Elvie
"But I said I’m sorry, Gemma. Why are you playing hard to get?" I pleaded, following right behind her as we navigated through the cafeteria.
Gemma abruptly came to a dead halt, turning around to throw a sharp glare straight at me. "I don’t want your sorry, Elvie."
She turned back on her heel and marched right over to the food counter. I hurried to catch up with her, stepping in line beside her.
"You do know that you’re being a little dramatic, right?"
Gemma scoffed, grabbing a tray. "Right. Dramatic."
We moved along the counter to get our orders. Gemma went for chicken mayo sandwich, while I opted for a double cheeseburger and a bottle of fresh orange juice. Once we got our food, we carried our trays over near the window and sat down opposite each other.
Gemma unwrapped her sandwich, pointed a finger at me, and leaned in. "So tell me... who goes to a party with her best friend, gets dragged away by a mysterious billionaire, leaves her friend standing there alone, and then completely ignores all her calls and texts for hours?"
I let out a long, heavy sigh, resting my hands on the table. "Yeah, I know, I know... I’m so sorry, Gemma. But I was literally in state of shock after everything happened. When I got home, it was just so emotional and overwhelming that my mind completely went blank. I literally forgot to check my phone, and I just passed out in bed."
Gemma chewed on a bite of her sandwich. "Yeah, right, right."
"I’m really sorry." I said squeezing her hand.
Gemma dropped her sandwich and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. "Anyways, I’m not really angry at you," she said, her tone shifting into pure concern. "I was just worried sick. What happened last night was crazy. I didn’t expect Asher to be such an asshole to the extent. And I’m glad Cassian played the hero." Gemma grinned which made me shake my head with a little smile too.
The truth was...Everything Cassian did last night was the absolute definition of a hero. The way he wrapped me in his warmth, and stayed by my side all through the night made every ounce of fear wash away. I had felt so safe in his arms.
And then there was the shower. The memory of his hands on my skin, the heat of his body pressing against mine in the steam, made my cheeks flush hot just thinking about it. After that, he didn’t even let my feet touch the cold floor. He had gone downstairs, cooked a full breakfast, and brought it right to the bed as if I were some fragile thing that might break, treating me like royalty.
I know I was helplessly in love with Cassian Reed. I couldn’t even stop it if I tried. The man just knew the exact thing to do to make me feel whole again.
"Earth to Elvie!" Gemma’s voice broke through my thoughts, her hand waving wildly right in front of my face.
I snapped back to reality, feeling a heat creep up my neck. I quickly tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, picked up my
cheeseburger, and took a big bite.
"Let’s eat," I said around a chew, trying to sound completely casual.
Gemma squinted her eyes at me, leaning across the table with a suspicious look. "What’s left that you’re not telling me? You look like you’re floating on a cloud."
I rolled my eyes, taking a sip of my cold orange juice to hide my grin. "Nothing! Eat your lunch, Gemma. Next class starts in twenty minutes."
Gemma rambled on and on for the rest of lunch, detailing all the wild, ridiculous ways we could kidnap Asher and have him beaten up. Gemma always knew how to make me feel better with her jokes. Sitting across from her made me realize that even when everything felt chaotic, I still had people in my corner who truly cared about me. And right in the middle of a fit of giggles, I accidentally spilled half my orange juice all over my jeans.
After scrubbing at my jeans in the restroom, I threw the crumpled paper towel into the trash can and hurried out into the hallway. I needed to get to class as fast as humanly possible.
I took a sharp corner and almost bumped right into Dr. Vance. "Oh, good afternoon, Dr. Vance," I said quickly, giving him a brief, respectful bow before trying to step around him.
"Elvie," he called stopping me, his deep voice carrying a tone of formal authority. "Can I have a minute with you in my office?"
I paused, my feet sticking to the floor. I glanced around the corridor. "Um... sure, Dr. Vance."
Few minute later, I was sitting nervously in the leather chair directly across from his broad wooden desk. He walked around, pulling his chair out and taking a seat while adjusting a folder in front of him.
"Elvie," he began, looking up at me.
The serious way he spoke my name made my heart thump painfully against my ribs. What could this be about? Panic flared up in my chest. Was it about yesterday? Had rumors already spread through the campus? Did word get out that Professor Cassian had dragged me out a party?
I tightly interlaced my fingers together on my lap as I forced out a smile. "Is... is everything okay, Dr. Vance?"
"Don’t look so terrified, Elvie," he said, the ghost of a small smile breaking his expression. "You’re not in any trouble."
I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding, my shoulders dropping a few inches. "Oh. Thank goodness."
Dr. Vance leaned forward in his seat, steepling his fingers together on top of his desk his expression turning serious. "I’ve been thinking about whether or not to tell you this for a while," he began.
"I know I was instructed to keep this confidential and completely anonymous... but I feel like you deserve to know the truth."
My brows furrowed. What was he going on about?
"Do you know who has been paying your tuition fees?"
I blinked in confusion but still nodded. "Yes, sir. Mr. Norman. He’s been paying my tuition fees."
Dr. Vance gave a slow, solemn nod. Without saying another word, he opened his desk drawer, pulled out a thick beige folder, and slid it across the smooth wooden surface toward me.
"I know this is going to come as a huge surprise to you," he said softly. "But Mr. Norman stopped paying your tuition fees a long time ago. In fact, he only made a single payment at the very beginning... and since then, he completely cut off the funding."
My eyes widened. What?
I reached out and pulled the folder toward me, opening the cover. I frantically flipped through the pages of printed receipts, official university ledger statements, and bank transfers, but my brain couldn’t even make sense of all the numbers and figures blurring right before my eyes.
"How, Dr. Vance?" I whispered, looking up at him in confusion. "I... I don’t understand."
"Mr. Norman didn’t cover your education, Elvie," Dr. Vance said, his gaze steady on mine. "Professor Reed has been the one paying your tuition fees. Every single semester, every textbook fee, every expense paid... it has all been coming directly from Mr. Reed."
My eyes blew wide open. I stared at him in utter, breathless shock, the room suddenly going deathly silent around me.
**
I stood on the quiet foyer, taking in a long, shaky deep breath to steady the wild thumping in my chest. I pushed the front door open and stepped inside the quiet warmth of the house. The second I took another step forward, the rich, delicious aroma of food instantly hit my senses, filling the entire hallway.
Following the scent, I walked slowly toward the kitchen. Cassian was standing near the stove, moving effortlessly around the marble island as he cooked, looking completely relaxed in a rolled-up dress shirt.
Dr. Vance’s words echoed loudly in my head, repeating over and over again like a steady drumbeat: He has been the one paying right from the start. Everything was through him. He asked me not to tell you but I feel like you needed to at least know and appreciate his kindness.
Tears pricked at the backs of my eyes as my chest throbbed with a overwhelming ache. What have I ever done to deserve a man like this? Why has he been so good to me when I had nothing to offer him in return?
Right on cue, as if sensing my presence, Cassian turned around. His eyes softened the moment they landed on me, and a gentle, breathtaking smile spread across his lips.
"Hey," he murmured softly. "You’re back."
At that exact moment, I felt as if my heart were going to rip completely apart inside my chest. I couldn’t say a single word. I couldn’t even breathe properly. Without a second thought, I crossed the kitchen in quick strides, threw my arms tightly around his waist, and buried my face deep against his broad chest, holding onto him with every ounce of strength I had left.