Hudson University was one of the top private universities in New York City.
Lila drove William to campus in her red Maserati Ghibli. On the way, William quietly observed how she handled the car, mentally noting every detail without even realizing it.
As they pulled into the university district, the sleek red sports car immediately drew attention.
The Ghibli wasn't the most expensive car on the market, but it was still a head-turner—especially with its custom license plate, one-of-a-kind and impossible to forget.
"Lila's here!"
"Get everything ready!"
"Bro, if I pull this off today, I'm booking Marquee for a whole month—drinks on me, party every night!"
…
The moment Lila parked, a crowd swarmed the lot. Leading the pack was a pale, skinny rich kid, flanked by a group of guys each holding a bouquet of bright red roses.
"Lila! I love you!" the guy shouted, striding forward with a diamond ring in hand. He dropped to one knee right in front of her. "Be my girlfriend!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, balloons rose into the air all across campus. Each one carried a golden banner that read in bold letters: Lila, I love you!
Lila stared coldly at the guy kneeling in front of her, not saying a word.
"Say yes!"
"Be his girlfriend!"
The crowd around them started chanting, hyping it up like it was some kind of show.
"Edward Brown," Lila finally snapped, her voice sharp, "tell them to leave. Stop bothering me."
This was getting out of hand. The sky was filled with a ridiculous number of balloons and banners, and behind Edward stood nearly a hundred people holding flowers, forming a literal sea of roses while chanting in sync.
Any other girl might've been swept away by the over-the-top romance.
Lila just felt disgusted.
Edward stayed on one knee, holding up the ring, eyes locked on her. "Be my girlfriend. I'm not getting up until you say yes."
"Then stay there," Lila said, her tone ice-cold. She was fuming. That's when she noticed—William still hadn't gotten out of the car.
She turned and yanked the door open. "What are you still doing in there?"
William stepped out calmly. "I didn't catch how you opened the door earlier."
"…Are you serious?" Lila was so annoyed she almost laughed. What kind of person was this?
She'd never opened a car door for anyone before.
"Lila, who the hell is he?" Edward suddenly stood up, pointing at William with a scowl.
Lila couldn't hold back a laugh anymore. "Edward, can you just stop? I'm really not interested in you. At all."
Edward's face darkened as he slowly lowered the ring. His eyes locked onto William like he was ready to pick a fight. "Who are you, punk?"
Getting rejected in front of a crowd was bad enough. But then some random guy stepped out of Lila's car?
Edward Brown wasn't about to let that slide.
And what really set him off was what William had said when he got out.
Didn't catch how you opened the door?
That alone told Edward everything he needed to know—this guy wasn't rich.
A broke nobody trying to cozy up to a rich girl? Sure, it made for a good story. But in real life? Different worlds didn't mix.
William glanced at Edward, then at the ridiculous setup—the crowd, the roses, the balloons still floating overhead. It was all… amusing.
"I'm talking to you!" Edward snapped, furious at William's calm, indifferent expression. He felt completely ignored.
BOOM!
Boom! Boom!
Right as William looked up, the balloons overhead suddenly exploded in rapid succession. Not just a few—all of them.
The golden banners were shredded midair, torn to pieces as the remains of balloons and fabric rained down like confetti.
"What the hell?!" Edward froze, stunned. Thousands of balloons, all bursting at once?
And not just the balloons—the explosions had ripped the banners to shreds too?
"Lila, let's go," William said, completely ignoring Edward.
Rich kid? Trust fund brat?
William had seen more of their kind than he could count. From ancient nobles to modern elites, even princes who once dared to cross him—none of them had ended well.
"Let's go," Lila said, not even sparing Edward another glance. As she passed him, she added coldly, "Edward, don't mess with him. Got it?"
Edward clenched his fists. He wanted nothing more than to beat William into the pavement right then and there—hell, make him disappear entirely. But even he didn't dare ignore Lila's warning.
As soon as William and Lila walked off, Edward's crew swarmed around him.
"Edward, who the hell is that guy? Thinks he can compete with you? Let's take him out tonight."
"I heard him—dude didn't even know how to open a car door!"
"Pfft! That broke-ass loser thinks he can get close to Miss Lila? I bet he won't last three days on campus."
Edward's eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing through them. He sneered, "Three days? You think he's even showing up tomorrow after walking around campus with Lila like that?"
What a joke.
The only reason Edward had gone all out today was because of a pact within their little "Young Masters Alliance." Last night, ten of them had played cards, and Edward came out on top—earning the first shot at pursuing Lila.
Tonight, they'd play another round—this time, pool. Whoever won would get tomorrow's chance.
But the rule was clear: only members of the alliance could go after Lila. Anyone else who tried? They became the enemy of all of them.
Sure, getting rejected in public stung a little, but Edward could live with that. What he couldn't tolerate was some random nobody showing up out of nowhere, riding in Lila's car—and worse, having her open the door for him.
Once word got out, that guy was done for.
Meanwhile, William had no idea that simply arriving with Lila had already painted a massive target on his back.
Lila didn't know either. She had no clue that her presence had sparked the formation of an entire alliance of spoiled rich boys.
Thanks to Anthony Carter's connections and the documents he'd provided, William's enrollment had already been processed. The school had even been informed ahead of time. All Lila had to do was walk him to the male dorm building.
"You remember the way now?" she asked, stopping outside. "If you want to go back to your place, just take a left from earlier and catch the campus shuttle to the subway. Get off at Hunter College Station, and you'll be right at East 62nd Street."
She was starting to suspect William was completely directionally challenged. He'd been glancing around the whole way like a lost tourist.
"No need to worry. I usually prefer walking," William replied calmly.
Lila blinked. "Walking?"
She nearly choked. From campus to East 62nd Street was over twenty kilometers. How long would that even take on foot?
She let out a long breath, trying to keep it together. "Whatever. Go check out your dorm. I'm not going in with you. Here's your student ID—Room 306. Do you need to buy any daily essentials?"
"Yeah, I don't have anything right now. Could you pick some up for me?" William said with a smile. "I'll go check out the room. Just keep track of what you spend—I'll pay you back next month."
With that, he turned and walked into the dorm building.
Lila stood there, completely stunned. A breeze brushed across her face, but her mind was spinning.
Did he just… ask her to go shopping for him?
And then bring it all back to him?