The morning light was sharp and unforgiving as it filtered through the blinds of Crescent High’s common room. Students huddled in clusters, exchanging whispered secrets and stolen laughter. Aria Moretti stepped carefully into the room, her bag hanging from one shoulder, her gaze scanning for familiar faces. Her heart still raced from yesterday’s confrontation—the bet with Damian Cole.
She couldn’t deny it: Damian had unsettled her in ways no one ever had. Every glance he threw her way carried a challenge, a question, and an unspoken promise of chaos. Yet despite the fire he stirred within her, there was another anchor, one steady and reliable: Luca Romano.
Luca was there, as if on cue, sitting at the corner table with his usual easy smile. When he spotted her, he waved subtly, the gestur
