Chapter 1: Morning Catastrophe
Waking early in the morning, looking outside the window, seeing the beautiful bed of flowers in the garden makes it another great day for Audrey.
The weather seemed to be perfect,
but when she suddenly looked at her alarm clock on her study table, she realized—
"OMG, I'm running late!"
She rushed into the bathroom, primping herself as quickly as she could.
It hit her then—she had read too much romance fiction the night before and forgotten to set her alarm.
Getting too absorbed in books was one of her known weaknesses.
It was the first day of another school year… and this was turning into a catastrophe.
Once she'd made sure she was presentable, she stormed downstairs like a hurricane—
but just before she opened the door, her brother stopped her.
A second catastrophe, narrowly avoided.
"Audrey, stop. Where is your ID?"
Levi smiled as he prepared a packed breakfast for his sister.
He was always like this—almost motherly.
Their parents were both working abroad, so Levi, as the eldest, had taken up the role of caretaker for his ever-carefree little sister.
"Gosh, it's still in my room! Why didn't you wake me up early?!"
Eyebrows furrowed, Audrey darted upstairs.
Levi slipped his shoes on, handing Audrey her breakfast as she ran back down.
She wouldn't be eating at home—not at this rate.
He liked annoying her at times.
They studied at the same university—Levi was a college freshman, Audrey in her final year of high school.
"I don't need to wake you up early. We still have an hour before we both run late for school."
Levi smirked as he walked calmly to the door.
"What do you mean??? It's already past 8 o'clock! Our classes start at 8!"
Her voice was full of panic.
"I really can't believe you let your cute little sister be late on her first day of school!"
"I adjusted your alarm clock an hour earlier because you move so slowly every morning—like a turtle."
Levi chuckled as he held up his phone and showed her the real time.
"Argh! You are such a…! I'm seriously going to destroy that perfectly waxed hair of yours!"
"Hands off! Hahaha."
He stepped back teasingly—he knew Audrey couldn't reach him.
She wasn't exactly tall.
"You really are so cute jumping like a shrimp."
"This is the reason why you still don't have a girlfriend. You don't know how to treat girls properly."
Audrey walked to the mailbox.
"It's here! Kyle wrote back!"
She held the letter to her chest, embracing it like it was made of stardust.
The sound of Kyle's name stirred something inside Levi.
He knew who Kyle was—but something in him twisted, bitter and silent.
Still… Audrey's joy made him happy. That was enough.
For now.
If she found out the truth… she might not smile like this again.
And Levi… he would do anything to keep her smiling.
He was her brother.
That's what he told himself.
And that's who he tried to be—for her sake.
They arrived at school early.
It wasn't far.
Audrey noticed a group of students gathered outside their building, all focused on something.
She spotted her best friend, Kylie, and walked over.
"Morning, Kylie. What's going on?"
"Wow, you're early," Kylie replied, eyes scanning her phone.
"I know, right? It's my brother. Geez, I'll tell you about it later."
Audrey glanced at the crowd.
"It's just a sports car. Why make a big deal out of it?"
"I know! But look!"
Kylie showed her the screen.
"There's a rumor on our school page—someone prestigious is transferring today. And they say he's really good-looking. His family donated the new auditorium, and… apparently, he's untouchable."
Audrey's stomach twisted a little.
"Let's just go to our room now. I don't feel good about crazy rich people transferring to our school."
Classes were about to begin.
Audrey and Kylie chose seats by the window.
Their teacher, Miss Devon, entered—
and a new student walked in behind her.
Audrey's gaze locked on his face.
Something about him felt… familiar.
"Good morning, class! Everyone, take your seats," said Miss Devon.
"As you all know, we have a transferee joining us. Please, introduce yourself."
The boy stepped forward.
"Hi, everyone. My name is Aiden Wang. I transferred here because I am searching for someone who is dear to me. I hope that we can all become friends."
When he said "dear to me," his eyes caught Audrey's.
She felt her heart skip and quickly looked away.
Her mind raced.
He looked familiar. Too familiar.
Yes, he was undeniably good-looking…
But that wasn't what unsettled her.
It was something deeper. Something buried.
Just who was this guy?