The morning sun filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Danny's penthouse suite, casting long shadows across the marble floor. He stood before his walk-in closet, fingers trailing along the row of designer suits, each worth more than most students' semester tuition. Today required something special something that would make the right impression.
Danny selected a charcoal Tom Ford blazer, pairing it with dark jeans and Italian leather loafers. The Patek Philippe watch on his wrist caught the light as he adjusted his collar. Everything had to be perfect for what he was about to do.
His phone buzzed against the granite countertop. A text from Yuri: *"You sure about this plan? Alice isn't exactly easy prey."*
Danny's lips curved into a cold smile as he typed back: *"That's what makes it perfect. The harder they fall, the louder the crash."*
---
Alice Morrison sat in the university's exclusive Sky Lounge, her fingers wrapped around a crystal tumbler of sparkling water. The afternoon light streaming through the panoramic windows highlighted the subtle shimmer of her Hermès scarf, draped elegantly over her shoulders. She had chosen her outfit carefully—a cream-colored Chanel blazer over a silk blouse, paired with perfectly tailored trousers that spoke of old money sophistication.
Her phone displayed seventeen missed calls from Naomi, each one deliberately ignored. She knew exactly what her best friend wanted to discuss, and she wasn't in the mood for another lecture about making poor choices.
"Alice."
She looked up to find Danny approaching, his confident stride commanding attention from every other student in the lounge. He moved with the easy grace of someone who had never doubted his place in the world, his expensive clothes fitting him like a second skin.
"Danny." She gestured to the empty chair across from her. "You said you had something important to discuss."
He settled into the chair, his dark eyes studying her face with an intensity that made her pulse quicken. "I did. I've been thinking about our conversation last week."
"About Gerald?" Alice's voice carried a note of distaste. She had never understood Naomi's fascination with that particular charity case.
"Among other things." Danny leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a more intimate tone. "I've been thinking about you, actually. About how someone like you deserves to be treated."
Alice raised an eyebrow, though she couldn't suppress the flutter of interest in her chest. "And how is that?"
"Like the queen you are." Danny's smile was magnetic, all white teeth and practiced charm. "I know we've moved in similar circles, but I feel like I've never really seen you before. Not properly."
The compliment was delivered with just the right amount of sincerity, wrapped in enough confidence to make it believable. Alice had heard countless pickup lines from countless wealthy young men, but there was something different about Danny's approach. He wasn't trying too hard, wasn't desperate for her attention. He spoke as an equal, one member of the elite addressing another.
"Is that so?" Alice's voice carried a hint of amusement. "And what exactly do you see now?"
Danny's gaze swept over her face, lingering on her lips before meeting her eyes again. "I see someone who's been settling for less than she deserves. Someone who's been surrounded by people who don't understand her worth."
"Careful, Danny. Flattery will get you everywhere." Alice's tone was playful, but there was genuine interest beneath the surface.
"I'm not trying to flatter you, Alice. I'm trying to be honest." Danny reached across the table, his fingers brushing against hers. "I think we could be good together. Really good."
Alice studied his face, searching for any sign of deception. She found none—or perhaps she simply chose not to look too hard. The truth was, she had noticed Danny before, had wondered what it would be like to be the center of his attention. He was everything she had been raised to value: wealthy, handsome, from the right family. Unlike Gerald, who represented everything she found distasteful about charity cases trying to climb above their station.
"What exactly are you proposing?" she asked.
"Dinner. Tomorrow night. Just the two of us." Danny's thumb traced across her knuckles. "Let me show you how you should be treated."
Alice felt a warmth spreading through her chest, the kind of excitement she hadn't experienced in months. "Where did you have in mind?"
"Soso. Eight o'clock." Danny's smile widened. "I'll pick you up."
Soso was the most exclusive restaurant in Mayfair City, the kind of place where reservations were made months in advance and the wine list started at prices that would bankrupt most families. It was exactly the kind of gesture Alice had been hoping for—grand, expensive, and utterly appropriate for someone of her status.
"I'll be ready," she said, her voice carrying a promise that made Danny's pulse quicken with anticipation.
---
Naomi burst through the doors of the Sky Lounge just as Danny was leaving, her usually composed demeanor cracking with urgency. She spotted Alice immediately, still seated at the corner table with a satisfied smile playing at her lips.
"Alice, we need to talk." Naomi's voice was sharp as she approached, her designer heels clicking against the marble floor.
"Hello to you too, Naomi." Alice's tone was deliberately casual, as if she hadn't been ignoring her best friend's calls all morning.
"Don't play games with me." Naomi dropped into the chair Danny had vacated, her dark eyes flashing with concern. "I saw Danny leaving. What did he want?"
"He asked me out." Alice's smile was triumphant. "To Soso, no less. Tomorrow night."
"And you said yes?" Naomi's voice rose slightly, drawing glances from nearby tables.
"Of course I said yes. Why wouldn't I?" Alice's expression hardened. "Danny is exactly the kind of man I should be dating. Unlike certain people's questionable choices."
"Alice, listen to me." Naomi leaned forward, her voice dropping to an urgent whisper. "This isn't about Gerald. This is about you. Danny isn't interested in you for the right reasons."
"What exactly are you implying?" Alice's voice carried a dangerous edge.
"I'm saying that Danny has been watching Gerald for weeks, looking for ways to hurt him. And now suddenly he's asking you out? Don't you think that's a little convenient?"
Alice's laugh was cold and bitter. "So you think the only reason a man like Danny would be interested in me is to get revenge on your precious Gerald? How flattering."
"That's not what I—"
"That's exactly what you meant." Alice stood, her chair scraping against the floor. "You can't stand the thought that someone might choose me over Gerald's pathetic attempts at social climbing."
"Alice, please—"
"No." Alice's voice was final. "I'm done listening to your paranoid theories. Danny is a good man from a good family, and he sees my worth. Unlike some people, he doesn't need me to explain why I deserve the best."
She turned to leave, but Naomi caught her arm. "Alice, I'm your best friend. I'm trying to protect you."
"Protect me from what? From dating someone who can actually provide for me? From being with someone who moves in the same circles as my family?" Alice shook off Naomi's grip. "I don't need your protection, Naomi. I need you to be happy for me."
"I can't be happy about something that's going to hurt you."
"The only thing that's going to hurt me is if I keep listening to you." Alice's voice was ice cold. "I'm going to date Danny, and I'm going to enjoy every moment of it. If you can't support that, then maybe you need to examine your own priorities."
She walked away, leaving Naomi alone at the table, staring after her with a mixture of frustration and fear.
—
Gerald sat in the university library, surrounded by textbooks and notebooks filled with his careful handwriting. The fluorescent lights overhead cast harsh shadows across the pages, making his eyes strain as he worked through another economics problem. His clothes—a faded sweater and worn jeans—marked him as distinctly different from the designer-clad students who occupied the other tables.
Clinton approached with two cups of coffee, setting one down beside Gerald's elbow. "You've been at this for hours, man. Take a break."
"Can't." Gerald didn't look up from his work. "This assignment is worth thirty percent of my grade."
"And you'll fail it if you collapse from exhaustion." Clinton settled into the chair across from him. "Besides, I heard something you might want to know about."
Gerald's pen stilled. "What?"
"Danny asked Alice out. They're going to Soso tomorrow night."
Gerald's grip tightened on his pen, but his expression remained neutral. "Good for them."
"Good for them?" Clinton's voice rose slightly. "Gerald, this is obviously some kind of setup. Danny's been gunning for you since day one."
"Maybe." Gerald finally looked up, his dark eyes tired but determined. "Or maybe he just likes Alice. She's beautiful, she's rich, she's everything guys like Danny want."
"You don't really believe that."
Gerald was quiet for a long moment, his gaze drifting toward the window where expensive cars gleamed in the parking lot. "Does it matter what I believe? Alice made her choice. She's not my problem anymore."
"But you still care about her."
"I care about what happens to her, yes. But I can't control her decisions." Gerald returned to his work, his voice steady despite the tension in his shoulders. "If she wants to date Danny, that's her choice to make."
Clinton studied his friend's face, noting the tight lines around his eyes, the way his jaw clenched almost imperceptibly. "You're worried about her."
"I'm worried about everyone. Danny doesn't do anything without a reason." Gerald's pen moved across the page with mechanical precision. "But Alice is smart. She can take care of herself."
"And if she can't?"
Gerald's hand stilled again, but only for a moment. "Then she'll learn. Some lessons can't be taught—they have to be experienced."
Clinton wanted to argue, wanted to point out that Gerald's forced indifference was fooling no one. But he recognized the walls his friend had built around himself, the careful emotional distance that had become Gerald's armor against a world that had given him precious little reason to trust.
Instead, he simply nodded and opened his own textbook, settling in to work alongside Gerald in comfortable silence.
—
The next evening, Danny stood before the full-length mirror in his bedroom, adjusting his tie for the third time. The midnight blue Armani suit had been tailored to perfection, the fabric moving with him like liquid silk. His shoes were Italian leather, his watch Swiss precision, his cologne a subtle blend that whispered of wealth and sophistication.
Everything was perfect. Everything was calculated.
His phone buzzed with a text from Yuri: *"Photographer is in position outside Soso. This is really happening?"*
Danny typed back: *"Phase one begins tonight."*
He pocketed his phone and headed for the door, his heart rate steady with anticipation. Alice Morrison was about to become the unwitting star of his carefully orchestrated revenge, and she would never see it coming.
The elevator descended smoothly to the parking garage, where his Aston Martin waited like a predator in the shadows. Danny slid behind the wheel, the engine purring to life with a sound that spoke of raw power barely contained.
As he drove through the streets of Mayfair City, past the glittering storefronts and elegant restaurants, Danny allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. Gerald might have Naomi's loyalty and Clinton's friendship, but he had underestimated the power of wealth and status. Alice Morrison was about to learn what it meant to be truly desired, and by the time she realized the truth, it would be too late.
The trap was set. All that remained was to spring it.
—
Alice stood before her bedroom mirror, smoothing the silk of her midnight blue dress. The color complemented her complexion perfectly, the cut emphasizing her figure without being vulgar. Diamond earrings caught the light as she moved, and her hair fell in perfect waves over her shoulders.
She looked like exactly what she was—a woman born to wealth and privilege, someone who had never doubted her place in the world's most exclusive circles.
Her phone buzzed with another call from Naomi, which she declined without hesitation. She had no interest in more warnings about Danny's supposed ulterior motives. Some people simply couldn't accept that a woman like Alice might be wanted for herself, not as a pawn in someone else's game.
The sound of an expensive engine in the driveway made her pulse quicken. Danny was nothing if not punctual.
Alice took one last look in the mirror, satisfied with what she saw. Tonight was going to be perfect,the beginning of exactly the kind of relationship she had always imagined for herself.
She had no idea that three blocks away, Gerald sat in his cramped dormitory room, staring at his economics textbook without seeing the words, his mind filled with memories of a girl who had once looked at him like he was worth something.
The game was about to begin, and none of them were prepared for how it would end.