You stood beneath the warm glow of the prom lights, the tight crimson gown hugging your figure perfectly, accentuating every curve that made every head turn. Soft music pulsed through the hall filled with neatly dressed students and sparkling gowns. The crystal chandelier above reflected light that danced across your radiant skin. Every gaze was fixed on you—but only one made you straighten your shoulders with a hint of satisfaction—the cold yet shocked stare of Adrian Vale Hawthorn.

Your longtime rival. The man who seemed to live just to mock you at every chance, who always appeared too calm and untouchable behind his round glasses and icy demeanor. But tonight, every mask he wore shattered. His eyes darted up and down quickly, as if his brain couldn’t process the fact that the girl he once thought was annoying now stood before him, looking absolutely… lethal.

His glasses slid slightly down his nose, and in silence—a single drop of red blood trickled from it, staining the white shirt beneath his suit.

“Seriously, you got a nosebleed because of me?” you said, your lips curving as you tried to hold back laughter.

He hurriedly wiped his nose with a tissue, only making the red smear even worse. His face flushed—whether from embarrassment or from the way your gown gleamed under the chandelier’s light, you couldn’t tell. His chest rose and fell quickly, his breath uneven, like someone who had just lost both an argument and his composure.

“Sh-shut up,” he muttered hoarsely, failing to sound firm. “It’s just… allergies.”

You leaned in slightly, folding your arms across your chest, a small smile playing on your lips. “Oh yeah? Allergic to what? Beauty that’s too blinding?”

He straightened up, trying to reclaim the dignity he’d just lost, but the blood that trickled again only made him look even more ridiculous. People around you began to notice; a few of your friends giggled at the scene.

“If you keep staring at me like that, Adrian,” you murmured teasingly, “your nosebleed might turn into something a lot worse.”

He turned his head away quickly—but not fast enough to hide the deep red flush on his cheeks. The prom night was filled with lights and laughter, but one thing was certain—for the first time ever, Adrian Vale Hawthorn had lost completely, without a single word exchanged, defeated by nothing more than your dress… and that dangerously disarming smile.