Zara Collins knew every inch of her world like the back of her manicured hand—sunlit halls lined with marble, whispered conversations echoing in vaulted ceilings, and the faint scent of expensive perfume masking the truth beneath. Privilege wasn't just a word; it was the air she breathed, the armor she wore. Everything in her life was a script written by wealth and expectation, flawless on the surface but fragile underneath.
Her mornings began with flawless precision—avocado toast crafted just right, curated playlists that never wavered from chill, and the same carefully chosen designer outfit that screamed power without effort. To the outside world, Zara was untouchable. But underneath that polished veneer, the weight of expectation settled like a slow poison.
She moved through campus with the grace of someone who owned the space, her designer heels clicking a steady rhythm that demanded attention. Conversations fluttered around her like moths to a flame—compliments about her effortless style, subtle envy masked by forced smiles, the usual whispers about the heir to the Collins fortune. Yet beneath the poised exterior, boredom clung to her like a shadow. This perfect life, polished and predictable, left her restless—like a song stuck on repeat.
That's when he appeared.
Sky.
Not a storm, not a lightning strike—more like a quiet eclipse that swallowed the light just enough to make her blink twice. His eyes were calm but unreadable, like they held a story too dangerous to tell. There was a stillness in him that didn't belong in a place draped with money and pretense. Sky walked onto the campus like he belonged everywhere and nowhere at once.
She noticed him first in the library—a sanctuary from the prying eyes and sparkling facades. Zara was hunting for a rare edition in the back row, fingers grazing the spine of a weathered book when a hand reached out, almost brushing hers.
"Sorry," his voice was low, a smooth baritone that didn't need to apologize. Their eyes met, and the world contracted, focusing on the electric current humming between them.
"It's okay," she said, her voice steadier than she felt. There was something magnetic about him, something that pulled at the edges of her perfect world.
"You're Zara, right?" His question was casual, but the way he said her name made it feel like a secret shared in the dark.
She nodded, caught off guard. "Yeah. And you're Sky."
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Something like that."
The name, the mystery, the quiet tension—it unsettled her. Sky's legacy wasn't the kind you'd find in glossy magazines or campus gossip. His family fortune was built on whispers and shadows—crimes buried deep, lives ruined in silence. He wanted to outrun it all, to bury the past beneath layers of lies and silence, but darkness has a way of clawing its way back.
Zara's heart knew the stakes before her mind did: falling for him wasn't just risky. It was dangerous.
She watched him walk away, his figure swallowed by the stacks of books and secrets. The perfect crystal she'd been holding onto cracked, thin lines spiderwebbing across the surface. And in a world where every secret has a price, love could be the deadliest game of all.
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