Chapter 5

Soon, it was the first day of school.

I had already planned to take an Uber, but when I stepped outside, I was surprised to see the Rolls-Royce still parked at the curb.

A flicker of delight crossed my face. I ran toward it. “Asher!”

“Who are you calling?” Asher looked annoyed as he opened the car door. “I told you not to pretend we're related in public. Stop dawdling—my time is valuable.”

“Oh, right.”

I responded slowly and handed him the bagged breakfast the maid had packed—coffee and a bagel.

“Mom said, one for each of us.”

His expression twitched, clearly uncomfortable. He muttered, “Who wants to eat this peasant breakfast?”

But he still took it.

I raised an eyebrow. Hmph. Saying one thing and doing another.

Right before we got out of the car, he gave me a sharp warning. “Let me make this clear—you’re not my sister at school. Don’t tell anyone we live together. If you do... you’ll regret it!”

After his dramatic warning, he stepped out of the car without another word.

The driver offered a gentle reassurance.

“Miss Chloe, don’t take it to heart. The young master has always been like this.”

I shook my head and said it was fine, following him out.

Unfortunately, right at the school gate, I ran into two familiar figures.

Liam stood tall, handsome, with a brooding air that drew attention. A crowd of girls had already surrounded him and Bella.

“Hey, did you hear? That’s the full-ride scholarship student they admitted this year. Total genius. And his sister’s ranked fifteenth!”

“Ugh, I wish I had a brother like him.”

As luck would have it, based on the placement tests, I ended up in Class One—same as Liam and Bella.

Asher, meanwhile, got placed in the lowest-tier general class.

Bella sauntered up with a smug smile. “What a coincidence, Chloe. Who would've thought we’d be in the same class?”

She glanced around dramatically. “Then again, with the Sterlings' influence, it’s probably nothing for them to drop a donation and place you here. Unlike Liam and me, who actually had to test in.”

“Oh, and where’s that useless Sterling heir? Knowing Mrs. Sterling, I bet he got shoved in too.”

I frowned, about to speak, but someone cut in.

“Bella.”

Liam walked over, his eyes full of disdain as he looked at me. He pulled Bella behind him.

“I told you not to talk to her.”

“Liam, Chloe’s not a bad person,” Bella said with faux innocence.

“How do you know she’s not?” he replied coldly.

The rest of the day was packed with classes.

I had no interest in their little performance, so I pulled out my macroeconomics notes and started studying.

After classes ended, Asher and I had an unspoken agreement—we’d meet two blocks outside the school gates.

Then we’d head home together.

Over the next few days, though he kept acting like he didn’t care, he always brought me snacks.

Today, he handed me a paper-wrapped cupcake.

I blinked in surprise.

“I saw the cheerleader girls eating them. What? You don’t like cupcakes?”

“I like them. Of course I like them.”

A tiny grin slipped onto my face as I took it.

Every day that week, he brought something new—tacos, milkshakes, donuts...

We nearly ate our way through every food truck near the school.

By the end of the semester, our relationship had gotten a lot better.

One day, just like usual, I rushed to our meeting spot with anticipation.

But he wasn’t there.

I searched the entire campus, but he was nowhere in sight.

Just then, I heard a few voices nearby.

“Hey, did you hear? Asher’s racing some kids from the neighboring school over at the canyon.”

“No way.”

“Way. The race should’ve started already.”

My heart dropped.

I suddenly remembered—in my past life, Asher was goaded into joining an illegal street race.

Someone had tampered with his car, and the canyon’s sharp turns only made it worse.

He crashed. The accident left him paralyzed from the waist down.

He never recovered.

I ran like a madwoman toward the canyon.

By the time I got there, the race had already begun. A crowd of leather-clad thugs lined the roadside, cheering and shouting. The roar of engines and the screech of tires echoed through the cliffs.

A red Ferrari tore past me, kicking up dust.

Then, a deafening crash exploded across the canyon.

The Ferrari spun out of control and slammed headfirst into the mountain wall.

The crowd scattered.

“Asher!!”

I sprinted forward. I was this close to pulling him out.

But suddenly, a force yanked me backward and threw me to the ground.

A heavily tattooed face appeared above me, twisted with menace.

“This your brother?”

“Call 911! Asher’s dying!!”

I looked toward the driver’s seat. Asher was crushed inside, barely any space to breathe.

My heartbeat pounded in my ears.

“He owes us money. And he pissed me off. You still wanna save him? What, you think this is some fairytale?”

The man slapped me across the face, mocking me.

I shoved him off and smacked him back, screaming, “This is attempted murder! It’s a federal crime! The Sterling family won’t let you get away with this!”

I hoped the name would scare them. I fumbled for my phone to call for help.

But he snatched it from my hands and threw it away.

Another slap hit me hard, knocking me to the ground.

“Who do you think you are, screaming like that?”

A military boot came down, pressing against my face.

Pain exploded through my skull. Dazed, I caught a blurry glimpse of someone familiar.

It was Liam.

“Liam! Help me!!”

I screamed with everything I had.

He started walking toward me.

But Bella grabbed his arm halfway.

“Liam, what are you doing? Don’t get involved. These gang guys are dangerous.”

I watched the struggle on his face fade into resignation.

He looked at me one last time.

Then turned and walked away.

The tattooed thug pulled a metal bat from the car.

“No one’s ever dared to hit me before,” he growled. “Today, I’ll show you what that costs.”

My cries were swallowed by the wind.

He raised the bat—then brought it crashing down.