Chapter 3 The Academy's Star and the Birthday Gift
The next morning, Hayden returned to class. The most popular girl in the academy, Celia daughter of a tech magnate texted him out of nowhere.
[Celia: Heard about you at the mall. You free for lunch?]
At the restaurant, Hayden noticed Mia and her boyfriend again. Mia forced a smile.
"Wow, already moving on?" she said bitterly.
Hayden didn't answer. But Celia smiled and said, "Why wouldn't he? He's amazing."
After lunch, Hayden surprised Celia it was her birthday. He gave her a small glass of lemonade.
"Cheap drink?" one guy snickered.
But the truth: the lemonade was from the Celestial Orchard the rarest drink in the world. He'd bought the last bottle quietly.
Later that night, he gifted her a custom white piano, engraved with her name.
When one of her friends mocked him, Hayden sat down and played a song that silenced the entire room.
When he finished, Celia's eyes shimmered.
[Favorability +8 | Emotional Resonance Achieved]