Arabella Seraphine Montgomery was furious.
Her heels stabbed the linoleum as she stormed out of the housing office, the sound echoing down the corridor like gunfire. Adrian Hayes walked beside her with his maddeningly long strides, hands in his pockets, as if nothing about this situation was even slightly inconvenient for him.
"How dare they," Arabella muttered, loud enough for him to hear. "How *dare* they shove me into this… this…" she waved her hand vaguely in his direction, "*situation.* Do they not know who I am?"
Adrian glanced down at her, his smirk just barely tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Apparently not. Should I call the dean and tell him the queen has arrived?"
She spun on him, sunglasses sliding down her nose. "Do not mock me."
"Wasn't mocking," he said smoothly, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Just trying to keep up with your… aesthetic."
Arabella scoffed, whipping around to keep walking. Her suitcase wheels squeaked behind her in protest, the only sound in the tense silence until she decided to break it.
"You took the wrong room," she announced.
Adrian blinked. "Excuse me?"
"The wrong room," she repeated. "I was supposed to have the bedroom with the city view. The one facing the skyline. *Not* the one overlooking a sad little parking lot." She clutched her purse dramatically against her chest. "It's tragic. Honestly, how am I supposed to *manifest greatness* if my window view screams 'discount car dealership'?"
Adrian chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. "So what—you expect me to swap?"
"Yes," Arabella said immediately, as if the answer was obvious.
He turned his piercing blue gaze on her, unamused now. "Not happening."
Her mouth fell open. "Excuse me?"
"I got there first," Adrian replied. "My bag's already on the bed. That's my room now. End of discussion."
Arabella blinked, stunned by the audacity. Nobody, *nobody*, had ever denied Arabella Montgomery something she wanted. She wasn't even sure how to respond—her brain short-circuited between outrage and disbelief.
Adrian, of course, noticed. His smirk returned. "What? No witty comeback this time?"
Arabella snapped out of it, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Oh, I'll get that room. One way or another."
When they reached the dorm, Adrian walked straight into his room without another word. Arabella stood in the living area, fuming.
Her new life at Crestwood University was supposed to begin like a crown jewel unveiling. Instead, she was stuck in a beige dorm with a cocky, six-foot-two intruder who had the audacity to steal her city view.
This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.