Chapter 6 6

The consequences of rejecting Preston Vance arrived the very next morning.

Elinor walked into her Economics 101 lecture hall. Usually, a few girls in the front row would smile or nod at her. Today, as she walked down the aisle, heads turned away. People actively shifted their bags onto empty seats to block her from sitting next to them.

She found an empty desk in the very back corner and sat down.

Professor Harrison, a strict man with thick glasses, stood at the podium. "Listen up. The midterm group project accounts for thirty percent of your final grade. You must form groups of three. Submit your names to my desk by the end of this hour."

The lecture hall instantly erupted into chaotic chatter as students scrambled to form teams. Chairs scraped against the floor.

Elinor stood up. She walked over to a girl named Jessica Adler, whom she had shared notes with last week. "Jessica? Do you have a third person for your group?"

Jessica looked at Elinor, then glanced nervously toward the middle of the room. Preston Vance was sitting there, leaning back in his chair, watching them.

Jessica quickly shook her head, grabbing her backpack. "Sorry, Elinor. We're full." She hurried away as if Elinor had a contagious disease.

Elinor tried two more groups. Both gave her immediate, flimsy excuses and turned their backs.

From the center of the room, Preston and his friends let out a loud, intentional burst of laughter. Preston caught Elinor's eye and smirked, tapping his pen against his desk.

The message was clear. Preston had ordered the entire class to freeze her out.

By the end of the hour, the classroom was empty. Elinor stood alone in the quiet hall. She walked down to the podium where Professor Harrison was packing his briefcase.

"Professor," Elinor said, her voice tight. "I couldn't find a group. Can I complete the project independently? I'll do the work of three people."

Harrison didn't look up. "The syllabus is clear, Miss Richardson. The objective is teamwork. I cannot make exceptions. Especially not when Trustee Vance is reviewing my department's funding proposal this week. Find a group, or take a zero for thirty percent of your grade." He snapped his briefcase shut and walked out.

Elinor gripped the edge of the podium until her fingers hurt. A zero meant she would lose her academic standing.

She walked out of the building into the biting wind. Her stomach growled, a sharp reminder that she hadn't eaten since the tequila shot two nights ago.

She pulled out her phone and opened her university email, hoping her work-study application had been approved.

There was a new email from the Financial Aid Office.

Dear Miss Richardson, Your application for the Need-Based Poverty Grant has been reviewed and denied. Reason: Applicant failed to provide sufficient evidence of genuine financial hardship.

Elinor stopped walking. The wind whipped her hair across her face.

Denied. That grant was three thousand dollars. It was her food, her subway fare, her textbooks for the entire semester. She knew her adoptive father's medical bills proved her poverty. The only way this was denied was if someone on the board of trustees intervened. Preston's father.

She was completely cut off.

"Elinor."

She turned. Sarah Jenkins, a quiet girl from her history class, was standing a few feet away, looking around nervously. Sarah stepped closer and lowered her voice.

"Elinor, just go apologize to Preston," Sarah whispered. "You can't win against him. He bragged about getting your grant pulled. Is your pride worth failing the class and starving?"

Elinor looked at Sarah. She felt the heavy, invisible chain of Boyd's billion-dollar debt around her neck. She refused to ask him for anything beyond the bare minimum he provided. Buying her own food, paying her own subway fare-these small acts of financial independence were her last shred of dignity.

Elinor bit her inner cheek. "I didn't do anything wrong, Sarah. I won't apologize for saying no."

Sarah sighed, looking at her with pity. "Suit yourself." She walked away quickly.

Elinor stood alone in the middle of the bustling campus. The world felt like it was closing in on her, brick by brick.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her hand.

She looked at the screen. It was an unknown number. Her thumb hesitated before swiping to answer. She pressed the phone to her ear.

"Little bird," Boyd's voice slithered through the speaker. It was smooth, lazy, and laced with dark amusement. "Are you having fun at school?"

Elinor's heart stopped. The blood rushed out of her head. Did he know? Did he see the rejection? Did he see the grant denial?

She gripped the phone, her knuckles white. She couldn't force a single word past her frozen vocal cords.

Boyd didn't wait for an answer. "Eight o'clock tonight. The Pinnacle restaurant. I have something to discuss with you."

The line went dead.

Elinor lowered the phone. The Pinnacle. The most exclusive restaurant in the city. A summons from Boyd was never just a dinner. It was an interrogation. It was a punishment.

A deep, violent shiver ran down her spine. She had no money, no friends, and a monster waiting for her at eight o'clock.