The following week felt heavier than usual, as though a cloud had settled over Aria’s world and refused to move. Crescent High’s halls buzzed with gossip as always, but this time, the whispers that drifted behind her back had a different sting.
They weren’t about her rivalry with Damian. Not about their debates or the tension everyone had grown accustomed to dissecting. No—these whispers were about the Moretti name.
It started small. A few glances, a half-hidden comment in the hallway. But by Wednesday morning, the rumors had taken a shape of their own.
“Did you hear?” someone muttered near her locker. “Her family’s company is on the verge of collapse.”
“I thought they were rich,” another voice replied. “Guess not. That’s what happens when you live off old money.”
Aria didn’t need to
