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CHAPTER TWO — BLOODLINES AND BACKROOMS
Kissing Luke Caldwell was a mistake.
Not because I didn't want it — for a second, I did.
But because now, I knew exactly how he tasted:
Like power. Like danger. Like war.
And I had kissed the enemy.
---
I woke up late the next morning with that memory scorched into my skin.
Luke's hands.
His mouth.
His stupid cocky smirk when I pulled away.
I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and stared at my reflection.
This wasn't me losing control.
This was me gathering ammunition.
He'd kissed me first — and now he couldn't take it back.
I pulled on a black fitted tee, dark jeans, and laced up my boots like armor.
It was another day at Crestwood.
And the war had just started.
---
The Lecture Hall
The moment I stepped into the lecture hall, I felt eyes on me.
Whispers. Smirks.
The rumor mill was fast here — faster than I expected.
I took a seat near the back, pretending not to care.
But I saw her before she even spoke.
A girl with sharp cheekbones, flawless skin, and hair like spun gold slid into the seat beside me like a queen settling onto her throne.
"Emily Hale," she purred.
I raised an eyebrow. "Do I know you?"
"No," she said, "but I know you."
She offered a hand with blood-red nails. "Brielle Caldwell. Luke's cousin."
Caldwell. Of course.
I didn't shake her hand.
Her smile tightened. "I thought you might be interesting. And then I heard what happened at the party."
I kept my face neutral. "If you believe gossip, that's on you."
"Oh, sweetie." She leaned in. "At Crestwood, gossip is the truth."
Before I could answer, the professor walked in, and the lecture started.
But Brielle's eyes never left me.
---
After Class – The Garden Path
I found Luke leaning against a stone archway near the back gardens, flipping that same damn silver coin between his fingers.
He didn't look surprised to see me.
"You followed me," he said.
"You left me a note."
He smiled. "And you read it. So who's chasing who, Emily?"
I stepped closer. "Why did you kiss me?"
He twirled the coin in the air, caught it without looking. "Impulse."
"Bullshit."
"Truth," he said, voice low. "You showed up with fire in your eyes and poison on your lips. I wanted to see if the kiss would kill me."
"And?"
He stared at me. "Not yet."
We stood there, silence dripping with unspoken words.
Then I asked the question I came here for.
"What do you know about the name Hale?"
His smile faltered for a split second — just long enough to confirm everything.
"I know it doesn't belong here," he said finally. "And neither do you."
---
Flashback — Ten Years Ago
The Hale name used to mean something.
My father was a Crestwood graduate.
He was brilliant. Brave. Charismatic.
And he was framed.
Thrown out of the university in disgrace, his career in ashes — accused of leaking confidential research, something he never did.
I was eight when I watched him get escorted off campus by security.
Eight when I saw the look on my mother's face — not fear, but rage.
No one ever investigated. No one cared.
Because the Caldwell family — the university's power brokers — made sure no one did.
I didn't come to Crestwood for a degree.
I came for the truth.
And now the Caldwells were standing in my way.
---
The Library – Archives Room
I swiped a stolen access code and slipped into the Archives Room just after midnight.
Stacks of student files. Old records. Digital backups.
I was looking for one name: Thomas Hale — my father.
But someone else had been there before me.
Files were missing.
And a sticky note on the drawer read: Curious little Hale. You dig, you bleed.
I crushed the note in my hand.
Then I heard footsteps behind me.
"You really don't know when to stop, do you?"
Luke.
I turned, heart racing. "How did you—"
He held up the silver coin. "Let's just say… I know how to track noise."
I narrowed my eyes. "You spying on me now?"
"Protecting you."
I laughed — dry and sharp. "That's cute."
"I'm serious." He stepped closer. "If Brielle saw you here, you'd be dead by now."
"What is she?" I asked. "Your watchdog?"
"No," he said. "She's worse."
---
Back in My Dorm
I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, mind spinning.
Luke had let me walk out of that archive room.
He hadn't turned me in. Hadn't tried to stop me.
Why?
Because he wanted to play with me?
Because he wanted me close?
Or because he wanted to see if I'd destroy myself without his help?
Either way… I had his attention.
And he had mine.
I sat up and opened my laptop.
One more search. One more piece.
Caldwell Trust Holdings.
Internal files. Hidden investments. A donation made the year my father was expelled — tied directly to the disciplinary board.
The same board Luke's father chaired.
A bribe.
My hands curled into fists.
My father had been innocent.
They'd buried him to protect their empire.
Now I had proof.
Now I had motive.
And now — I had Luke.
---
The Final Scene — The Courtyard at Dusk
I found him on the stone bridge at twilight, staring into the water like he could see his sins.
He didn't look up when I approached.
"You've been busy," he said quietly.
"You've been watching," I replied.
A beat passed.
Then he turned to face me.
"There's more than you know, Emily," he said. "If you go down this path, you won't come back the same."
"Maybe I don't want to."
He stepped closer. "You think I'm your enemy."
"Aren't you?"
"No." His voice dropped. "I'm worse. I'm the one who'll make you love me before I ruin you."
I didn't flinch.
I stepped closer.
So close our shadows touched.
"Then let's ruin each other," I whispered.
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