Liora grabbed a quick breakfast at a restaurant near the university and hurried toward the campus gates, worried that lectures might have already started. However, as soon as she entered the grounds, she sensed a strange atmosphere. Both students and lecturers were milling about, whispering to one another and acting noticeably nervous.
Curious, Liora raised an eyebrow and stopped a girl passing by.
"Excuse me. Can you tell me why everyone is so on edge?" Liora asked.
The girl looked at Liora with wide eyes. "Samuel disappeared yesterday."
Liora's eyes widened in return. For a moment, she couldn't decide whether to be surprised, relieved, or worried.
"Okay, but why is everyone at the university, including the lecturers, so nervous about it?" Liora asked again.
"Huh? Shouldn't you be worried?" the girl snapped. "Samuel disappeared right here at the university. Now the reputation of our school is going to be in trouble."
Saying that, the girl pushed past Liora and walked away.
Liora sighed and walked a little further into the campus. Suddenly, she realized a group of people was aggressively approaching her. Her eyes went wide when she recognized them, it was Samuel's four friends and his younger brother.
Before she could react, Samuel's younger brother lunged forward. He grabbed the front of Liora's blouse with both hands and slammed her against a nearby wall.
"What did you and your so-called lecturer do to Samuel?!" the boy shouted, his face inches from hers.
"Wh-what are you talking about? W-We didn't do anything! I just found out what happened y-yesterday." Liora stammered, shaking her head. A crowd of students began to gather, watching the scene unfold.
"You're lying!! If anyone has a reason to do something to Samuel, it's you and that Ethan guy. Tell me the truth!" the boy yelled again.
Anger flared inside Liora. She was tired of being scolded and accused for things she hadn't done.
"I said I didn't do anything!" Liora shouted.
She pressed her hands against the boy's chest and pushed him away.
It was meant to be a simple shove, but the result was terrifying. The boy was launched backward by an unusual, extraordinary force. He flew several meters through the air and slammed into the wall of the building opposite them. The impact was so hard that the plaster of the wall cracked and dented.
The boy screamed in pain as he slid to the ground.
The students watching the incident stared at Liora with their mouths hanging open and their eyes wide in shock. The other three boys, terrified by what they had just witnessed, scrambled over to help their fallen friend, casting fearful glances at Liora.
Meanwhile, Liora was more shocked than anyone else. She stared at her own trembling hands, her eyes wide with disbelief. Her lips quivered with fear. She wondered where she had suddenly gotten such immense, terrifying strength.
Desperate to escape the staring eyes of the crowd, Liora turned and sprinted toward the washroom.
She rushed inside, closed the door, and leaned back against it, breathing heavily. Needing to calm down, she walked over to the sink to wash her face. She gripped the edge of the basin to steady herself. She didn't feel like she was pressing hard, but under her hands, the ceramic groaned.
CRACK.
The edge of the sink shattered where she was holding it.
Liora, now twice as scared, immediately backed away, staring at the broken porcelain. She couldn't imagine what was happening to her body.
"Oh my God!! W-what is happening to me?" she thought frantically.
Breathing in sharp, panicked gasps, she backed toward the door. Overcome with fear and frustration, she tried to rush outside again. She grabbed the doorknob to twist it, but as she turned her hand, metal shrieked.
The doorknob ripped clean off in her hand.
She dropped the broken metal to the floor with a clatter. Terrified, Liora pushed the door open and ran outside. She moved fast, but she deliberately tried to control her speed, remembering how abnormally fast she had run that morning.
She headed straight for the university gate, her only thought to get back to the safety of her apartment. But as she ran, that strange feeling returned, the sensation of electricity coursing through her veins, the same strength she had felt the night before. Her fear spiked.
Liora held her head, which felt like it was splitting with pain, with both hands.
At that exact moment, she looked up and saw... Ronan.
He had just entered the gate and was running toward her, a look of pure panic on his face.
The next moment, Liora's fear and shock dissolved into relief. Ronan ran straight to her and pulled her into a tight hug.
At first, Liora froze, her eyes wide, unable to process what was happening. But then, feeling his familiar warmth, she relaxed. A smile touched her lips, and she closed her eyes, melting into the embrace.
Around them, screams of surprise erupted from the students. Liora felt a little embarrassed, but more than that, she felt a surge of pride. The handsomest young CEO in England, the man vying for everyone's attention, was hugging her in front of the whole school.
Then, over Ronan's shoulder, Liora spotted Mia watching the scene from a distance, her face twisted in shock.
Liora couldn't resist. She gave Mia a small, evil smirk, then wrapped her arms around Ronan's neck and pulled him even closer. Seeing that, Mia turned and walked away, fuming with anger.
Ronan, who had been acting on pure instinct, suddenly came to his senses as he felt Liora's arms tighten around him. He quickly pulled away from the hug. He gripped her shoulders and spun her around, examining her from top to bottom for injuries.
"Are you okay?" Ronan asked urgently.
Liora looked at him in confusion. "Uh-huh?"
Realizing that dozens of students were staring at them, Ronan grabbed Liora's hand. "Let's go."
He walked her briskly out of the university and straight to his car. He opened the passenger door and nodded for Liora to get in. Liora obeyed silently; she knew something strange was happening, and she didn't want to stay on campus either.
Ronan walked around and got into the driver's seat.
"Mr. Brown, can you tell me what's going on here?" Liora asked.
Ronan didn't answer immediately. His face turned red as he replayed his earlier behavior in his mind.
Shit!! Why did I do that?! It was just a feeling, a made-up danger in my head. Why did I think something really happened to her? She seems fine. It's okay- wait a minute. Why do I care about her? Why did I want to hug her like that in the first place? Aaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!
Ronan was having a mental breakdown, arguing with himself, while Liora sat there watching him with a confused expression.
"Mr. Brown, are you okay?" Liora asked gently.
Ronan snapped out of his thoughts. "Uh, o-yeah. What happened earlier really.... I didn't mean it. S-sorry," he stammered.
"Hmm.. It's okay," Liora said softly, looking down shyly. "From now on, though, at least ask me before you do that."
Liora actually liked the hug, but she said this out of principle, not fully realizing the weight of her words.
Ronan's eyes widened. After this? Does that mean she expects me to hug her again from now on?
He pushed that thought aside and glared at her. No one had ever given him an order like that before. Well... it wasn't exactly an order. Liora had every right to say it. But for a CEO who got angry at even the smallest things, it felt like a challenge.
"What did you say?" Ronan snapped. "Why would I ask anyone to do what I want? If I want to hug, I'll hug, and if I want to kiss-"
Ronan choked on his own words, swallowing what he was about to say. He cleared his throat and started again.
"I do what I want. I don't ask anyone for permission."
When Ronan said that so arrogantly, Liora's bunny-like smile disappeared. She looked at him with genuine anger.
"What? Look, Mr. Brown, you can't just hug me whenever you want. I have the right to say that because this is my body. Why are you getting angry over such a small thing? You're so mean."
Liora opened the car door and got out. She pushed the door shut, SLAM.
Liora was someone who treated everyone the same. Whether it was a famous person or a poor beggar, she gave them equal respect, or equal attitude. That was why she spoke to Ronan like this without hesitation.
"Heyy, are you crazy??!!" Ronan shouted.
Liora stopped walking, turned around, marched back, opened the passenger door, and got in again.
"What did you say?" Liora asked.
Actually, Liora hadn't meant to slam the door loudly before. She had tried to close it normally, but just like with the sink and the doorknob, her extraordinary strength made her unable to control the force.
"Are you going crazy? Can't you just close the door slowly?" Ronan yelled.
This was Ronan, a man who loved his car dearly. If anyone other than his driver had been allowed in this car over the past few years, it was only Liora. It was a surprise even to him. This black luxury Bentley was the first car he had ever bought with his own money, and it held a special place in his life. That was why he was furious when Liora slammed the door hard enough to nearly break the hinges.
"Really?" Liora glared at him. "Do you understand now what it feels like to have someone touch your things without your permission, Mr. Brown?"
To prove her point, Liora slammed the door shut again, this time, even harder than before.
BANG!
Ronan's patience snapped completely.
"Shit!!" Ronan shouted through gritted teeth.
He scrambled out of the driver's side and chased after Liora, who was already storming away down the sidewalk. He grabbed her hand to stop her.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Ronan shouted.
"You're the one who has something wrong with you, Mr. Brown!" Liora yelled back, jumping away from him.
But before Ronan could scream anything else, his phone started ringing loudly in his pocket. He grabbed the phone, glaring daggers at Liora. He saw the caller ID: Secretary.
He answered the call, his voice dripping with venom. "What?!"
Liora actually jumped, startled by his shout. She felt bad for whoever was on the other end of the line.
"So?!" Ronan barked into the phone. He paused, listening. "Okay, I'll come."
Ronan hung up. Without even looking at Liora, he turned around, walked back to his car, and got in.
Liora stared at him as he drove past her without saying a word.
Left standing alone on the sidewalk with nothing else to do, Liora sighed. She decided to go back to her apartment and study for her exam.