Liora skipped dinner.
Her stepmother's voice echoed down the halls of the mansion, Adrian's laughter faint from the other wing. She shut her bedroom door and locked it, curling on her bed with her father's watch clutched in her hand.
She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't give Adrian that victory.
But sleep didn't come easily.
When morning arrived, she walked onto campus with her head high, pretending the weight of yesterday's café humiliation hadn't carved scars into her pride.
Students whispered as she passed. Some smirked. Some looked curious. But none of them spoke to her.
None—except one.
"Hey," a voice said behind her.
Liora turned. A boy stood there, tall with messy dark hair and eyes that carried a kind of warmth she hadn't seen in days. He wasn't dressed like Adrian's flashy friends. No designer watch. No expensive shoes. Just a worn jacket and a smile that seemed… real.
"You're Liora, right?" he asked.
She stiffened. "Who's asking?"
"Ethan," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I was at the café yesterday."
Her stomach sank. Of course. He'd seen everything.
She braced herself for a cruel remark, but instead, he shrugged. "That was gutsy. Not many people talk back to Adrian and live to tell the tale."
Liora blinked. "You're… not going to laugh?"
"Why would I?" Ethan tilted his head. "He's a jerk. Someone needed to say it."
For the first time since she arrived, Liora's lips curved into the faintest smile.
They walked together toward class, and she found herself… talking.
About her schedule. About the sheer size of the campus. About how suffocating it felt to always be under Adrian's shadow.
Ethan listened. Really listened.
By the time they reached the lecture hall, Liora felt lighter, like she'd taken her first full breath in days.
But of course, peace never lasted long around Adrian.
He was already there, lounging in his seat like a king surrounded by his court. His eyes immediately zeroed in on Liora—and then flicked to Ethan walking beside her.
The smirk that spread across his face made her stomach twist.
"Well, well," Adrian drawled. "Looks like the stray's found herself a little pet."
The group around him snickered.
Heat rose in Liora's cheeks, but before she could speak, Ethan stepped forward.
"Funny," he said flatly. "From where I'm standing, you look more like the stray. Always barking, always desperate for attention."
The room went silent.
Adrian's smirk vanished. His jaw tightened, his fingers drumming slowly against the desk.
No one. No one ever spoke to him like that.
Except Liora yesterday. And now Ethan today.
Liora's heart pounded, torn between fear and relief.
Adrian leaned back, masking his irritation with a slow, dangerous grin. "Enjoy your little rebellion, sweetheart," he said smoothly, his gaze shifting between Liora and Ethan. "But don't forget—every king punishes traitors."
Ethan rolled his eyes and slid into a seat beside Liora as though nothing had happened.
Liora exhaled, her hands shaking beneath the desk.
She didn't know what Adrian would do next.
But for the first time, she wasn't facing him alone.
She had someone by her side.
And that changed everything.