CHAPTER 1 — The Girl Who Never Needed Her Crown
1161 Words
Ariella Cole grew up in a world where chandeliers glowed like tiny suns and marble floors reflected the faces of people who thought wealth made them important. But she had never been one of them. Even as a child, she walked through luxury with the quiet confidence of someone who knew that money was the least interesting part of her life.
Her parents, Richard and Elena Cole, owned one of the city’s largest business empires. They dressed elegantly, spoke gently, and loved their daughter fiercely. But they did not raise her to be fragile. Ariella climbed trees in the backyard, washed her own dishes even when housekeepers tried to stop her, and insisted on carrying her own schoolbag—no matter how expensive her clothes were.
She loved her simple habits. She loved people. She loved life.
And she loved Vanessa Reid.
Vanessa had been her best friend since they were six—fiery, dramatic, always talking, always dreaming. Her parents weren’t wealthy, but Ariella adored her anyway. She believed friendship had nothing to do with bank accounts.
Vanessa believed otherwise.
Even as kids, she noticed how people admired Ariella’s family, how teachers praised Ariella’s brilliance, how her parents attended every school event with warm smiles and open arms. Vanessa’s parents rarely came. They were too busy working and too tired to notice her.
Instead of leaning toward Ariella’s light, Vanessa let it burn her.
But Ariella was unaware. She trusted too easily, forgave too quickly, and believed too deeply in the goodness of others. She loved Vanessa like a sister, and to her, that love was enough.
It wasn’t enough for Vanessa.
Not when envy grows quietly.
Not when it grows for years.
---
Colewood Academy was the type of school where kids arrived in private cars and wore designer shoes. The entrance gate alone looked like it belonged to a palace. Ariella didn’t care much for it, but she was used to being the girl everyone whispered about.
Today, however, someone else caught the attention of the entire courtyard.
A boy stood at the gates, holding a worn-out backpack with one strap sewn back together. His uniform was clean but old, the fabric slightly faded. He looked around as if he wasn’t sure he belonged.
His name was Kian Hale—and he had just won a full academic scholarship.
"Who’s that?" students whispered.
"Scholarship kid."
"He looks so lost."
"Did you see his shoes?"
Ariella stepped forward before the whispers grew crueler. Her instinct had always been kindness—quiet and strong.
“Hi,” she said with a small smile, stopping in front of him. “You must be new. I’m Ariella.”
He blinked. He had expected mockery, maybe pity. He had not expected her.
“Kian,” he said softly. “Kian Hale.”
“Welcome to Colewood, Kian.”
Behind her, Vanessa’s jaw tightened.
She watched Ariella speak to him—watched the softness in her face, the warmth in her voice. Ariella rarely smiled like that. Rarely offered that much interest to anyone.
Vanessa forced a laugh and stepped beside Ariella, looping an arm through hers.
“You don’t need to talk to every stranger you see,” she said lightly, but her eyes were sharp.
Ariella laughed gently. “He’s not a stranger anymore. He’s a new student.”
Vanessa didn’t smile back.
She looked at Kian like he was an intruder.
---
Inside the classroom, the teacher introduced him again. “Class, this is Kian Hale, our scholarship awardee.”
Some students clapped politely. Others stared.
Ariella genuinely smiled.
Vanessa faked one.
Kian sat three seats behind them, quietly taking out a notebook. He ignored the stares, the whispers, the subtle snickers. He had grown up with little, but he had never allowed poverty to define his worth.
But he couldn’t ignore Ariella.
Every time he lifted his head, she was already looking back at him—encouraging, welcoming, almost as if she could tell he felt out of place.
She mouthed: You’ll do great.
And for the first time that morning, he believed it.
---
By lunchtime, the whispers were louder.
Ariella heard everything—she always did.
“Why is she talking to him?”
“He looks like he hasn’t eaten in days.”
“His backpack is probably older than the school.”
Ariella’s voice cut through the gossip. “If you can’t say anything kind, don’t say anything at all.”
Her tone was soft, but people listened.
They always listened to Ariella.
Vanessa watched her, irritation burning in her stomach. Since when did Ariella defend some boy she barely knew? Since when did she smile that warmly at someone else?
It wasn’t fair.
Ariella had everything—money, beauty, parents, admiration—and now she wanted to play guardian angel to a scholarship boy too?
Vanessa forced a smile when Ariella looked her way. “I’m going to the restroom,” she said lightly.
She didn’t go to the restroom.
She went to the principal’s office.
---
Kian was called in shortly after.
He didn’t know why.
But he saw Vanessa leave the office with a satisfied smile.
He didn’t understand it.
Not yet.
Inside the office, the principal frowned at him. “Kian, it has come to our attention that you were seen wandering near the staff room this morning. Some items were reported missing.”
Kian froze. “Sir… I didn’t take anything.”
The principal sighed. “We will look into it. But many students already reported seeing you there.”
Students.
Or one student?
A jealous one?
Vanessa’s words echoed in Ariella’s ears when she found Kian standing alone afterward, shoulders tense, eyes confused.
“Is everything okay?” she asked softly.
He hesitated. “Someone accused me of stealing.”
Ariella blinked. “What? You would never do that.”
He swallowed. “You barely know me.”
“I don’t need to know you to know you’re not a thief.”
He stared at her—really stared.
No one had ever defended him so quickly.
No one had ever believed in him so effortlessly.
Vanessa saw them speaking from across the hall.
Smiling at each other.
Connecting.
And in that moment, a dark seed finally rooted itself deep inside her heart.
Envy.
Not the childish envy she used to feel.
A stronger kind.
A dangerous kind.
The kind that would later destroy lives.
---
As the school bell rang, Ariella walked out with her books held close, still thinking about Kian. Something about him felt… different. Something honest. Something gentle.
Kian watched her leave, wondering how someone with everything could still be so humble.
Vanessa watched them both, her expression hollowing into something colder.
She had always wanted to be the center of Ariella’s world.
But now, for the first time, she felt herself being replaced.
And she wasn’t going to let that happen.
Not now.
Not ever.
- Writer
