CHAPTER EIGHT
ALICE
For twenty years, I lived under a simple lie: if you work hard enough, if you bleed for what you want, the universe eventually hands it to you. I thought life was a fair trade. But standing in the heart of Oakhaven, surrounded by mahogany and arrogance, I realize that's just a bedtime story told to poor people to keep them quiet. To the sons of bitches who own the world, nothing is earned—everything is just taken.
Not that it matters. There's something more delicious about being here because I forced my way in, rather than being born into it. I'm a glitch in their perfect system, and I plan on being a very expensive one.
"Ms. Miller? A word?"
The voice snaps me out of my head. I startle, my pen skidding across the page of my notebook. Beside me, Mio nudges my arm, her expression tight and unreadable. I look around, blinking, only to realize the lecture hall is suddenly, hauntingly empty. The fifty other students have vanished into the hallways, leaving only the smell of expensive cologne and old paper behind.
Well, not entirely empty.
Two rows back, the devil is still there. The asshole from this morning is sprawled out across a bench, fast asleep—or at least pretending to be. His feet are propped up on the table, his head tilted back, looking like he owns the very air we're breathing. The sheer audacity of him sleeping through a seminar I nearly died to attend makes my teeth ache.
"Yes, Professor. Of course," I say. My voice feels small in the cavernous room. I gather my things, shoving my cheap notebook into my bag like it's a weapon.
The Professor is standing by the podium. Up close, he doesn't look like a scholar. He looks like a movie star playing a scholar. His suit is tailored to perfection, and he smells like sandalwood and money.
"I am Aldo De Luca," he says, stepping toward me. He extends a hand, and as I take it, his skin feels uncomfortably warm.
"It's officially a pleasure to meet you, Alice. I've been looking over your entrance files. I'm truly impressed by your performance. It's rare to see someone with your... background... show such raw technical skill."
He says background like it's a disease he's brave enough to mention.
"Thank you, Professor," I say, trying to pull my hand back. He doesn't let go. Not yet.
"I know Oakhaven can be an intimidating place for someone just starting out," he continues, his voice dropping into a low, honeyed tone that makes the hair on my arms stand up.
"I'd love to offer you a free seat in my private tuition center. It's an exclusive group. No fees. Just for the students I feel have... true potential."
The offer is a dream. A private line to a top-tier professor for free? Any other scholarship student would be crying with gratitude. But as I look into his eyes, I don't see a mentor. I see a man who knows exactly how much power he has over a girl who has nothing.
The sweetness in his voice tastes like poison.
"Mr. De Luca, that is an incredibly generous offer," I say, my voice turning into a flat, professional shield.
"You're clearly a noble person to offer me such an opportunity. But respectfully, I have to decline."
His eyes narrow, just a fraction. The smile stays on his face, but it feels like a mask that's starting to slip.
"Oh? And why is that?"
"I actually already have two other tutors lined up for my evening sessions," I lie. The words taste like ash in my mouth. I don't have a penny for a tutor, let alone two. But I'd rather study in a gutter than owe a man like him a favor. I'm not a charity case, and I'm definitely not a prize.
"I see," he says. He finally releases my hand, but then he steps closer—too close. He reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. It's a firm, lingering grip that makes my skin scrawl.
"As you wish. Though, I am always here if you change your mind. I'd hate to see such talent go to waste because you were too proud to take a helping hand."
He gives my shoulder one last squeeze, his fingers digging into the fabric of my hoodie, before he turns and gathers his leather satchel.
"Have a great day ahead, Alice."
I don't breathe until the door clicks shut behind him. I feel like I need to scrub my shoulder with sandpaper.
"He's creepy, isn't he?"
Mio is standing behind me, her backpack already on. I turn to her, letting out a shaky breath.
"Which one are you talking about, Mio? Because today has been a decade long, and I've dealt with more assholes in the last four hours than most people meet in a lifetime."
I gesture toward the back of the room, where the asshole is still draped over the furniture like he's at a five-star resort.
"The professor," Mio says, her voice barely a whisper. She isn't looking at him. She's staring at the door where De Luca just disappeared.
"I'm talking about him."
We walk out into the hallway, the silence of the building feeling heavy and oppressive. The high ceilings and marble floors that felt grand this morning now just feel cold.
"He's a creep in the most dangerous way possible," I mutter, rubbing my shoulder where his hand was.
"He's worse than that," Mio says. We're walking toward the cafeteria, but she's looking over her shoulder, making sure no one is within earshot. Her doll-like face is pale, all the cuteness from earlier replaced by a hard, jagged fear.
"He traps people. Mostly girls. He offers them 'help' or 'tuition,' and then he uses their grades—or worse—against them. He has tapes, Alice. He threatens them with their own lives to keep them quiet."
A cold shiver runs down my spine, turning my blood to ice. I think about that honeyed voice and the way he held my hand. I thought he was just an arrogant academic; I didn't realize I was standing in a lion's den.
"Mio... how do you know all this?" I ask, stopping in the middle of the hallway. "That's a heavy thing to say."
Mio stops, too. She looks up at me, her eyes filling with a dark, ancient kind of pity.
"Because I've seen it," she says. "I've been at Oakhaven since high school, Alice. I've seen the girls who suddenly stop coming to class. I've seen the way they look at him in the halls. I've seen it all with my own eyes... even though no one else wants to know."
She turns and starts walking again, her steps quick and urgent. "Let's just get to the cafeteria. We need to stay in the light. In this place, the shadows have teeth."