The University Project
989 Words
EPISODE 2 — THE UNIVERSITY PROJECT
The next morning, Sienna Blake had already forgotten about the strange feeling she'd had the day before.
She had bigger things to worry about.
Her alarm had gone off three times.
Her rent was due in five days.
And she had an exam she hadn't studied enough for.
"Perfect," she muttered, staring at the ceiling.
Her phone vibrated.
Maya: Please tell me you're awake.
Sienna typed back.
Sienna: Unfortunately.
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Maya: Good. Because you have a meeting in twenty minutes.
Sienna sat up.
"What meeting?"
She grabbed her phone again.
Maya: The fashion campaign.
Sienna frowned.
Then she remembered.
Her university had partnered with a major fashion company for a student campaign. A few students had been selected to help with the project.
She hadn't even known her name was on the list.
She jumped out of bed.
---
Across Manhattan, Ethan Cole stood in front of a floor-to-ceiling window.
His assistant was talking.
He wasn't listening.
His attention was fixed on the city below.
"Mr. Cole?"
Ethan turned.
"Yes?"
"The university representatives will arrive in about thirty minutes."
"Good."
"And your father wants you at the office afterward."
Ethan sighed.
"Of course he does."
His assistant smiled carefully.
"He said it was important."
"Everything my father says is important."
Ethan picked up his jacket.
"Let's go."
---
Sienna arrived at the fashion company's headquarters with barely two minutes to spare.
The building was enormous.
Glass walls.
Marble floors.
People dressed like they belonged in magazines.
Sienna suddenly became very aware of her simple clothes.
She looked down at herself.
"Don't panic," Maya whispered.
"I'm not panicking."
"You are absolutely panicking."
Before Sienna could answer, a woman approached them.
"Miss Blake?"
Sienna looked up.
"Yes?"
"I'm Claire Morgan. I'm coordinating the university campaign."
She shook Sienna's hand.
"Come with me."
They walked through the lobby.
Sienna's eyes moved across the photographs displayed on the walls.
Models.
Runway shows.
Fashion campaigns.
Then she stopped.
One photograph caught her attention.
A familiar face.
Ethan Cole.
She stared at it for a second.
"You know him?"
Claire noticed her expression.
"No."
Sienna looked away.
"I've just seen him before."
Before Claire could respond, a voice came from behind them.
"That's because he's impossible to miss."
Sienna turned.
Ethan was standing several feet away.
Dark jacket.
Calm expression.
The same unreadable eyes she'd seen from across the street.
Her stomach dropped.
The man from the car.
Ethan recognized her too.
For a moment, neither of them said anything.
Then he smiled slightly.
"You're Sienna."
She blinked.
"How do you know my name?"
"You're part of the university campaign."
"Oh."
She looked away, suddenly embarrassed.
Ethan extended his hand.
"Ethan."
"I know."
His eyebrow lifted.
"You do?"
Sienna glanced at the photograph behind him.
"Your face is literally on the wall."
For the first time, Ethan laughed.
It was quiet, but genuine.
"Fair enough."
Their hands met briefly.
And something about that simple moment made Sienna uncomfortable.
Not because it was unpleasant.
Because she felt something she hadn't expected.
Curiosity.
---
The meeting began.
Sienna listened carefully as Claire explained the campaign.
The fashion company wanted to create a project highlighting young people who were making a difference in their communities.
Students would be interviewed.
Their stories would be featured.
Ethan would be the face of the campaign.
Then Claire said something that caught Sienna off guard.
"And Ethan will personally select the student whose story becomes the centerpiece."
Sienna immediately looked at Claire.
"Personally?"
Ethan leaned back in his chair.
"Apparently."
Claire smiled.
"That's why you're all here."
One by one, the students introduced themselves.
When it was Sienna's turn, she kept her introduction short.
"I'm Sienna Blake. I'm studying communications, and I volunteer with a few student organizations."
Claire smiled.
"And why do you volunteer?"
Sienna hesitated.
"Because people need help."
Ethan watched her.
"That's it?"
She looked at him.
"What else should there be?"
He shrugged.
"Most people want something in return."
Sienna's expression changed.
"Maybe that's the problem."
Silence.
Claire looked between them.
Ethan's mouth curved into a small smile.
"Interesting."
Sienna folded her arms.
"What?"
"Nothing."
But his eyes stayed on her.
---
Later that afternoon, the students were dismissed.
Sienna walked toward the elevator.
She pressed the button.
Just before the doors closed, a hand stopped them.
Ethan stepped inside.
Sienna stared straight ahead.
"You always this quiet?"
She glanced at him.
"Only around people I don't know."
"I thought you knew me."
"I know your face."
He smiled.
"That's different."
The elevator began descending.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Ethan asked:
"Why did you donate yesterday?"
Sienna's expression changed.
"You saw that?"
"I did."
She looked at him.
"You were watching me?"
"I happened to be there."
"That's a very convenient explanation."
Ethan laughed softly.
"I was curious."
"About what?"
"About you."
The elevator doors opened.
Sienna stepped out.
She turned back toward him.
"Don't be."
Then she walked away.
Ethan remained inside the elevator, watching her disappear into the crowd.
For someone who had spent years avoiding complications, he had just discovered one.
And somehow, he already wanted to know more.
---
That evening, Sienna returned to her apartment.
She dropped her bag on the chair and reached into her pocket.
Her fingers touched something.
She froze.
Slowly, she pulled it out.
A small photograph.
The photograph she'd thought she'd lost.
Her eyes widened.
She turned it over.
There was writing on the back.
Four words.
"Don't trust the Coles."
Sienna stopped breathing for a moment.
She stared at the message.
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered cautiously.
"Hello?"
No response.
"Hello?"
A man's voice finally came through.
"Stay away from Ethan Cole."
The call ended.
Sienna stood frozen in the middle of her apartment.
And for the first time, she wondered whether meeting Ethan had really been an accident.
To be continued…
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