Chapter 1

The porcelain of the toilet pressed against my fingertips. Vivian's laughter echoed through the restroom.

"Come on, new girl. One little sip won't kill you." She leaned against the stall door, tapping her nails impatiently in rhythm. "Or do you think you're better than us?"

Behind her, three girls blocked the exit, phones in hand, ready to record my humiliation.

The sharp smell of chemical cleaner mixed with the stench of piss and shit, filling my nose.

How could something like this happen on my very first day at Blackwood Academy?

"I know what you're thinking," Vivian said, examining her nails like she didn't have a care in the world. "You think someone's going to save you. That a teacher will care. That your mom, the one who works at a restaurant, can protect you." She laughed. "But here's the thing, sweetheart—we Rossis run this city. Our name opens every door. And you?" She paused, naked contempt flashing in her eyes. "You're just some scholarship charity case who barely made it in."

Madison stepped forward and reached for my hair. "Just do what she says. Hurry up. We've got a party to get to."

"Wait." Emma suddenly spoke, eyes fixed on her phone screen. "Let me get the angle right first. You don't see this kind of thing every day."

Vivian giggled. "Right. Don't forget to post it on the school forum. How about a title like 'A Scholarship Kid's First Lesson'?"

I shot to my feet and shoved Madison with everything I had. She hit the floor hard.

"You bitch!" Sophie lunged at me, trying to grab me, but I was already sprinting toward the window.

I knew this was the second floor.

But it was still better than letting them record a video like that. That would ruin me, ruin my mom, ruin everything I had fought so hard for.

"You wouldn't dare!" Vivian's voice turned shrill. "If you jump, I swear your brother will never find work in this city for the rest of his life!"

I climbed out and jumped.

The instant I hit the ground, the bone in my left leg snapped. Pain swallowed me whole, and my vision started going dark.

Students crowded around.

"Oh my God, she jumped!"

"Get it on video!"

"This is insane..."

Phone flashes went off one after another. No one came forward to help. They just stood at a safe distance, turning my pain into content for social media.

Through my blurred, tear-filled eyes, I saw Vivian run out of the school building.

She pushed through the crowd and crouched beside me. The onlookers all thought she was there to help, and they quickly moved out of her way.

"Does it hurt?" she whispered. "Good. That's how it works at Blackwood Academy. You either obey me, or you get out. You picked the dumbest option."

She pressed her hand down on my broken leg and pushed hard.

The pain was so blinding I almost stopped breathing. I wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

Vivian smiled in satisfaction.

"Now the whole school knows you're crazy. And when you come back... if you're even brave enough to come back, you'll find that no one wants to talk to you." She stood up, her face instantly shifting back to concern, her voice jumping an octave. "Oh my God, did somebody call an ambulance? This girl looks seriously hurt!"

Perfect acting.

Just then, a black Cadillac Escalade slowly pulled up in front of the school building.

The back door opened.

A man stepped out.

"D!"

Vivian's voice changed all at once. The cruel smugness from before vanished, replaced by fear and helplessness.

She stumbled toward the man as if she were the one who had been terrified.

The pain made it impossible for me to see his face clearly.

All I could hear was their conversation, muffled, like it was coming through water.

"Vivvy, what happened?" It was a deep male voice, smooth and concerned.

"I'm so scared... That girl..." Vivian's voice trembled with tears. "She's the transfer student from today. This morning, I saw her eating lunch by herself, so I went over to say hi and invite her to join us."

"And then?"

"And then she just... just snapped." Vivian choked on a sob. "She said a mafia daughter like me had no right to talk to her, and that she was going to show everyone the true face of the Rossi family. I was terrified..."

I wanted to shout, to deny it, but only a weak whimper escaped my throat.

No one heard it.

"She threatened you?" The man's voice turned cold.

"More than that. This afternoon, she cornered me in the restroom and said she was going to take ugly pictures of me and post them online to ruin the Rossi family's reputation. I tried to run, but she shoved me and I almost fell. So I ran out, and she chased after me, and then somehow she jumped out the window..."

"I'm really scared." Vivian's voice grew smaller and smaller. "If something happens to her, will people say it was my fault?"

"No." His voice carried a force that allowed no argument. "I'll take care of everything."

"But—"

"Listen, Vivvy." His tone softened. "You're the Rossi family's little princess. If anyone dares to bully you, I'll make them pay. Understand?"

"Good girl," he said.

His voice was full of indulgence and affection.

That blurred figure gently stroked Vivian's hair.

The devil who had just been tormenting me was now being held like she was something precious.

"Where do you want to go?" the man asked. "I'll take you somewhere to get your mind off this."

"I want ice cream," Vivian said, pouting sweetly.

"Then we'll go to Blue Angel."

I closed my eyes, tears sliding down my face.

Just when I thought I was going to die there, a familiar voice rang out.

"Elena!"

It was my brother.

Ethan.

He rushed through the crowd, and the moment he saw me, his whole body froze.

"Oh my God... Elena, what happened?"

He dropped to his knees beside me, trembling as he tried to pick me up, then stopped, afraid of hurting me.

I wanted to speak, but only broken whimpers came out of my throat.

"It's okay. It's okay. I'm here."

He covered my twisted leg with his jacket, then carefully cradled my head.

"Did someone call an ambulance?!" he shouted at the crowd.

No one answered.

They just kept holding up their phones, still recording.

Ethan's eyes reddened. He shot to his feet, charged at the nearest guy, snatched his phone, and smashed it on the ground.

"Get the hell out of here!" he roared. "All of you!"

The crowd finally backed away a little.

Just then, Vivian came back.

She had already gotten into that black Cadillac, but now she opened the door and ran back over, her face full of concern.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" she asked, bending down, her eyes rimmed red. "I already called an ambulance. It'll be here any minute. You have to hang in there..."

Ethan looked up and saw her.

He froze.

I had never seen that expression on my brother's face before—shock, confusion, and something else I couldn't name.

A certain light flashed in Vivian's eyes.

"You are...?" she asked softly, her voice gentle as spring wind.

"Ethan," my brother answered automatically. "Ethan Gray. She's my sister."

"Gray..." Vivian repeated the name, a smile curling at her lips. "My name is Vivian Rossi. What happened just now was really terrifying. Your sister, she..."

"Do you know what happened?" Ethan asked urgently.

Vivian bit her lip, as if hesitating.

"I... I'm not really sure," she said carefully. "I only saw her jump from the restroom window. Before that, I did see her in the restroom with a few girls, but I don't know what happened..."

It was vague enough to sound innocent.

"They were bullying my sister?" Ethan's voice turned dangerous.

"I don't know..." Vivian shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I should've noticed sooner. If I had, maybe I could have stopped all this..."

She cried beautifully.

Ethan looked at her, his gaze complicated.

"This isn't your fault," he finally said. "Thank you for calling the ambulance."

"No... it was the least I could do." Vivian wiped away her tears. "If you need any help, please tell me. I... I know some very good doctors."

She took a business card out of her clutch and handed it to Ethan.

"This is my contact information."

Ethan took the card. When his fingers brushed hers, I saw his body tremble slightly.

Vivian noticed it too, and the corner of her mouth lifted in satisfaction.

But the very next second, her worried expression returned.

"I won't bother you anymore," she said gently. "I hope your sister will be okay."

With that, she turned and left.

Ethan stared blankly at her back, his cheeks faintly flushed.

The car door shut, and the black Cadillac drove away.

Ethan was still staring in that direction, eyes distant.