The Rival I Should Never Love.

Untouchable

Eight o’clock on a rainy Monday morning wasn't a time for justice.

It was a time for executions.

I stood outside the heavy mahogany doors of the ESU Disciplinary Board Room, my hands wrapped tightly around the strap of my leather briefcase.

Inside were the people who could decide my future.

Dean Sterling. The university's legal committee.

Ethan Cole's father, one of ESU's biggest donors, and Nora's family's lawyers.

They didn't want an apology. They wanted me gone.

My scholarship, my media credentials, and my place at Empire State. Everything I had spent years building.

My phone buzzed sharply in my hand.

Unknown: Don't go in there alone, Vale. A cornered dog always bites, but an executioner cuts the leash.

My breath caught. I stared at the message. I locked my screen, pushed the heavy doors open, and stepped into the chamber.

The room smelled of old oak and expensive money. Ethan sat at the front table, wearing a perfectly tailored suit; a white bandage covered his bruised cheek. Beside him sat Nora, her legs crossed, wearing an expensive silk blouse with perfect hair and a smile.

“Ah, Miss Vale,” Dean Sterling said, adjusting his glasses. “We were just reviewing the property damage and physical assault charges filed against you by Mr. Cole.”

“I didn't assault anyone,” I said. My voice was very clear and loud in the quiet room. “And the property damaged was my own camera equipment, which Mr. Cole crushed during his athletic outburst.”

Ethan leaned forward. “You slapped me on live television, Seraphine. You destroyed my brand before the biggest match of the season.” The board has the video footage right here—”

“They have the edited footage.” A deep voice came from behind me. “They don't know the truth.”

The double doors opened. Kaiden Black stepped into the room.

He was not wearing a suit. He wore a heavy black leather jacket over a tight gray shirt, and his very tall body completely took over the formal room. Rainwater shone on his dark hair, and his sharp green eyes stared at Dean Sterling with absolute, terrifying power.

Behind him came Leo Vance, carrying a large black hard drive against his chest.

Ethan's expression collapsed. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“Mr. Black?” Dean Sterling stood up. “This is a closed disciplinary hearing. You have no standing—”

“I do now.” Kaiden walked forward.

“The university approved my transfer this morning, Dean,” Kaiden said smoothly, his boots heavy against the marble floor as he walked straight up to my table. He didn't look at Ethan. He didn't look at Nora. He stopped beside me, his broad shoulder brushing against mine. “And I’m the primary witness to the event.”

“He’s an ex-con!” Ethan shouted, slamming his hand on the desk as he stood up. His face turned red. “He has no credibility here! Dean, kick him out!”

“Leo,” Kaiden commanded quietly, ignoring Ethan entirely.

Leo hurried toward the projection screen, plugging the hard drive directly into the main projection screen.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Nora’s family attorney snapped, standing up.

“The meaning,” he spoke up, stepping forward as the projection screen started to flicker, “is that you’re looking at nine minutes of unedited raw audio and thermal camera footage from the VIP locker room corridor.”

The room went dead silent as the audio blasted through the high-end speakers.

Ethan’s voice echoed through the chamber, loud, clear, and sickeningly crisp:

“Let her record. Seraphine only exists to polish my image anyway. She doesn't own me.”

Followed immediately by Nora’s laugh, the sound of the whiteboard rattling, and the explicit proof of Ethan’s betrayal moments before the match.

Dean Sterling’s jaw dropped. The board members leaned back in their chairs, their faces turning pale as the real narrative exposed itself in front of the university’s legal committee.

Nobody spoke.

Ethan's face went pale. Nora's smile disappeared.

I watched Dean Sterling lean closer to the screen. “This footage is authentic?”

Leo nodded. “Raw files. Original timestamps. Multiple camera angles. I also backed everything up remotely before coming here.”

“This footage includes the full sequence of Mr. Cole grabbing Miss Vale’s wrists before she defended herself,” Kaiden added. “Along with evidence of Miss Carpenter submitting a falsified, edited video to campus security. In the state of New York, filing a false criminal report to revoke a student’s state scholarship is a felony.”

Nora’s attorney immediately leaned down, whispering frantically into Nora’s ear. Her face went completely white.

Dean Sterling cleared his throat, suddenly looking very small behind his massive desk. “Miss Vale... in light of this full context... the property damage charges are dismissed immediately. Your media scholarship is fully reinstated.”

“And my press credentials?” I asked, holding my head high.

“Reinstated,” the Dean stammered. “With full access to the ESU athletic facility.”

“Thank you, Dean,” I said calmly.

I turned on my heel, slipping my briefcase onto my arm. As I passed Ethan’s table, I leaned down, leaning close to his ear.

“You wanted to destroy my career, Ethan?” I whispered softly. “Now you get to watch me build Kaiden’s.”

Nora stared at me with total, pure hatred as I walked out. But her eyes flicked to Kaiden as he passed her. There was something dark, twisted, and dangerously fascinated in her gaze—a realization that Kaiden wasn't just a brute player, but a lethal strategist who had just outmaneuvered her and her legal team in ten minutes.

There was something different in her expression: interest, curiosity, and maybe even obsession.

And somehow, that bothered me more than her hatred.

—

Outside, rain poured across the university courtyard.

Leo finally released the breath he'd been holding. “Holy crap, Kaiden! That was insane! Did you see Ethan’s face? He looked like he was gonna throw up!”

“Good work, Leo,” Kaiden said, tossing the kid a low fist-bump. “Go to the media lab. Secure the raw files on the cloud.”

“On it!” Leo grinned, running off down the concrete path toward the library.

I stood under the stone archway, the cool autumn air whipping through my hair. I looked up at Kaiden.

“How did you get that footage?” I asked, my voice dropping into a breathless whisper. “The VIP corridor doesn't have public media feeds.”

Kaiden stepped closer, his leather jacket blocking the wind. He reached out, his long fingers casually catching a strap of my coat, pulling me an inch closer into his personal space.

“I have my ways, Vale,” he murmured, his green eyes staring down into mine. “I told you. I’m your weapon.”

“You cleared my scholarship,” I breathed. “You saved my entire life.”

“No,” Kaiden corrected softly. “I protected my investment. Now you owe me.”

My breath caught in my throat. Being this close to him felt exciting, dangerous, and impossible to resist. Before I could answer, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

I pulled it out, expecting a system alert from the university.

Instead, I saw a message from an unknown number. No name. No profile picture.

Just one encrypted attachment. FILE_0417.pdf

I tapped it open. My blood ran cold.

It was a police incident report from four years ago. A hit-and-run fatality report involving a young girl named Elara Black.

My stomach dropped. Then another message appeared.

“If you want to know why Kaiden went to prison, start with the night she died.”

I stared at the screen, my hands shaking badly. Kaiden noticed the sudden change in my mood. He frowned, and his green eyes turned dark right away.

“Seraphine?” he asked, his voice turning sharp and guarded. “What is that?”

“Nothing,” I lied, my voice cracking as I locked the phone and put it into my pocket. “Just... a spam alert.”

“You’re terrible at lying to me, Vale,” he whispered, his eyes searching every inch of my face with terrifying intensity. “What are you hiding?”