him three weeks after arriving at Blackwood.
He’d walked into their first group seminar twelve minutes late, apologized without looking remotely sorry, and taken the empty seat beside her.
Then he’d looked at her notes.
“You’ve made a mistake.”
Scarlett had looked at him.
“Excuse me?”
He’d pointed at her calculations.
“Your second assumption.”
She’d stared at the page.
Then at him.
Then back at the page.
He was right.
She’d hated him ever since.
Not because he’d corrected her.
Because he’d smiled when she realized it.
A small, smug, unbearably attractive smile.
Scarlett hated that smile most of all.
“Time,” Professor Hayes announced.
The auditorium erupted into movement.
Pens dropped.
Papers were collected.
Students began whispering.
Scarlett handed hers forward and leaned back in her chair.
Mia immediately grabbed her arm.
“How do you think you did?”
“Fine.”
“Fine?”
“Yes.”
“Scarlett.”
“Mia.”
“You either destroyed that exam or you are about to cry.”
Scarlett smiled.
“I don’t cry over exams.”
“You nearly cried when your coffee order was wrong yesterday.”
“That was different.”
“You called the barista incompetent.”
“He gave me oat milk instead of almond.”
Mia stared at her.
Scarlett shrugged.
“Details matter.”
Before Mia could respond, Professor Hayes stepped onto the stage again.
The room slowly quieted.
“Thank you, everyone.”
He adjusted the microphone.
“Your results will be posted this afternoon.”
A wave of groans moved through the auditorium.
Professor Hayes smiled.
“And before you leave, I want to remind everyone that the final round will take place next week.”
Scarlett gathered her things.
She wasn’t worried.
She had done well.
She knew she had.
What she didn’t know was whether she’d done well enough.
She stood and slipped her bag over her shoulder.
As she walked down the aisle, someone stepped into her path.
She stopped.
Adrian.
Of course.
He looked down at her with that familiar, irritating smile.
“Bennett.”
“Callahan.”
“How’d you find the exam?”
“Long.”
His eyebrow lifted.
“That’s your answer?”
“No. That’s my polite answer.”
His smile widened.
“You’re always so pleasant.”
“Only with people I like.”
“Ouch.”
“You’ll survive.”
He stepped aside, letting her pass.
Scarlett walked two steps before hearing his voice behind her.
“Try not to be too disappointed when the results come out.”
She stopped.
Slowly, she turned around.
“What makes you think I’ll be disappointed?”
Adrian slipped his hands into his pockets.
“Because you’re competitive.”
“And?”
“And I’m better.”
Mia made a choking sound beside Scarlett.
Scarlett stared at him.
“You really said that out loud?”
“I’m comfortable with the truth.”
“That’s cute.”
His smile faltered slightly.
“Cute?”
“Yes.”
She tilted her head.
“You’re so confident. It’s almost adorable.”
A few students nearby laughed.
Adrian’s expression changed.
Only slightly.
But Scarlett noticed.
Good.
For once, she’d managed to wipe that smug expression off his face.
She turned away.
“Have a nice day, Callahan.”
“Bennett.”
She stopped again.
“What?”
His voice was quieter this time.
“Don’t get too comfortable.”
Scarlett smiled without turning around.
“I’m not the one who’s comfortable.”
Then she walked away.
Mia hurried after her.
“You are insane.”
“He started it.”
“You know he’s going to remember that.”
“Good.”
Mia laughed.
“You really hate him.”
Scarlett adjusted the strap of her bag.
“I don’t hate him.”
Mia raised an eyebrow.
Scarlett sighed.
“Fine. I strongly dislike him.”
“That’s worse.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re going to fall in love with him.”
Scarlett stopped walking.
Then she looked at Mia as if she’d just announced that the university was being relocated to Mars.
“Absolutely not.”
Mia grinned.
“You’re going to regret saying that.”
“I won’t.”
“You’re very confident.”
“I learned from Adrian.”
They both laughed.
By four that afternoon, the results were posted.
Scarlett stood in front of the enormous noticeboard outside the administration building, surrounded by students.
Her heart pounded.
She pushed through the crowd.
“Move.”
Someone stepped aside.
Scarlett scanned the list.
Names.
Scores.
Rankings.
She moved her finger down the page.
Third place.
Second.
And then—
1. SCARLETT BENNETT — 98
Her breath caught.
For a moment, she simply stared.
Ninety-eight.
She’d done it.
She’d actually—
“Congratulations.”
The voice behind her made her turn.
Adrian.
His expression was unreadable.
Scarlett looked back at the board.
Then at him.
“You sound surprised.”
“I am.”
She smiled.
“That’s unfortunate.”
He stepped closer to the board.
His eyes moved to the second name.
2. ADRIAN CALLAHAN — 97
One point.
Scarlett had beaten him by one point.
One.
Single.
Point.
She looked at him.
He was staring at the board.
For the first time since she’d met him, Adrian Callahan didn’t look amused.
Scarlett tried very hard not to smile.
She failed.
“Well,” she said.
His eyes moved toward her.
“Well what?”
“I guess I’m better.”
His jaw tightened.
Scarlett’s smile widened.
“By one point.”
“I can see that.”
“Just making sure.”
He gave her a long look.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“Very much.”
“You shouldn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because this isn’t over.”
Scarlett crossed her arms.
“I know.”
His eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’m already looking forward to beating you again.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The noise of the crowd seemed to fade around them.
Adrian stepped closer.
Not enough to touch her.
Just enough to make her notice.
“You think you can beat me twice?”
Scarlett held his gaze.
“I don’t think.”
She smiled.
“I know.”
Something flickered in his eyes.
Challenge.
Annoyance.
Maybe something else.
Scarlett ignored the last possibility.
Adrian leaned slightly closer.
“Careful, Bennett.”
“About what?”
“You’re starting to make this personal.”
She smiled.
“Maybe it already is.”
Then she walked away.
Behind her, Adrian watched her go.
For the first time in his academic career, Adrian Callahan had lost.
And somehow, the only thing bothering him more than the one-point difference…
was the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about the girl who had caused it.
