Chapter 8: First Test
1144 Words
Maeve's POV
"My name is Lucian Vale."
Silence.
For exactly one second before the entire hall exploded.
"What?"
"The Lucian Vale?"
"No way!"
I frowned.
Students who looked bored a couple of minutes ago sat upright.
"Vale Corporation?"
"That Vale?"
"It's rumoured that the youngest son of the Vale family, Lucian Vale, is the most important of them all and the new head of The Vale," one student murmured beside me.
"Even the president doesn't dare take him lightly," another said.
"He doesn't come out in the open and there are barely any photos of him online. Any one published is always taken down within minutes. Like some kind of mysterious force behind the scenes."
"Oh my God, he's super hot."
The last comment was followed by giggles.
I stared at them, then back at the man standing on the stage.
Lucian Vale.
The businessman.
The genius entrepreneur.
Every single word these people said didn't fit the image I had in my head.
A man who could casually murder someone without blinking or showing remorse?
Monster.
THIS GUY'S A DEMON!!!
I wanted nothing more than to scream it out loud.
Meanwhile everyone else looked ready to worship him.
The irony almost made me laugh.
Knots formed in my stomach.
No.
This had to be some kind of mistake.
People like him didn't belong in places like this.
Not in universities.
Not in classrooms.
Not standing in front of students discussing mentorship programs.
Yet there he was.
Calm.
Collected.
Like he belonged here.
"As many of you already know," Lucian began smoothly, "I will be overseeing a three-day mentorship and placement assessment program."
The room quieted down gradually.
Everyone's attention settled on the man standing at the podium.
Mine included, but for a completely different reason.
"At the end of the program, five students will be selected for direct placement opportunities."
The hall erupted again.
Five?
Only five?
The room suddenly bubbled with excitement.
Of course.
Who wouldn't want an opportunity from The Vale?
Everyone.
Everyone except me.
I wanted nothing more than to leave.
I wanted him gone.
My gaze drifted toward the notebook in front of me
Anywhere but him.
Anywhere but those eyes that held secrets.
Deep.
Dark Secrets.
"...And potential is often wasted by comfort."
"People perform best when challenged."
The grip on my pen tightened.
Something about the way he said it felt deliberate.
Like he wasn't speaking to the class.
Like he was speaking to me.
No.
That can't be.
Maybe I'm imagining things.
Maybe—
"Miss Sterling."
My heart suddenly stopped.
My thoughts vanished as the room grew silent.
You could hear a pin drop.
Slowly, I looked up.
Lucian was staring directly at me.
The entire hall turned to follow his gaze.
Every student.
Every lecturer.
Every eye.
On me.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Would you care to answer the question?"
I stared at him, not knowing whether I should nod or not.
I just stared.
"I'll take that as a yes then."
"Miss Sterling, what do you believe is more important? Following rules or achieving a desired outcome?"
He looked me directly in the eyes.
Calmly.
"Rules. Laws. Everything exists for a reason. To guide procedures."
"Hmm. Interesting."
"If a law prevents you from saving someone, should that law still be obeyed?"
"There are proper authorities for situations like that, Mr. Vale."
I stretched his name knowingly.
"Of course." He tapped his pen lightly against the table like he had expected that answer.
Everyone's eyes were on me.
Some even nodded in approval.
"Do you believe morality is absolute?" he asked again calmly.
"Some things are always wrong."
I paused.
"Murder, for example."
I stared at him directly.
The room grew noticeably quieter.
Lucian smiled slightly.
"Alright, Miss Sterling. Let's say a dangerous man intends to kill five innocent people."
"You have the power to stop him."
"The only way is to kill him first."
"Would you?"
I hesitated.
I had just finished talking about morality and laws.
Now—
"So taking one life to save five becomes acceptable?" He fired back immediately.
"That's different." The answer barely left my mouth.
"Why?" He didn't give me room to breathe.
The room was dead silent.
He leaned slightly against the desk.
Every eye in the hall fixed itself on me once more.
Waiting.
Watching.
"Let's make it simpler, Miss Sterling."
"Someone you love is about to die."
"You have a gun."
"One pull of the trigger saves them."
"One pull of the trigger kills another person."
"Would you do it?"
"I..."
"I don't know." I choked on my own words.
"No?" He tilted his head slightly.
"Then you'll let them die."
I felt everyone's eyes on me.
"How disappointing."
"You speak of principles."
"You speak of morality."
"Yet when the cost becomes personal, you hesitate."
"Morality is easy when nothing valuable is at stake."
A pause.
Everyone felt the weight of his words.
Including me.
I lowered my gaze.
Unable to come up with a rebuttal.
Hating to admit it, but it seemed right.
I looked back up.
And then I saw it.
A slight smile.
Flames of amusement dancing behind his eyes.
Something inside me snapped.
He was playing with me.
He did all of this on purpose.
Every question.
Every trap.
Every direct challenge.
Just to see me stumble.
"Why are you doing this?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.
My voice came out sharper than intended.
My breathing uneven.
Everyone's eyes darted between us.
Confused.
They didn't understand.
To them, this was just a discussion.
A lesson.
A debate.
Only I knew it wasn't.
Lucian's gaze remained fixed on me.
The faint smile never left his face.
"Doing what, Miss Sterling?" The question hit harder than it should have.
My hands clenched beneath the desk.
"You keep..." I stopped.
Because I couldn't say it.
How exactly was I supposed to explain it?
Hey everyone, I just want to let you know that your precious billionaire instructor is actually a cold-blooded murderer.
He tilted his head slightly.
Almost curious.
"Challenging you?"
A few students laughed.
Heat immediately rushed to my face.
"No..."
"Then perhaps," he continued smoothly, "you simply dislike being questioned."
The class laughed again.
My jaw tightened.
He was enjoying this.
Every second of it.
The bell suddenly rang.
The sharp sound echoed through the hall.
Instantly breaking the tension.
Yet neither of us looked away.
Lucian glanced at the clock.
Then back at me.
For a brief moment, something unreadable flashed through his eyes.
"Class dismissed."
Students immediately started gathering their things.
Chairs scraped around the hall.
Conversations slowly resumed.
Yet before turning away, Lucian's gaze found mine one last time.
Just for a second...then he smiled.
Not warmly.
Not kindly.
But like someone who had already won.
And then he walked away. :::
- Writer
