The lecture hall emptied slowly, students chatting as they shuffled out.
Liora stayed behind, gathering her notes carefully, hoping to slip out unnoticed. Ethan had left earlier for another class, and without him, the air felt heavier.
She could sense it before she even looked up.
He was there.
Adrian.
Leaning casually against the back row, hands in his pockets, watching her with that unreadable gaze.
Her chest tightened. "What do you want?"
He tilted his head. "Bold of you to ask. I should be the one asking that, don't you think? After all, you've been parading around my campus, picking up strays, and embarrassing me in public. You're lucky you're still breathing."
Liora shoved her books into her bag, forcing her hands not to shake. "You don't own me. Or the campus. You just think you do."
Adrian moved closer, slow, deliberate steps echoing through the empty room.
"You don't get it, do you?" His voice was smooth, almost amused. "Everything here—every look, every whisper, every ounce of attention—belongs to me. And you…" He stopped in front of her, leaning just enough to invade her space. "…you're just a guest. A very ungrateful one."
Liora refused to step back, even though her pulse was racing. "Guests can leave. Maybe that's what I'll do."
His smirk deepened, but his eyes darkened with something sharper. "Leave? No, little stray. You can't. Not when you're tied to me by name, by bloodline, by this house." His fingers brushed the strap of her bag before she could pull away. "Everywhere you go, people will see you as mine. Even if you don't like it."
Her breath caught. The weight of his words pressed down on her like chains.
She shoved his hand away. "I don't belong to anyone. Least of all you."
The defiance in her voice should have amused him, but instead, it lit a spark in his chest—irritation, yes, but also something deeper. Something he refused to name.
His smirk returned, dangerous and slow. "You've got fire, I'll give you that. But fire burns brightest before it's snuffed out."
He leaned closer, his lips brushing her ear. "Remember this, Liora. I decide how high you stand… and how far you fall."
Her heart pounded. Every instinct told her to push him away, to scream, to run.
But she didn't. She stood tall, glaring into his eyes, her voice steady. "Then maybe you should be careful, Adrian. Because fire doesn't just burn out—it burns everything around it."
For a heartbeat, silence crackled between them.
Adrian's smirk faltered. Just slightly. His gaze locked on hers, and for the first time, he wasn't sure if he was the predator or the prey.
Then he stepped back, mask sliding into place again. "Careful, sweetheart," he said lightly. "You're starting to sound like you matter."
He walked out, his footsteps echoing, leaving her trembling but unbroken.
And as the door slammed shut, Liora clutched her father's watch in her palm, whispering to herself, "I won't break. Not for him. Not for anyone."
But deep down, she knew the war between them had only just begun.