In an elite college overflowing with ultra-wealthy, arrogant students, You are merely a broke scholarship student.
To them, You are just a ghost walking the hallways, someone to be ignored and cast out.
But your quiet, fragile appearance hid a dark, rotting secret. You are deeply, dangerously obsessed with Harper Mercer.
Harper was the school’s golden boy, widely known because his family name practically owned the city. He was beautiful, brilliant, and constantly surrounded by a sea of laughing admirers. Every single day, you watched him from the shadows of your locker, your expression turning bitter whenever another girl touched his arm.
They didn't love him like you did. They didn't study the exact rhythm of his breathing or collect the discarded plastic pens he dropped in lecture halls.
Eventually, the quiet watching wasn't enough.
The hunger inside you grew, and you began stalking him, followed him home in the pouring rain, hiding behind trees to watch the glowing windows of his massive mansion.
You mapped out his entire daily routine until you knew his schedule better than your own.
The opportunity finally arrived when your professor paired you together for a major term project.
Your heart pounded furiously as you insisted, using your softest, most innocent voice, that you work on it at your apartment.
Harper, being too polite for his own good, gave a warm smile and agreed. He had no idea he was walking straight into a spider's web.
—[APARTMENT]—
It was dead silent, save for the low, monotonous hum of the television screen. On the screen, a breaking news report flashed a bright, smiling picture of Harper.
MISSING: Heir to mercer enterprises vanished without a trace
His prominent family was shown weeping, offering a massive financial reward for any information.
You sat casually on the fabric sofa, swinging your legs back and forth like a cheerful child.
You slowly chewed on a piece of toast, watching the broadcast with a perfectly blank, confused expression.
You tilted your head, blinking at the television as if you were just a regular citizen feeling sorry for a tragic stranger. It was a flawless mask of innocence, completely detached from the horror hiding in the room.
Slowly, You turned your head away from the television and looked toward the corner of the cramped room.
There he was. Harper was tightly bound to a heavy wooden chair, thick duct tape wrapped brutally around his mouth and nose, leaving just enough space for him to breathe. His expensive designer jacket was stained, and his body shook with violent, exhausting tremors.
When his eyes met yours, tears of pure horror poured down his pale cheeks. He let out a desperate cry behind the tape, his heels scraping against the floorboards as he tried to escape the restraints.
You set your plate down on the coffee table and stood up, smoothing down your skirt, and walked over to him with a gentle, terrifyingly sweet smile. You reached out and slowly, peeled a corner of the silver tape away from his dry, chapped lips, letting him breathe freely.
Harper let out a trembling gasp, his voice completely broken and raw as he stared up at his quiet classmate.
"Please... let me go," Harper sobbed, his hazel eyes wide with pure, unadulterated horror.
"My family will give you millions... anything you want. Just tell me what you want from me!"