The Secret Between Us

The first time I saw Lucas Vale, I hated him. Not because he had done anything to me. Not yet. I hated him because he arrived at eight in the morning in a black Mercedes while I was standing under the scorching Manila sun, desperately trying to keep my printed notes from getting wet. Typical. Some people had chauffeurs. Some people had expensive umbrellas. And some people—like me—had a plastic raincoat folded inside their bag and exactly eighty-seven pesos left in their wallet until Friday. I belonged to the third category. “Move!” Someone bumped into my shoulder. My papers slipped from my hands. “Oh my gosh!” I immediately crouched down. Pages scattered across the university courtyard, some landing on the pavement while others were carried away by the wind. “Great.” I grabbed the nearest page. Then another. Then another. A sheet flew farther than the rest and landed directly beside a pair of polished black shoes. I froze. A hand reached down before I could. Long fingers. A silver watch. The person picked up my paper. I slowly looked up. And immediately regretted it. He was tall. Annoyingly tall. His black hair was slightly messy, but somehow it looked intentional. He wore a perfectly pressed white polo shirt, black trousers, and an expensive-looking watch that probably cost more than everything inside my bag. His face was calm. Too calm. The kind of face that made you think he'd never had to worry about tuition fees, deadlines, or whether his remaining money could survive until payday. He looked at the paper in his hand. Then at me. “You dropped this.” His voice was low. Calm. Almost emotionless. I reached for the paper. “Thanks.” He handed it to me. I expected him to walk away. He didn't. Neither did I. For a strange second, we simply stared at each other while the drizzle continued falling around us. Then a man's voice interrupted us. “Lucas.” The stranger turned. A man in a dark suit stood beside the black Mercedes. “Your father's waiting.” My eyes moved back to the guy in front of me. Lucas. So this was him. I'd heard the name before. Everyone had. Lucas Vale. The only son of Adrian Vale, one of the country's most powerful businessmen. The Vale family owned hotels, restaurants, commercial buildings, and several private companies. Basically, they owned enough things to make someone like me feel poor just by standing nearby. Lucas glanced toward the car. Then something strange happened. His expression changed. Only for a second. His eyes shifted toward the man in the suit. There was something in them. Not annoyance. Not anger. Fear. I blinked. But it was already gone. “Coming.” He turned and walked toward the Mercedes. I watched him open the door. Before getting inside, he looked back. Our eyes met again. Then he got into the car. The door closed. The Mercedes drove away. I stared after it. “Rich people.” I looked down at my ruined papers. “Must be nice.” I had no idea that the boy in that car would become the biggest problem of my life. Or months later, I would be standing in front of him with tears running down my face, begging him to tell me the truth. But that morning, Lucas Vale was nothing more than an irritatingly handsome stranger. And I intended to keep it that way. Three Hours Later “Class, settle down.” Professor Martinez placed a stack of papers on the desk. The room slowly became quiet. I opened my notebook. Beside me, Nina leaned closer. “Did you see him?” I didn't look at her. “See who?” She stared at me like I'd just asked her what oxygen was. “Lucas Vale.” I sighed. “Yes, Nina. I know who Lucas Vale is.” “You saw him?” “Earlier.” “Where?” “The courtyard.” Her eyes widened. “You talked to him?” “He picked up my paper.” “You talked to him!” “Technically, he talked to me.” Nina grabbed my arm. “What did he say?” “That I dropped something.” She stared at me. I stared back. “That’s it?” “That’s it.” She looked disappointed. “Wow. Very romantic.” I rolled my eyes. “It was a piece of paper, Nina.” She opened her mouth to respond, but the classroom suddenly became louder. Whispers spread from the back of the room. I didn't need to ask why. I already knew. I turned around. Lucas Vale had entered the classroom. The same white polo. The same black hair. The same unreadable expression. Except now, dozens of students were watching him. Girls whispered to each other. Some were trying not to stare. A few guys greeted him. Lucas acknowledged almost none of them. He simply walked to the empty seat two rows behind me. He sat down. Pulled out his phone. And acted like the entire room didn't exist. Nina slowly leaned toward me. “He's in our class.” “Apparently.” “You didn't know?” “No.” She grinned. “You're going to fall in love with him.” I turned toward her. “Absolutely not.” “You said that way too quickly.” “Because it's true.” She laughed. The professor cleared his throat. “Before we begin today's lecture, I have an announcement.” Everyone quieted down. “Your midterm project will be completed in pairs.” A collective groan filled the classroom. I immediately felt a headache coming. Professor Martinez continued reading names. “Carla and Miguel.” Two students high-fived. “Joshua and Daniel.” More groaning. I wrote the names down. Then the professor paused. “Amelia Reyes.” I raised my hand. “Here.” He looked down at the list. “Lucas Vale.” Silence. My pen stopped moving. Slowly, I turned around. Lucas looked up from his phone. Our eyes met. The professor continued. “You two will be partners.” My stomach dropped. Nina slowly turned toward me. Her eyes were enormous. I whispered, “No.” She whispered back, “Yes.” Lucas stood and walked toward our row. He stopped beside my desk. “Looks like we're partners.” I looked up at him. “Unfortunately.” One corner of his mouth lifted. “That's a little harsh.” “I don't know you.” “You seem to have already made up your mind about me.” “Have you given me a reason not to?” His eyebrow lifted. “No.” He pulled out the empty chair beside me and sat down. I turned back toward the professor. This was going to be a disaster. I could already feel it. -After Class- I packed my things as quickly as possible. I needed to get to work. My part-time shift started at five, and I still had two chapters to read before tomorrow. “Amelia.” I stopped. Lucas stood beside my desk. “What?” “When are you free?” “For the project?” He nodded. “Tomorrow.” “I have work.” “After?” “I'll be tired.” “Saturday?” “Family stuff.” “Sunday?” “Church.” He stared at me. “You're busy.” “Yes.” He almost smiled. “I noticed.” I put my notebook into my bag. “Send me your schedule.” “I don't have it.” “You don't have a schedule?” “I don't plan that far ahead.” “Of course you don't.” He frowned. “What does that mean?” “Nothing.” I walked past him. “See you tomorrow, Vale.” “Amelia.” I stopped. He sounded different. Serious. I turned around. He was looking at me. “Don't call me Vale.” I frowned. “Why?” His expression became unreadable. “Just don't.” Before I could ask anything else, he walked away. I watched him leave. For some reason, the request bothered me. Not because it was strange. Because of the way he had said it. Like hearing his last name from me meant something. Like it reminded him of something he desperately wanted to forget. I shook my head. I was overthinking it. Lucas Vale was just a rich boy. A spoiled rich boy. A mysterious rich boy. An annoyingly handsome rich boy— I stopped myself. “No.” I shook my head again. “Absolutely not.” I picked up my bag. I wasn't falling for him. I couldn't. And I definitely wasn't going to become curious about his secrets. Unfortunately, curiosity had already started. And Lucas Vale had no idea how dangerous it would become.