Chapter 2

Downstairs, Olivia seemed tired from standing so long. She swayed slightly, looking weary. The gift box in her hand was damp from the rain, making her look somewhat disheveled.

Her shoulders quivered. Was it from the chill, or was she really upset? I couldn't tell.

In the original story, this heavy rain would leave Olivia with a high fever after waiting endlessly for Henry.

While she was delirious from the illness, Henry's friends snapped some humiliating photos of her and posted them on the school wall, captioned: [The school heartthrob's hopeless simp, begging for love in the rain.]

After that, Olivia became the laughingstock of the entire school.

That was the last straw for any feelings she still had for Henry, and it paved the way for the Warren family to bring down the Wilson family's empire.

I didn't want to get involved in this drama.

But seeing Olivia barely hanging on in the rain, even the tiny bit of conscience I had left couldn't ignore it.

Besides, watching Henry get put in his place was satisfying and all, but the whole thing took way too long and was such a hassle.

If the Warren family blew up and took it out on the school, it would totally ruin my plans to coast through.

Thinking about all that, I grabbed a long black umbrella from behind the door and stepped outside.

"Hey, where are you going?" Henry shouted from behind.

"Cleaning up your mess for you." I headed downstairs without looking back.

The rain was coming down even harder now, icy wind and water blasting in my face.

I walked over to Olivia and held my umbrella over her head, shielding her from the raging storm.

Her tiny umbrella looked downright pathetic under my big one.

Olivia looked surprised that someone had come over. She froze for a moment, then slowly lifted her head.

Beneath the dim yellow streetlight, her cheeks were pallid from the chill, beads of water hanging from her long lashes, blurring the line between raindrops and tears.

Those bright eyes sparked with surprise when she recognized me, but quickly dimmed, leaving only hurt and awkwardness behind.

Olivia whispered, "Yannis." Her voice was rough and barely audible.

"He's not coming down," I said bluntly, my tone steady.

Olivia froze. She bit her lip as her eyes grew misty with emotion.

"I... I only wanted to give this to him." Olivia held up the gift box that was now completely soaked. "It's his birthday."

I looked into her eyes, brimming with disappointment, and sighed inwardly. What a foolish girl.

Henry was celebrating his birthday at the most upscale club near campus with his arms wrapped around another girl.

"He's not worth it," I said. "Standing in the rain for someone unworthy isn't worth it, either."

Olivia stared at me, dazed, like she didn't get what I meant.

I shoved the umbrella handle into her hand. "Just go home, stop waiting for him. The weather report says there's a thunderstorm tonight."

After that, I turned and walked straight into the rain.

Instead of heading back to the dorm, I circled to another gate and got into a black Bentley that was already waiting for me.

The car was toasty warm, and my assistant, Jack Lewis, respectfully handed me a towel. "Mr. Lynn, how did you get so wet?"

"Ran into a kitten about to get drenched," I said in a flat tone, wiping the rain from my hair.

Jack didn't ask any more questions. He glanced in the rearview mirror at the girl standing motionless in the rain, holding my umbrella.

*****

The next day, I figured everything would go back to normal.

I'd keep coasting through life, Olivia would stick to her hopeless simp routine, and Henry would keep thinking he was the hottest thing around.

But I was dead wrong.

At 7:30 in the morning, after my morning run, I saw a familiar figure waiting downstairs by the dorm.

Who else could it be but Olivia?

She wore a white dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders, looking neat and refreshed. In her hand was a sleek insulated lunchbox.

I figured she was here to wait for Henry again.

Henry thought so, too.

He'd just rolled out of bed, rocking a serious bedhead, and shuffled onto the balcony in his slippers to hang up his clothes. When he spotted Olivia, that smug "I knew she couldn't live without me" grin spread across his face.

He cleared his throat, struck what he thought was a cool pose, and waited for Olivia's eyes to light up like they always did, expecting her to run over and hand him breakfast.

But Olivia simply gave Henry a quick look. Her eyes barely lingered on him for a second before moving on.

Then her gaze fixed on me.

In the next moment, she walked right over to me.