Ember dragged her suitcases down the hallway, the wheels echoing softly against polished floors that seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction. The girls' dormitory was vast—too vast—and every corridor looked exactly like the last.
Room 311.
She stopped, checked again, then continued walking.
Still nothing.
She spotted a door with a number close enough to give her hope and, without overthinking it, pushed it open.
Pink exploded into her senses.
The room was drenched in red and blush tones, heart-shaped furniture pressed up against the walls, glittering décor everywhere. The air was thick—perfume layered over cigarette smoke, sweet and suffocating. Glamour oozed from every surface.
Two girls sat sprawled across a heart-shaped bed. Another lounged at a vanity, her reflection sharp and familiar enough to make Ember's chest tighten.
She looked like… Jasmine.
Before Ember could process it, one of the girls shot up and rushed toward her.
"Oh my God, I'm so sor—" she started.
Then her expression changed.
"Wrong room!" the girl snapped, slamming the door shut in Ember's face.
"Who was that?" a voice called from inside.
"Probably some stray sub," another replied, followed by laughter.
Ember stood there for a moment, blinking at the closed door. Then she exhaled, more annoyed than hurt, and shrugged it off.
As she continued searching, realization dawned on her.
She was on the top floor.
The Golden level.
The elite apartments.
She frowned, irritated at herself, and turned back toward the elevator. As the doors slid open on the first floor, she nearly collided with Liora and her entourage.
They didn't stop.
They brushed past her as if she were furniture—an elbow to her side, a shoulder nudging her aside—already deep in conversation.
"She just stood there," one of the girls laughed. "It was so embarrassing."
Another stroked Liora's hair indulgently as they giggled.
Ember steadied herself and watched them pass.
Liora's presence was undeniable. Her hair caught the light as if it were made for it, her body moving with the confidence of someone who had never been told no. There was power in her aura—raw and commanding—the kind that made people bend without realizing they were doing it.
Just before the elevator doors closed, Ember caught her profile. And that smile.
Beautiful. Controlled. Untouchable.
The doors slid shut.
Ember stood alone, fingers tightening around the handle of her suitcase.
This school wasn't going to be easy.
But she had never been good at listening.
By the time Ember finally found her room, dinner had already passed.
She dropped her bags, barely took in her surroundings, and slept like someone whose body had traveled faster than her mind could keep up with.
——————————————————
The next day moved quickly—classes, introductions, Paragon's quiet cruelty disguised as order. By afternoon, Lily had decided Ember needed rescuing.
"My café," Lily announced proudly as they crossed the courtyard. "The Ivy Box. Best coffee on campus. On my life."
Ember glanced at her, unconvinced. Lily's energy was always like this—bright, chaotic, warm in a way Ember wasn't used to but didn't mind.
"You're vibrating," Ember said. "I don't think I can stand for three seconds with all that matcha in your system."
"Trust me," Lily shot back. "This latte is worth spiritual enlightenment."
Then she hesitated.
"But… there's always a line."
Ember followed her gaze.
The line stretched nearly out the door.
They joined it anyway.
Ten minutes passed. Then thirty. Then an hour.
Ember shifted her weight, already reconsidering every life choice that had brought her here.
That was when the atmosphere changed.
The café doors opened—and conversation dimmed instantly.
Daniel walked in with his friends.
No hesitation. No pause. They moved straight to the front of the line, bypassing everyone as if the queue simply did not apply to them. No one protested. People stepped aside on instinct, dazed by proximity, by power, by reputation.
Ember felt something hot twist in her chest.
She stepped out of line.
Lily didn't notice until it was too late.
"Excuse me," Ember said clearly.
The café went quiet.
"As you can see," she continued, gesturing behind her, "there's a line. I know they call you the King, but this is a university. People have places to be."
Daniel turned.
And froze.
He just stared at her.
The way one stared at something impossible. Familiar. Wrong.
Her face—
It looked like—
"Hello?" Ember added, irritation creeping in.
Lily rushed forward, mortified, grabbing Ember's arm and yanking her back.
"I'm so sorry," Lily blurted, panic-smiling. "Sir—uh—King. She's new. Very new."
She laughed too loudly. "Let's just—get back in line."
Daniel's friends exchanged looks.
"Did you just let that—" Amal started.
"—slide?" Daniel finished, still staring.
Something was off.
Amal noticed it instantly.
The barista slid their drinks across the counter. Amal grabbed them and gently—but firmly—pulled Daniel away, careful, like touching him might break whatever spell he was under.
Daniel didn't stop looking at Ember.
Not until the café door nearly shut behind him.
Then—he stopped.Turned.
And walked back.
Ember's stomach dropped.
He stopped in front of her, close enough that she caught his scent—warm, expensive, unmistakably Hennessy.
Have you always been here," he asked lightly, "little troublemaker?"
The grin on his face didn't match his eyes.
Ember blinked, suddenly unsure whether he wanted to argue with her… or kiss her.
"I—" she hesitated, then exhaled. "I'm sorry. I just needed a latte."
He studied her for a long moment.
Then nodded once. "Mm."
He leaned in, voice dropping just for her.
"I've got a feeling," he said softly, "we'll be meeting again. Very soon, actually."
Then he straightened, turned, and walked out with his boys like nothing had happened.
The café erupted in whispers.
Lily stared at Ember like she'd just survived an execution.
Ember stood still.
Confused. Uneasy.
And for reasons she couldn't explain—
Seen.
Somewhere across campus, something ancient shifted.
And Daniel, for the first time in years, forgot the taste of alcohol entirely.
——————————————————
Daniel walked out with his friends.
Jasmine was waiting.
She looked insane, as usual. Perfect hair. Perfect skin. That kind of beauty people paid attention to even when they didn't want to. She walked straight up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek.
"Ready to go?" she asked, voice soft.
Daniel didn't smile.
"Actually," he said, already pulling back, "something came up. We're not going out today."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
He didn't stop walking. "I'll call you," he said flatly.
That was it.
He got into his black Lamborghini with his friends and drove off, leaving her standing there.
No explanation. No apology.
The car was loud. Trap music shaking the seats. Champagne already open. They headed straight to the beach house, ocean stretching wide and careless outside the windows.
Daniel sat back, jaw tight.
"I said I wouldn't bring it up," one of them laughed, "but bro… what the hell was that?"
They burst out laughing.
"I swear," another added, "I never thought I'd see the day the King froze."
Daniel grinned. "Relax. You're exaggerating."
He reached for a drink, paused, then put it down.
"Tolu," he said casually. "You still got access to school records?"
The laughter stopped.
Tolu looked at him. "Daniel?"
His brows pulled together. "This better not be what I think it is."
Daniel didn't answer. He just held out his hand.
After a second, Tolu sighed and handed over the laptop. "Don't drag me into your mess."
Daniel opened the system.
New students.
Faculty: Strategic Leadership and Innovation.
He scrolled.
Then he saw her.
Picture. Name. Details.
Ember Raymond.
Transfer student.
Maroon tag.
Subordinate.
His chest tightened hard.
Her face slammed into his mind — the café, the way she spoke to him, the way she wasn't impressed. Then the dream layered over it. Her hand in his. The calm voice. The demon disappearing.
Same eyes. Same presence.
This wasn't coincidence.
He shut the laptop. "Ember," he said quietly.
The name felt wrong in his mouth. Too familiar. Too close.
He leaned back, expression dark, no trace of humor left.
"Yeah," he muttered. "I'm definitely going to find you."
The waves crashed outside.
And back on campus, completely unaware, Ember went about her night like nothing had changed.
But something had.
And Paragon was already shifting around her.