Chloe and The Seven Heirs

"Chloe, look at this! An official letter from St. Jude's Preparatory Academy!" Mom's voice broke the silence inside our tiny Brooklyn apartment. Sarah, my mother, looked brighter than I had seen her in years as she hurried toward me with a thick envelope embossed with an elegant gold crest. "A full scholarship, sweetheart! You actually got into that elite school!"

I set down the pen I'd been using to sort through a stack of secondhand textbooks and gave her a small smile.

"You don't have to be that excited, Mom. It just means I'm about to walk straight into hell."

She let out a soft huff and pinched my arm affectionately.

"Hey, don't say that. This is an incredible opportunity. Most people would never even dream of getting accepted."

I sighed, leaning back against our old wooden chair.

"You know who owns that school, right? The Vanderbilt Group. The seven heirs to the richest family in New York all go there. I've heard they're arrogant, always causing trouble, and they rule the entire campus like kings." I rubbed my temple as a headache began to form. "I just want to graduate in peace. I have no interest in getting involved with a bunch of spoiled princes."

"It's only natural they attend that school," Mom replied gently. "The Vanderbilt Group owns it."

"But, Mom..."

"Enough. Just focus on your studies."

Orientation Day turned into a nightmare before it had even properly begun. The moment I stepped into St. Jude's marble lobby, disaster struck.

Someone came rushing around the corner without watching where they were going.

Crash!

I slammed into someone's shoulder, and every book in my arms scattered across the polished floor.

"Ouch..."

"Watch where you're going, scholarship girl!" a sharp female voice snapped.

I looked up. The name tag on her blazer read Liona. The leader of The Queens.

She wore flawless makeup, a perfectly tailored uniform, and a look of utter disgust as she stared me up and down. I recognized her immediately from the student bulletin board. Ironically, she had been the one walking without paying attention.

"I'm sorry. It was an accident."

"An accident?" Liona sneered, raising her hand as if she intended to shove me.

Before her fingers could touch my uniform, another hand calmly wrapped around her wrist.

"That's enough, Liona. Don't start trouble on the very first day of orientation."

The calm, deep voice carried quiet authority.

I looked up in surprise. A handsome young man wearing glasses stood beside me. His intelligent eyes remained calm as he looked at Liona without a trace of anger.

The pressure alone was enough to make her slowly pull her hand back, her face flushed with frustration and embarrassment.

He crouched beside me and gathered my scattered books.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, handing them back.

"I... I'm fine. Thank you."

I couldn't help wondering why someone from the Vanderbilt family would bother helping a scholarship student like me.

The orientation ceremony continued in the main auditorium. Standing confidently onstage with a student council armband wrapped around his sleeve, the student body president spoke into the microphone with practiced composure.

"Allow me to introduce the members of the Vanderbilt family currently attending St. Jude's."

Ryan's voice echoed throughout the hall as he pointed toward the honored seats one by one. "Tristan, our street-racing troublemaker. Justin, the academic genius. Jared, the commercial model. Julian, captain of the basketball team. Silas, Julian's teammate, the only one among us who can actually cook, and the owner of a café. Jace, our photographer. And finally... myself, Ryan."

The auditorium immediately erupted into excited whispers.

The girl sitting beside me poked my arm repeatedly, practically vibrating with excitement. "Oh my gosh! Did you hear that? They're all ridiculously handsome!"

I blinked. "Huh? Who are you?"

"I'm Emma! I'll be sitting next to you this year." She spoke so quickly she barely stopped to breathe. "You have to memorize all seven of their faces! It's essential if you want to survive here! Oh, and you're Chloe, right?"

I nodded. "You know who I am?"

"Of course! You're Chloe Vance, the scholarship student everyone keeps talking about."

I smiled politely.

"Anyway," Emma continued, "memorize their names."

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously? Why would I waste my time memorizing the faces of a bunch of arrogant rich guys? They're not that important."

"Watch your mouth, scholarship girl."

A mocking voice came from the row behind us. Tristan. His tie hung loosely around his neck as he leaned back in his chair with an infuriating smirk.

"You think our faces aren't important?" he said coldly. "For your information, these shoes I'm wearing cost more than your family's entire yearly living expenses in Brooklyn. Don't get cocky in front of me."

I simply looked away, refusing to give his arrogance the reaction he wanted.

Still. For a brief moment, my eyes drifted toward the one person who had helped me earlier that morning. Justin.

Classes finally ended. Unfortunately, my miserable first day was far from over.

As I walked alone through the quiet hallway toward the back gate, someone suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked me into the shadow beside the corridor.

"Where do you think you're going, scholarship girl?"

Liona. She stood there with two of her loyal followers, blocking every possible escape.

A cruel smile spread across her lips. "You think Justin saving you this morning means you're safe? Let me show you exactly where you belong at this school."

She raised her hand, preparing to slap me. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the impact.

Smack!

The sound echoed through the hallway. But... It didn't hurt.

Confused, I slowly opened my eyes. Liona stood frozen in place. Her face had gone pale, and her wrist was trapped in an iron grip.

Someone had stepped in front of me, shielding me with his body. Liona looked up.

The color instantly drained from her face. Her eyes widened in absolute terror. It wasn't Justin.

A young man with piercing, ice-cold eyes stood between us, staring at her with a gaze so intimidating that it seemed to freeze the blood in her veins.

My heart skipped a beat. 'Who had just saved me? And why did Liona suddenly look as though she had seen death itself?'