Jenn had already spent five days at her new school, and to her surprise, she loved it. The teachers were kind, the students—at least most of them—were welcoming, and the air of possibility made her heart light. In her quiet moments, she thought about Mrs. Gates and how much she owed her for giving her this chance.
That morning, Jenn waited outside the house for Rosario. When she finally appeared, Jenn called out, "Good morning, Rosa. I've been waiting for ages."
Rosario smiled apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Jenn. Come on, let's go."
As they started walking, Jenn caught a glimpse of Alden heading toward the garage. Her steps froze. Without thinking, she ran after him, shouting, "Hey!"
Alden stopped and turned slightly, his expression unreadable. But the moment Jenn saw his face, every word she had planned vanished. She stood there awkwardly, staring until his car engine roared to life. He drove off without another glance. Rosario's laughter broke the silence.
"What?" Jenn stammered.
"Why didn't you say something?" Rosario teased.
Jenn sighed. "I wanted to. I just… couldn't."
They hailed a taxi and made it to school. The moment they stepped out, a noisy crowd of girls caught their attention. Jenn squinted toward the center of the commotion. "Let's see what's going on," she said.
Rosario shook her head. "You go ahead. I have something to do in class."
Jenn moved closer and realized the crowd had gathered around one guy. He looked slightly injured, his head wrapped in bandages, yet there was something about him—something that made her heart tug. She felt sorry for him without even knowing why.
As she turned to leave, Jenn accidentally bumped into a girl dressed in designer clothes from head to toe.
"Are you blind?" the girl snapped.
"I'm so sorry," Jenn replied quickly.
The girl eyed her from head to toe, recognition flashing in her eyes. "Wait—you're that girl living in the Gates mansion, right?" She laughed cruelly, her friends joining in. "You look awful."
Jenn swallowed hard, lowering her gaze as they walked off, still laughing. She tried to compose herself, but fate wasn't done playing tricks—she bumped into someone else again.
This time, it was a guy. When she looked up to apologize, her words caught in her throat—it was the same guy with the bandage from earlier. His perfume was warm and expensive, wrapping around her like a quiet storm.
"I'm so sorry," she murmured.
He smiled faintly. "It's fine."
Something about his voice—low and smooth—sent shivers down her spine.
"I'm Jenn," she said softly.
"Jenn," he repeated. "Are you new here?"
"Yes."
"Nice to meet you."
He held out his hand, and she hesitated only a moment before shaking it. His hand was warm, and long after he left, the scent of his cologne still lingered on her palm.
In class, Rosario noticed Jenn's faraway look. "You okay?" she asked.
Jenn smiled faintly. "Yeah. I'm fine."
After class, they walked out together, and that was when Jenn saw Alden again—leaning against his car, talking to a girl. Jenn's chest tightened when she recognized the girl. Tessie.
Jenn walked over, forcing a small smile. "Hi, Alden."
Alden glanced at her, his tone flat. "What are you doing here?"
Jenn replied softly, "I'm always here for you… right?"
Tessie's eyes widened. The tone in Jenn's voice made it sound like something more than it was. Alden forced a strained smile. "Tessie, meet Jenn. Jenn, meet Tessie."
Tessie scoffed. "I know her. That dirty girl." Then she turned and walked away.
Alden clenched his jaw, frustration burning behind his eyes. Without a word, he got into his car and drove off. Jenn stood still, blinking back the sting in her eyes until Rosario appeared beside her.
"You okay?" Rosario asked gently.
Jenn nodded, her voice small. "I'm fine."
Across town, Jeff couldn't stop thinking about what he'd seen—the same girl, Jenn, standing next to Alden. He wondered who she really was. When he got home, Carlos was lounging on the couch.
"Welcome back," Carlos said.
"Yeah," Jeff replied absently, still thinking.
Carlos sat up. "Did you see Alden at school?"
Jeff nodded. "Yeah. And I saw a girl with him too. She seemed… nice."
Carlos smirked. "A girl? You mean their nanny?"
Jeff frowned. "Their nanny?"
"Yeah. I heard Tessie talking about her. They hired her to change Alden and his brothers."
Jeff leaned back, a slow grin forming. "Change him? Interesting."
Carlos gave him a suspicious look. "What are you thinking?"
Jeff shrugged. "Maybe she can help me. I'll ask her out."
Carlos shot up. "What? You can't be serious! That girl?"
Jeff chuckled. "Relax. I just want to get back at Alden. He won't even see it coming."
Carlos sighed. "You're crazy, Jeff. But what if you actually fall for her?"
Jeff laughed. "Me? Fall in love with a maid? Never."
Carlos smirked. "We'll see. Anyway, what's her name?"
"Jenn," Jeff said.
Carlos grinned. "Jeff and Jenn—what a match."
Jeff rolled his eyes, still smiling. "Don't get any ideas. She's just part of the plan."
He stood up, heading to his room, but as he walked away, Carlos couldn't help but think—sometimes, plans don't go the way we expect.
Alden clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. That stupid, senseless nanny ruined my moment, he thought furiously. His jaw tightened as his car sped down the road. I've been trying to get Tessie's attention for weeks, and now she's gone because of her. Instead of staying at the hotel like I planned, I had to come home to this mess.
The steering wheel creaked under his grip. He hated feeling out of control. I help people. I give, I provide, he thought bitterly, but who's ever helped me?
When he reached home, he slammed the car door shut and stormed inside. Jovi, who had been waiting in the sitting room, greeted politely.
"Welcome."
Alden didn't even glance at him. His eyes were cold, fixed instead on Jenn, who stood quietly by the corner of the hall. He didn't say a word—just let his gaze linger long enough to make her uncomfortable before heading upstairs.
Jenn's stomach twisted. She knew he was angry, and she knew exactly why. Guilt gnawed at her until she couldn't bear it anymore. That night, she gathered her courage and walked softly to his room. The door was half-open; the sound of typing filled the air.
Alden sat at his desk, his laptop screen casting a faint blue glow over his face. His expression was unreadable—focused, sharp, distant.
Jenn took a shaky breath. "Alden," she began, her voice trembling. "I'm… I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to ruin anything."
He didn't turn to her. The steady clacking of his keyboard filled the silence, each key sounding louder than the last. Then, without looking up, he said flatly,
"Don't move an inch."
Jenn froze where she stood.
His tone hardened. "Unless you want me to break your legs."
The words hit her like ice water. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. For a moment, she just stood there, her eyes stinging. Then, slowly, she turned and walked out, closing the door quietly behind her.
The night was silent, except for the faint hum of Alden's laptop.
⸻
The next morning, the sun was bright but soft, filtering through the clouds as Jenn stepped out of a taxi in front of the school gate. She smoothed her skirt nervously and adjusted her bag. Just focus on class, she told herself. Forget about yesterday.
As she walked toward the building, she spotted Jeff coming from the opposite direction. His gentle smile caught her off guard.
"Good morning," he said warmly.
"Good morning," she replied shyly.
Jeff's gaze lingered for a second before he said, almost casually, "You look beautiful today."
Jenn blinked, startled. It was such a simple sentence, but it echoed in her chest. No one had ever told her that before. "Th… thank you," she murmured, her cheeks heating.
"Can I talk to you?" Jeff asked, his tone softer now.
Jenn hesitated, glancing around nervously, but she nodded. "Okay."
They walked to a quiet corner behind one of the lecture halls, away from the crowd and chatter. The wind carried the faint scent of flowers from the nearby garden.
Jeff turned to face her, his expression serious. "Jenn," he began, "I don't want to sound too forward, but… I want you to be my girlfriend."
Jenn's heart skipped. "What?" she breathed out, stunned.
Jeff smiled faintly. "I know it's sudden, but that's how I feel. You don't have to answer now. I'll give you time to think about it."
Before she could even gather her words, he walked away, leaving her standing there—confused, shocked, and strangely flustered.
A rich guy like Jeff? she thought, watching him disappear into the hallway. Why me?
The rest of the day felt like a blur. In class, Jenn could hardly focus on the lecture. Her pen moved, but her thoughts were miles away.
After class, Rosario noticed her staring blankly at the window.
"Jenn," she asked softly, "are you okay?"
Jenn blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh… yeah. I'm fine."
Before Rosario could say another word, someone brushed past Jenn roughly, knocking her shoulder. She turned—and her breath caught.
It was Alden.
He didn't even glance back, didn't say a word. Just walked on coldly, as though she didn't exist.
Jenn stood there, watching him go. Her heart felt heavy—confused, torn, and restless.
What's happening to me? she wondered. Why do I feel like my world is starting to twist between two people I can't even understand?