Okay. First of all… What. The. Heck.
I couldn't stop staring at the photo.
It was me. Just me. Standing outside the Vanelli mansion like a total weirdo. Not doing anything sketchy, not spying (for once), just… breathing. And somehow, someone had taken a picture of that exact moment. And sent it to my laptop.
Which is a super chill and totally normal thing to happen when you're a college freshman, right?
Nope.
I slammed the laptop shut and jumped up, yanking the blinds closed in one very dramatic way. My heart was thudding like I'd just sprinted across campus, and my palms were sweaty, which was gross and unhelpful.
I turned and looked around the dorm. Empty. Silent. Still.
Too still.
"Okay," I whispered to no one, "either I'm losing my mind or someone's keeping tabs on me."
Then I paused. "Actually, both could be true."
I paced around the room, which was not helping, but sitting still felt worse. My thoughts were flying all over the place. What if RedHalo didn't send that file? What if it was someone else? One of the brothers? Another spy? Some secret fourth Vanelli cousin I didn't know about?
No. I needed to calm down.
So I did the only thing I could do.
I texted Lani.
me: u around?
lani : DUH i live here lol
me: wanna go to the student center w me or something
lani : u okay???
me: yeah just need a break
lani : omggg yess let me get dressed i look homeless brb
Bless Lani and her chaos energy.
Fifteen minutes later, we were walking across campus, which honestly looked way less haunted in daylight. The sun was out, birds were chirping like annoying background music, and students were everywhere, laughing, walking, shouting across the lawn like they were in a high school musical episode.
Normal. Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
"So," Lani said, sipping from her iced coffee, "spill. Something's off with you."
I shrugged. "Just tired."
"You lie terribly."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now spill. Is it boy problem? Did you kiss any? Please say you kissed one, I need the drama."
"What? No!" I nearly choked on my smoothie. "No one kissed me."
Lani raised an eyebrow. "So something did happen."
Ugh. I walked faster.
She jogged to catch up. "Come on, you've been weird all week. And you don't talk. It's literally disturbing."
"I just… there's a lot on my mind, okay?"
She gave me a look. "Babe, if you don't let people in, you're gonna explode."
And that was the thing. I wanted to let someone in. But I literally couldn't.
Spy Rule #6: Trust no one. Not even your dorm mate with glitter eyeliner and three hundred Instagram followers.
I forced a smile. "It's just school. Classes. Life."
"Lame," Lani muttered, but she let it go.
We found seats in the student center near the big windows and just sat there. Watching people walk by. Pretending I was normal.
And that's when Ryles showed up.
Of course.
Because God loves to mess with me.
He strolled in wearing joggers and a black hoodie like he hadn't just been surrounded by fangirls three hours ago. His hair looked too perfect for someone who was supposedly "relaxed" and "chill." And the second he spotted me, that weird smile spread across his face like he'd been waiting to see me.
"Oh my God, don't look now," I whispered to Lani.
She looked immediately. "Ryles. RYLES VANELLI IS COMING OVER. Girl—GIRL—breathe."
Too late.
He walked right up to our table like he belonged there. Like we'd invited him. He's such a flirt.
"Hey," he said, looking at me. Just me. "You left in a hurry yesterday."
I blinked. "You noticed?"
He smiled wider. "Of course I noticed."
Okay. What did he want from me now?
I thought he was too busy with his other girls that were always around him. He was smooth with his words. Too smooth. Too everything.
"I had homework, that's why I left quickly." I said, lame.
"Right." His eyes flicked over to Lani. "Hi."
Lani looked like she'd forgotten how to breathe.
"Lani," she squeaked.
"Nice to meet you, Lani," he said, then looked back at me. "You coming to the lake party this weekend?"
"There's a party?"
"There's always a party," he said, grinning.
I shrugged. "Maybe."
He leaned in a little. "Hope you do. Wouldn't want to miss seeing you there."
Then he walked off like a movie scene.
Lani immediately slapped my arm. "YOU HAVE TO GO."
"No way."
"Girl, that boy just flirted with you in front of me. ME. I don't even exist to him."
I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop the small smile. "He flirts with everyone."
"Not like that. Oh my God ew, I can't believe I'm living in a romance book."
But this wasn't a romance book.
This was real life.
And in real life, I had a mission.
That night, back in the dorm, I opened my laptop again. No new messages. No weird files. No more creepy tree-stalker photos.
But one thing was clear: Someone was watching me. And if I was going to stay alive, I had to watch back.
Cassien was clearly hiding something. Ryles was too smooth to be clueless. And Matteo? He was a walking secret with those stormy eyes and midnight-walk energy.
But I wasn't just here to fall in love.
I was here to find the artifact. Finish the mission.
And not get my heart broken in the process.
Spy rule #1: Don't let it get personal.
Too late.
It looks like it already did.