Chapter 0002

Adeline had now acclimatized herself to the warmth and comfort of her dorm room, stacks of textbooks and notes sandwiched in every corner. She planned to have the whole afternoon to herself, studying, but somehow, she found it hard to concentrate. Her eyes remained fixed on the history textbook. Sebastian seemed to float over its pages. His smile, his eyes, and even the part when he told her to "Call me Sebastian, Adeline" rang in her thoughts. Adeline sighed and shut the book. Focus eluded her. It was difficult to contain all that excitement of working with Sebastian on the research project. With a groan, she got up from her study desk and began pacing the floor across the room, replaying their conversation. What did he see in her? Purely academic interest or something else?

Adeline's phone buzzed and broke the trance. It was a text message from her best friend, Sophia.

"Hey Addie! What has got you glowing? Spill!"

Adeline stood frozen, unsure whether to let hold the secrets of her heart. Still, Sophia's contagious exuberance wore her into submission.

"For real, Prof. Wellesley picked me for his research project!" typed Adeline with a beaming emoji.

Within the second of receiving the message, Sophia fired her reply: "OMG!!! That's AMAZING!!! Details, please!"

Adeline grinned as her fingers danced over the keyboard.

Flooding Adeline's phone with excited responses was Sophia: "Yaaas, tell me everything! What's Prof. Wellesley like up close?"

Adeline blushed as she wrote: "He's... intense. Brilliant. And those eyes!"

Sophia fired back: "EYES?! Spill, girl! Are you crushing on Prof. Wellesley?"

Adeline wavered for a second, her thumbs hovering over the keyboard. Should she spill the beans?

Sophia then sent her a new one: "Addie, I know you! You can't hide it from me. Is it serious?"

With a deep breath, Adeline typed:

"I don't know, Soph. He's my professor. But... I feel it. This spark."

Sophia's response came instantly:

"Spark?! That's code for 'I'm totally into him'! Be careful, Addie. Professors are off-limits."

Adeline nodded to herself, even though Sophia couldn't see her.

"I know. I'll try to keep it professional."

Sophia's final message arrived:

"Keep me posted! We'll dissect this further over coffee."

Adeline smiled, feeling a mix of relief and excitement. Sharing her secret with Sophia made it feel more real.

As she set her phone aside, Adeline's gaze drifted to the research project folder on her desk. Sebastian's name was on every page, every document.

She couldn't help but wonder: What would it be like to work side by side with him? To explore history together?

Benjamin squinted his eyes and said, "What's the matter, Adeline? You've been acting weird today."

Adeline shrugged, trying to brush it off: "Just stressed with college, Ben. Senior year is so intense."

But Benjamin turned stern. "Don't make a fool out of me, sis. I know you. You're just distracted. Is it a guy?"

Adeline’s face flushed. "Ben, it's nothing to do with a guy... just college."

Benjamin stepped closer, sounded firm, and said, "Adeline, focus on your degree. You're going to graduate and step into membership on Emerson Industries' leadership. No distractions are affordable and definitely not when our family would pay against it."

Sighing, Adeline realized that it was her brother's concern for family heirlooms.

"I know, Ben. You don't have to worry, anyhow."

Benjamin's gaze grew fiercer. "I do worry. You're smart and clever, but you act impulsively sometimes. So, have an eye on your future and don't throw it away because of a trivial crush. Remember, our family has high expectations."

Adeline reluctantly nodded, feeling trapped.

"Banging on one ear while the other slips out. I promise Ben. I won't."

The frown on Benjamin's face smoothed out just a bit. "That's the spirit. Now, let's have a look at your course work and make sure you are on track for graduation."

Adeline knew she had lost this battle. She was going to study, with her overprotective brother officiating the session.

Tall and quietly confident, Adeline's older brother, Benjamin Emerson, was twenty-five, but by that age, he had already taken on his father's-- Malcolm Emerson-- strategic mind and business acumen on his shoulders. And his piercing blue eyes seemed to bore through those he met, as if sizing them up for potential.

They made him so proud in saying the name "Benjamin," Malcolm Emerson found. Benjamin was supposed to be everything that a father could aspire for in his perfect heir to the throne of Emerson Industries- he was capable; he was intelligent, and he was charismatic.

Yet, beneath the polished exterior of Benjamin was a complex web of emotions: love for Adeline and protection instincts that would sometimes get into his way at her budding independence. He was torn between the two by the sense of obligation that led him along a thin line between guidance and control.

Benjamin had ever since been the one left to take inspiration from as an elder. The face was etched out of his father's all over again, making the sharpness of his jawline and chiseled features weigh like an anvil on his expectations.

He might be bright but doesn't enjoy a free way of life like most people. Here he finds his way in the family maze, trying to create peace but assert himself. The road is laden with the weight of leading Emerson Industries, which tests his commitment and character.

For the moment, Benjamin was preoccupied with his sister- keeping Adeline safe and successful. Little did he know that her life was about to take a drastic turn, one that would test him further and thrust him into learning all about love, loyalty, and leadership.

Life for Adeline Emerson was a balancing act, torn between the fast tightening family expectations and the thrill of creating her course. Her mother, Elizabeth Emerson, cast a shadow over her creation by implanting that free-spirited and ever wanting to break loose mode.

Ben filled the gap their tragedy created when Adeline was just a little girl. Adeline had lost her mother and had an elder brother, Benjamin, to fill it up. Ben took on a fatherly role to attend to Adeline with extreme devotion. Thus, naturally, their bond could not be broken but was also a bit twisted.

Because of such an urge, Benjamin always desired to prevent Adeline from the cruelty of the outside world. But often, when he strokes her within his clutch, it all seems like smothering, withering the very breath that is adjudged to her. Now, Adeline wanted to fly away from this gilded cage built by her family.

The name Emerson sat upon her shoulders like an albatross-it was a reminder of every heritage on which she must stand. A reputation earned with every generation by her family was more akin to imprisonment than privilege. But Adeline's heart longed to beat to no other drum than its own, dance with fate, and make mistakes without suffering consequences.

Whispers of the family's past shadows have left her unable to think clearly at every step she took. Would she muster the courage to break away from what tradition dictates, or would the weight of her surname carry it all over her life?

As she takes the difficult path, perhaps Adeline's journey through life is shortly about to turn a watershed moment, especially in her resolve, the family legacy, and her tight sibling bonds.

****