Class time finally arrived. Lana slipped into the room and settled in a corner, alone as always. She was used to it, used to not having friends. Her only goal was to finish school and work hard for her mother.
The door opened and a group of guys came in, making noise, laughing loud enough to turn a few heads. Lana's irritation flared almost immediately, but then her gaze landed on the tall guy walking with them.
He was… impossible to ignore. Handsome, rogue-stylish, hot in that careless way, but none of it was her concern. Her annoyance boiled because he was the idiot who had bumped into her earlier. She remembered the outfit he'd worn, the smug look on his face.
"Asshole," she whispered under her breath, glancing at him sharply. And oh God, he was already flirting with a girl in front of him, smirking and laughing.
Then someone called his name: "Aiden!"
Lana rolled her eyes, her irritation deepening. She didn't have the energy for his type.
At that moment, the lecturer walked into the room, and the chatter began to die down.
,---
The lecturer stepped up to the front of the hall, clearing his throat. His voice echoing. "Good morning, everyone. I'm Professor Carter, and I'll be guiding you through this course in business management. Over the semester, we'll cover everything from organizational behavior to basic accounting, leadership principles, and the foundations of marketing. This course is designed to give you a solid understanding of the business world and prepare you for real-life challenges."
He paused to glance around the room, letting the introductions sink in. "Attendance and participation are key. I expect everyone to engage with the material and with each other. Questions are encouraged, but I also expect respect and professionalism at all times."
Lana took notes quietly across her notebook. Her eyes flicked up occasionally, scanning the room. That's when she noticed him again.
Aiden. Tall, smug, impossibly confident. He was sitting with his group of friends a few rows ahead of her, whispering and laughing under their breaths. At first, she tried to ignore them, but then her eyes caught what they were looking at on the phone in Aiden's hand.
Her stomach twisted. A picture of a girl, completely exposed—nudes. He was showing it to his friends, laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world.
Lana's hand clenched around her pen. Her irritation flared, hot and immediate. Unbelievable. She felt like the universe had played a cruel joke,someone like him in her class. Worse, someone like him in her course, someone she'd have to sit near, interact with, maybe even work with.
She pressed her lips together, jaw tight. Her fingers drummed against her notebook, trying to focus, but all she could think was how unfortunate it was that this idiot was now part of her academic life.
---
Lana tried to focus on the lecture, pen moving across her notebook, but it was impossible. Aiden and his friends were whispering, snickering, their phones flashing in the corner of her eye. Every time she tried to concentrate, the laughter cut through her thoughts.
Finally, Professor Carter's sharp voice cut through the distraction. "Excuse me," he said, his eyes narrowing as they scanned the room. "The boy in the middle...yes, you. Stand up, please. Tell the class why you're so happy."
Aiden shifted in his seat, shrugging, trying to act nonchalant. He stood slowly, shoulders back, a lazy smirk on his face like this was all part of his charm. "It's nothing," he said, voice casual, eyes half-rolling as if the lecturer's demand was beneath him.
The lecturer's gaze didn't waver. "Nothing? Then tell me, why are you in this course? Why do you want to study business?"
The entire room went silent. Lana's heart sank a little, expecting the usual arrogant or lazy answer...but then Aiden opened his mouth.
"I want to study business," he said, voice calm but confident, "because it's about understanding people, understanding systems, and knowing how to make things work efficiently. It's about strategy, leadership, and making decisions that actually matter. I want to learn how to create value, not just for myself, but for whoever I'm responsible for."
A hush fell over the class for a heartbeat, and then, slowly, hands began clapping. Not just polite applause, but genuine admiration. Lana felt a pang of frustration mixed with disbelief. Of course he's smart, she thought, but he's still an arrogant idiot.
She couldn't hold it in anymore. Her hand shot up before she realized, and she spoke clearly, cutting through the lingering claps:
"Why say all that," she said, voice sharp, eyes locked on him, "when you're not even going to practice it? All the talk in the world doesn't mean a thing if you're just here to show off."
Aiden's smirk faltered slightly, surprise flickering across his face. A few of his friends muttered, and some students around the room exchanged impressed glances at Lana, some giggling quietly at the confrontation.
The lecturer raised an eyebrow, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips, clearly impressed by her honesty. "Point taken," he said, voice calm but firm. "I expect all of you to take this seriously, not just talk about it."
Lana exhaled, chest tight with a mix of relief and lingering irritation. She had gotten the words out. She had called him out, and even if it was only in front of a few people, it felt good. Aiden, for the first time, looked like he wasn't completely in control of the room, and that small crack made her heart beat a little faster, part satisfaction, part irritation.
Aiden's eyes narrowed, a faint smirk creeping back onto his face. "Oh, so now you're the expert on me?" he said, voice teasing, leaning slightly on his desk. "You think calling me out like that makes you better than me?"
Lana didn't flinch. She crossed her arms, her gaze sharp, steady. "Better? No. But smarter enough to know that words mean nothing if you don't do anything with them," she shot back, voice calm but cutting.
A hush spread across the classroom for a beat, then a few students whispered to each other, smirking. One girl near the back muttered, "Ohhh… no she didn't."
"Ohhh she did," another added, stifling a laugh.
Even some of Aiden's friends paused, unsure how to react. The usual laughter didn't come; instead, there was that low buzz of shock and amusement, the kind that made everyone lean in a little closer to watch.
Aiden blinked at her, clearly caught off guard. He wasn't used to someone standing toe-to-toe with him, especially not someone in his own class. His smirk faltered for a moment, replaced by curiosity, and maybe, just maybe, a hint of respect he wouldn't admit out loud.
Lana, meanwhile, just adjusted her notebook, chest heaving slightly, hands trembling a bit from the adrenaline of speaking up. But her eyes didn't leave him. She was ready for whatever he wanted to throw next, and the small crowd of classmates around them were already hooked on the show.