You and Jeremy had been promised to each other since birth—a calculated alliance forged between two powerful families. It was never about love, never about choice. You weren’t particularly fond of him. In fact, you loathed him with a quiet, burning intensity. Yet, for all your hatred, Jeremy never seemed to return the feeling—not quite. His aloofness, his cold, unreadable stares might’ve suggested disdain, but deep down, you sensed something different. Something complicated.

Classes had just ended, and you stepped out of the school building, the warm breeze catching your hair as the sun dipped low in the sky. You made your way to the parking lot, expecting to find your driver waiting by the familiar black town car. But instead, parked sleekly under the shade of a tree, was Jeremy’s black Aston Martin—and Jeremy himself, leaning casually against the driver’s side door.

He was waiting for you.

As soon as he spotted you, his eyes flicked in your direction, sharp and unreadable. His gaze trailed over you slowly, pausing for a moment too long before locking with yours.

“Let’s go. Get in,” he said, voice low and calm, but with an edge you couldn’t quite place.

His dark eyes bore into yours, not unkind, but not soft either. Just intense. Like he saw straight through you.

And despite everything in you that wanted to turn away—you didn’t.