Chapter 2 The First Encounter

Ivy's second day at Ravenwood should have been uneventful. She had spent most of her first day memorizing the labyrinthine hallways, figuring out the unspoken rules of the elite academy, and keeping her head down. Blending in was a skill she had mastered until now.

The morning had been going smoothly until a wrong turn changed everything.

She had been in a rush, juggling too many textbooks in her arms, her mind preoccupied with finding her next class. The moment she rounded the corner, she crashed into something solid and unyielding.

The collision sent her books flying, the weight lifting from her arms only to be replaced by a sinking feeling in her gut as they tumbled to the floor. The sharp sound of pages fluttering and covers smacking against the polished marble echoed through the hallway.

A hush fell over the students lingering nearby. Conversations stopped. Eyes turned.

Ivy barely had time to register the collective intake of breath before she looked and her stomach plummeted.

Damien Vale.

He stood before her, tall and imposing, exuding effortless authority. His uniform pressed to perfection, bore the Ravenwood crest proudly over his chest. Jet-black hair fell in careless waves over his forehead, framing dark eyes that studied her with an unreadable expression. His jaw tightened as he dusted off the sleeve of his blazer, his every movement deliberate and controlled.

Around them, the silence thickened.

No one crossed Damien Vale. No one inconvenienced him. And yet, here she was an outsider, a scholarship student stumbling directly into his path like a fool.

A slow, wicked smirk curled his lips, the kind that sent chills skittering down her spine.

"Well," he murmured, his voice smooth as silk yet laced with something far more dangerous. "Looks like our scholarship girl still hasn't learned her place."

The words slithered through the air, igniting murmurs from the onlookers. Ivy forced herself to stand tall despite the sharp sting of humiliation burning in her chest.

She refused to cower.

Damien took a step closer, the air around him shifting, thick with something unseen but potent. The scent of his cologne-clean, crisp, with an edge of something darker wrapped around her senses, making it harder to breathe. His gaze, sharp as a blade, held hers captive, daring her to look away first.

Ivy clenched her jaw. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

The tension was suffocating, an electric current that passed between them, unseen but undeniable.

Damien crouched slowly, reaching for one of her fallen textbooks. He picked it up with deliberate ease, flipping through the pages as if her possessions were nothing more than fleeting amusements to him. Then, after what felt like an eternity, he extended it toward her, holding it just out of reach.

"Take it," he said, voice a velvet trap, smooth but dangerous.

Ivy hesitated, debating whether accepting it would mean falling into some sort of game he was playing. But leaving it untouched would only make things worse. Gritting her teeth, she reached out and snatched the book from his grasp, their fingers brushing for the briefest of moments.

Something flickered in Damien's eyes. Amusement? Curiosity? Something more dangerous?

His smirk deepened. "You're going to be fun."

The way he said it sent a shiver down Ivy's spine. It wasn't a compliment. It wasn't even a threat.

It was a promise.

She quickly knelt to gather the rest of her books, ignoring the murmurs around her. No one stepped forward to help, no one dared interfere. It was as if she had been marked from that moment on, singled out by the one person in this school she should have avoided at all costs.

By the time she straightened, Damien was still watching her, arms crossed, the smirk still playing on his lips. The students around them seemed to hold their breath, waiting for her next move, waiting to see if she would crumble under the weight of his attention.

Ivy lifted her chin, refusing to waver. She clutched her books tightly, turned on her heel, and walked away, her heart pounding in her chest like a war drum.

As she disappeared down the hall, she could still feel his gaze burning into her back.

The game had only just begun.

---

For the rest of the day, Ivy couldn't shake the weight of that encounter. Whispers followed her through the hallways, fleeting glances darted her way before quickly looking away. The scholarship student. The girl who had dared to inconvenience Damien Vale.

By the time she reached the sanctuary of the library, she exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. The towering bookshelves surrounded her like silent sentinels, muffling the noise of the outside world.

She sank into a chair at an empty table, running her fingers along the spine of her notebook, trying to push the encounter from her mind. But Damien's words echoed in her thoughts.

You're going to be fun.

A shiver ran through her. She wasn't sure what unnerved her more-the quiet threat laced in his tone or the undeniable curiosity she had glimpsed in his eyes.

Her fingers tightened around her pen. She had no intention of playing whatever game Damien Vale had in mind.

But something told her she wouldn't have a choice.

The library doors creaked open, and Ivy stiffened. She dared a glance upward, only to find none other than Damien himself stepping inside. His presence filled the quiet space instantly, drawing subtle, wary glances from the other students. He moved with the same effortless grace, his gaze sweeping over the room before landing directly on her.

Her breath hitched.

Slowly, he walked toward her table, hands casually tucked into his pockets. The air around him was charged, like the calm before a storm.

"Studying so soon?" His voice was deceptively smooth, laced with mockery. "You must be trying hard to prove you belong here."

Ivy forced herself to remain calm, her fingers tightening around her pen. "Some of us work for our education," she replied evenly, refusing to let him rattle her.

His smirk didn't falter. If anything, it deepened, as if he found her defiance amusing. He reached out, his fingers grazing the edge of her notebook, tapping it once before withdrawing. "I wonder how long you'll last."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving behind an invisible weight pressing against her chest.

Ivy let out a slow, controlled breath, her mind racing. She had hoped the encounter that morning had been a one-time mistake, but now she realized something far worse.

Damien Vale wasn't done with her yet.