An Offer She Never Expected
1291 Words
Maya got to Sterling University before it was usual the next day, hoping to stay away from the constant talk that had been following her since she hit Aiden. Unfortunately, the rumors had only grown overnight.
As she walked through the front gates, people stopped talking. Some students smiled at her and looked up to her, but others watched her like she had done something really bad.
“There she is.”
“The girl who slapped Aiden Sterling.”
“I heard he didn’t even get angry.”
Maya took a deep breath and kept walking towards the Business Administration building. One thing she found out as she grew up was that gossip tends to fade over time. She just needed to ignore it for a while.
“You’ve become famous.”Chloe Bennett walked over to her and held out a cup of coffee in each hand.
“I’d rather be invisible,” Maya replied.
Chloe laughed and gave her one of the cups. “Well, that’s impossible now. Half the girls on campus are asking how you made it after slapping Aiden.”
“I’m still wondering the same thing.”
They both laughed, and for a moment, Maya forgot about the weird things that had happened the day before—the pendant getting warm against her chest, Professor Hayes looking worried, and that creepy feeling like someone had been watching her.
As they arrived at the lecture hall, Maya felt the pendant pulse once more.
It was faint.
Almost unnoticeable.
She instinctively placed a hand over it.
“Are you okay?” Chloe asked.
“I’m fine.”
The feeling went away just as fast as it appeared.
Before Maya had time to think about it more, a familiar voice cut in and interrupted her thoughts.
“Brooks.”She turned.
Aiden was standing a few feet back, wearing a charcoal-gray suit rather than his usual relaxed clothes. He looked just as confident as usual, but there was a change in the way he was expressing himself.
He wasn’t smiling to mock her.
He looked… serious.
“What do you want?” Maya asked.
“Can we talk?”
She folded her arms.
“We’ve never needed to talk before.”
“I know.”
“I have class.” Maya said with a serious look
“So do I.”
“Then we’re both busy.”She began to walk away, but Aiden spoke again.
“This is important.”
His tone stopped her.
Not because she trusted him, but because she had never heard him sound that sincere.
She looked at Chloe.
“I’ll talk to you later,” Chloe said, smiling at Maya to show her support, and then walked into the classroom.
Maya turned back to Aiden.
“You have five minutes.”
He didn’t say a thing and started walking her towards the botanical garden behind the library. The morning sun passed through the tall trees, and the fountain in the middle of the garden made a soft sound as the water flowed.
They stopped beneath an old oak tree.
Maya waited.
“So?” she asked.
Aiden took a slow breath.
“My father arranged my marriage.”
She blinked.“What?”
“He wants me to marry Sophia Hartwell.”
“I thought rich people got to choose.”
“So did I.”
She studied him carefully.
For the first time, Aiden Sterling didn’t seem like the confident heir everyone admired. He looked frustrated.
“And what does this have to do with me?”
“My dad won’t call off the engagement unless he thinks I’m already in love with someone else.”
Maya frowned.“I still don’t know where I belong in this.”
Aiden hesitated.
Then he met her eyes.
“I want you to act like my girlfriend.”
For a moment, Maya thought she had heard him wrong.
“You want… what?”
“I know it sounds crazy.”
“Crazy?” she said again, laughing a little. “Sterling, you’ve gone totally insane.”
“I’ve thought this through.”
“No, you clearly haven’t.”
She turned to walk away, but he moved in front of her—not near enough to block her path, just close enough to make her stop and look at him.
“Please hear me out.”
“Why me?”
“Because you’re the only person my father would never expect.”
She stared at him.“You’ve spent two years laughing at me.”
“I know.”
“You’ve embarrassed me in front of everyone.”
“I know.”
“And now you want me to help you?”
“I’m asking for a chance.”
Maya crossed her arms firmly over her chest.“What exactly would I gain from this agreement?”
“I’ll pay your tuition.”
She didn’t react.
“I’ll ensure your scholarship remains safe and secure at all times.”
Still nothing.
“I’ll pay your rent.”
Her expression changed ever so slightly.
“I’ll take care of your sister Emma’s school fees.”
The color drained from Maya’s face.“How do you know about Emma?”
Aiden looked away for a moment.
“I asked someone to check on your case.”
“You investigated my family?”
“I wanted to understand what challenges you were facing.”
Anger flashed across Maya’s face.“You had no right.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.” She stepped back, her breaths coming fast and not even.
“My family isn’t something you can try to negotiate or make deals with.”
“I’m not trying to buy you.”
“It certainly sounds like you are.”
Silence settled between them.
Aiden sighed. “I deserve that.”
Maya looked at him, confused.
He wasn’t arguing.He wasn’t making jokes.He didn’t act like the proud boy she had known for two years.
“I treated you badly,” he said in a quiet voice. “I don’t feel proud of that.”
Those words caught Maya off guard.
It sounded like…
An apology.
Before she could answer, the pendant under her blouse started to feel hot against her skin.
A sharp pain shot through her chest.
She gasped and instinctively grabbed the necklace.
Aiden stepped forward.
“Maya?”
“I’m… fine.”
But she wasn’t.
For a moment, she saw something that couldn’t be real.
Behind Aiden, hiding in the trees, stood a figure wearing a hood and having bright red eyes.
The figure smiled.
Then vanished.
The pain went away just as quickly as it appeared.
“Maya?” Aiden asked again, his face showing worry instead of confusion. “What’s wrong?”
She looked toward the trees.
There was no one there.
Had she imagined it?Or had someone really been watching them?
Hundreds of miles away, beneath the remnants of an ancient cathedral shrouded in potent magic, Damien Sterling stood before a pool of obsidian water. The surface undulated independently before disclosing the likeness of Maya grasping the pendant around her neck.
“So,” Damien remarked with a pleased grin, “the seal is deteriorating more rapidly than I anticipated.”
A shadowy figure stepped out from the darkness and bowed.
“My lord, shall we proceed now?”
Damien’s grin broadened.
“No.”
He maintained his gaze on Maya’s likeness.
“Allow the girl to think she is leading a normal life for a while longer.”
He tightened his fist, causing the image to vanish.
“When the moment arrives…”
“…she will guide us directly to the Celestial Heart.”
- Writer
