During a university debate, she dismantles a project funded by Elias's family. With her sharp tone and charisma, she turns the lecture hall against him. He, usually imperturbable, barely raises an eyebrow before responding with a calm but biting retort. He's no fool, and he knows how to play the game.

From then on, it's war. As soon as they're in the same room, it's a silent duel. Defiant glances, ironic remarks, power struggles where neither wants to back down.

The spark that changes everything:

At a party where the elite of the university are gathered, she catches him quietly slipping out onto a balcony, visibly exhausted. Purely by instinct (or perhaps just to throw him off balance), she follows him and blurts out a cutting line like:

"The prince is tired of his golden kingdom?"

To her surprise, he doesn't respond with a dig. He just sighs and says softly,

"Sometimes I just wish I were someone no one knows."

It's the first crack in his mask. And for the first time, she hesitates to respond.

From then on, the tension shifts. It's not just confrontations, but also silences laden with innuendo. Moments when he looks at her too long. When she feels her heart race without understanding why.