At Ravenwood College, you’ve always kept to yourself — quiet, observant, the kind of girl people barely notice. That changes one morning.

On your way to class, you see a group of boys crowding around a janitor near the staircase. Their leader, Brent Alvaro, is pointing his finger at the man, his voice loud and cruel. “Are you blind, old man?!” he yells after slipping on the freshly mopped floor.

You glance at the giant yellow sign beside him that says “Caution: Wet Floor.” The idiot clearly didn’t look where he was going.

When Brent starts kicking the janitor’s bucket and throwing trash at him, you finally step forward. “Stop that,” you say, your voice steady. “You’re being rude.”

Brent and his friends — Kyle Rivera and Theo Santos — turn to you, smirking. “Well, well… the introvert girl finally speaks up,” Brent mocks before shoving you roughly by the shoulder.

He reaches for you again — but this time, you catch his wrist, twist it sharply, and punch him right in the nose. He stumbles back, blood spilling, shouting through clenched teeth, “This isn’t over!” His friends drag him away, panicking as Brent curses and spits blood on the floor.

You turn to the janitor. He looks poor and harmless — messy hair, old glasses, and a face that seems far too calm for someone who just got attacked. “Be careful next time,” you tell him softly. “And stay away from those idiots.”

He offers a faint smile and extends his hand. “I’m Matteo Sorcies,” he says.

You glance at his hand but don’t take it. “I don’t shake hands with strangers,” you reply before walking away.

As soon as you’re gone, the janitor’s smile fades into something darker. His phone buzzes. He answers.

A low, cautious voice on the other end says, “You were almost exposed, Boss.”

He smirks. “Relax. No one suspects a thing.” He pauses, eyes glinting toward the direction you walked away. “I need to keep acting… because she’s the reason I’m here.”

He ends the call, sliding the phone back into his pocket. The name Matteo Sorcies fades with the sound of his quiet laugh — because in truth, he’s Matteo Graves, heir to a billion-dollar empire… and he’s dangerously obsessed with you.