Liora had a bad feeling the moment she opened her laptop.
Her project file — the one she'd spent days perfecting — was gone. Completely gone.The folder was empty, her screen blank.
She froze, her heart dropping.
No.No, this couldn't be happening.
She searched again. Checked every backup. Every drive. Nothing.
A chill ran down her spine. It wasn't a glitch — it was sabotage.
And she didn't have to guess who was behind it.
Adrian.
He'd said, "Enjoy the win while it lasts."Now she understood exactly what he meant.
For a few seconds, panic clawed at her chest. The project was due tomorrow — a presentation worth nearly half their grade. If she couldn't submit, they'd both fail.
But then she stopped. Breathed.And smiled.
He thought he could outsmart her.He was wrong.
She quickly grabbed her phone, scrolling through her cloud account — something Adrian didn't know she used. Her auto-save was still there. Not the final draft, but close enough.
"Nice try," she muttered under her breath.
Hours later, when she walked into class, she could feel the tension in the air. Adrian was already there, lounging casually with that infuriating smirk on his face.
"Rough morning?" he asked, his voice low and amused.
"Not really," Liora said coolly, setting her laptop down. "Why?"
He tilted his head, pretending to be innocent. "You just look… stressed. Hope nothing happened to our project."
Liora smiled, all calm confidence. "Oh, don't worry. I've got it covered."
For the first time, his smile flickered.
When it was their turn to present, Adrian leaned back in his chair, clearly waiting for her to crumble. But then the screen lit up — perfect slides, every file in place.
Her voice was steady as she began the presentation. Clear. Confident. Intelligent. Every line precise, every example backed up.
The professor nodded approvingly. "Excellent work," he said when she finished. "Impressive coordination between you two."
The class clapped.
Adrian didn't move.
Liora turned slightly, her voice soft but sharp enough for him to hear. "You should've checked the backup folder before trying to play games."
For a moment, his mask slipped — just a second — but she caught it. The flicker of disbelief. The flash of something like respect.
After class, he caught her arm in the hallway. "How did you—"
"Figure it out?" she interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "Because I pay attention, Adrian. Unlike you, I don't underestimate people."
He stared at her, jaw tight. "You think you've won something?"
"I don't need to win," she said quietly. "I just need to prove you can't control me."
She walked away before he could answer, leaving him standing there — silent, tense, and for once, without a single clever line to throw back.
He watched her go, his thoughts spinning.
She was supposed to break.He'd wanted her to. Needed her to.
But she didn't.
And worse — she'd looked beautiful doing it.
Adrian clenched his fists, forcing himself to look away. He didn't understand what was happening to him — this strange mix of frustration and fascination.
All he knew was that he couldn't stop thinking about her.And that scared him more than anything.