" Haha.. It was mistake, you know " Aaron laughed awkwardly. Pearl glared at him. She was so frustrated. What was wrong with her? This was one of the most unlucky days for her. " Which class are you from? " He looked at the girl before him. She was cute. She glared at him with her big innocent eyes. " Pearl Hart, year one class B " " Oh " Aaron nodded. Pearl wanted to cry. She was really annoyed. " Pearl! " She heard a voice calling for her. It was filled with concern. Daniel rushed to her. He saw her lying on the bed. " What's wrong? Are you okay? " He checked her. " Yes, I am fine " " How did it happen? " Daniel asked, pointing to her head. Her forehead was red. " I got hit by a ball. He was the one who kicked it " She raised her hand and pointed at Aaron. Daniel finally realised that there was someone else with her. He turned his face towards him. When his eyes fell on the boy sitting beside her he was shocked. He paused and looked at him again. " Aaron? " " H
Aaron poured them drinks. He poured himself some. Lucas raised the glass to his lips. " So, how's life? " Aaron took a sip. He turned his face towards them. " Terrible " Lucas shook his head. " Same " Daniel nodded. " That's exactly what I was going to say! " Aaron chuckled. " How's your girlfriend? " Lucas asked, taking a sip. The alcohol was making him light headed. " Haha.. I got cheated on " Aaron smirked. He chuckled thinking about it. " You cheated on her " Daniel laughed. Aaron shrugged his shoulders. " Ah! Womens are so complicated " Aaron leaned back on the couch. He raised the glass to his lips. He took a sip and nodded his head. " Agreed " Lucas nodded in agreement. He thought about Pearl. She was weird. He remembered how she reacted when he confessed. Daniel remained quiet. " Life was so colourful in childhood " Aaron spoke. " It was filled with so much happiness " Lucas smiled. " It's still " Daniel kept his glass down and poured himself another
" Pearl, do you wanna go clubbing? " Anastasia looked at her. She had an evil smile on her face. " But i don't think it's a good idea " Pearl shook her head. Just the two of them in the club, it doesn't feel safe at all. " Come on, we'll have lots of fun " Anastasia shook her hand. " Please, just for me " Pearl looked at her helplessly. She couldn't say no to her. She smiled at her. " Alright " " Yeah! " Anastasia jumped in excitement. " Listen, we can't take them with us " Anastasia pointed at her bodyguards outside. Pearl turned her head towards them. " But how are you going to convince them? " " We will run from here and they will have no idea where we went " Pearl widened her eyes. She looked at her and saw that she was very serious about it. She was helpless, she couldn't stop her. She nodded her head and agreed on whatever she said. " Do you have a plan? " Pearl whispered to Anastasia. Anastasia nodded. She gestured to her to come closer with her finger. Pea
Lucas drove his car at full speed. He was so anxious and worried. He was so scared to lose her. His eyes turned murderous. He wanted to kill the bastard. How dare he kidnap her. He was looking for trouble. Lucas drove to where Anastasia had told him. He saw her sitting beside the road, she was curled up in a ball. He could hear her soft sobbing. " Anastasia? " He approached her slowly. Anastasia raised her head. Her eyes were swollen from crying. She was shivering continually. " Lucas! " She stood up and rushed towards him. She hugged him and cried loudly. She was so scared here. Lucas parted her back. " Where is she? "Anastasia understood immediately who he was referring to as ' she. ' She pulled out and looked at him with tears in her eyes. Her lips trembled. She shook her head. " I.. I don't know " She really didn't know where he took her. Luca's eyes turned red. He stared at her as if he was going to kill her right at that moment. " What do you mean? " " I don
An hour later. A group of doctors exited the room. They wiped the sweat from their forehead. It was a tough job to be a doctor. " Young master, she is okay now. " Lucas rushed inside the ward. He saw her sleeping on the bed. She looked so tired. He moved closer to her and caressed her forehead. He looked at her face. There was a frown between her eyebrows. He touched them to relax. " I am so sorry Pearl, I couldn't protect you " He held her hand and placed it against his forehead. He was so worried when he couldn't track her location. He was so anxious. He wanted to kill them all, but she would be more scared of him. His tears fell on her hand. He was so scared to lose him. He loved her so much. The doctor has said that he can take her home, if he wants to. Lucas picked her up in his arms. He was not going to leave her here. He would take her to his private villa. He placed her softly in the passenger seat. He buckled her seatbelt. Lucas closed the door softly. He circled h
Pearl walked down the stairs. She could feel his eyes on her. She looked down and tugged her hair behind her ear. She walked towards him. Lucas looked at her coming closer to her. His eyes never left her alone. He looked at her with his intense graze. Pearl stood beside him. Her heart beating fast in her chest. " Then.. Thank you for helping me " She bowed her head before him. She looked down. She didn't have the audacity to look in his eyes. It was the first time she was taking him after his confession. To say that she was nervous was a very small word to describe her emotions. She was scared, nervous, guilty, angry and happy as well. Lucas looked at the girl before her. Her long hair fell to her side when she bowed. " You don't have to be so formal with me " Pearl nodded. She clenched her dress. " Come, let's have breakfast " Pearl raised her head and looked at him. She looked at him with her wide eyes. Pearl dragged a chair to sit beside him. The room was so quiet tha
Lucas fell back with Pearl on top of her. " Ah! " Pearl fell on top of him. She screamed. Lucas looked at the girl on top of him. She had her eyes closed. He stared at her face which was just inches apart from his face. His heart started beating fast against his chest. It was the same heart which was emotionless. He had so many girls throwing themselves at him, but none of them were capable of moving his heart. None of them succeed in capturing his heart. His heart never beat so fast for anyone else but her. His breathing grew harder. Pearl opened her eyes. She met with his graze. He was already staring at her. His eyes were so deep and intense. She stared at them. Both of them looked at each other. They were lost in each other's eyes.All the maids present in the living room got out, leaving them alone. They blushed seeing such a scene before them. Pearl blushed. His gaze was so intense it was driving her crazy. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. She wanted to get up
A black Bugatti stopped before the Whitlock mansion. Lucas got out and opened the door for Pearl. Pearl got out. Her eyes got stuck to the luxurious mansion in front of her. She couldn't believe her eyes that someone could own such a beautiful house. It was luxurious. " Oh my god! " Pearl covered her mouth with her hand. She was mesmerised. The beautiful white mansion stood tall before her. She turned her eyes to the big garden. " Do you like it? " Lucas held her hand. He was surprised to see her reaction. He smiled at her. " Yes! " Her eyes were shining like stars. " Young master, Miss " Pearl saw an old man coming towards them. He was dressed in a Butler's uniform. " Uncle brown " Lucas smiled. " Welcome back, welcome back " He looked at their hands locked together. He gave a meaningful smile to Lucas. Lucas chuckled. They walked inside together. Pearl was shocked again. The house was even more beautiful from inside. Every item in the house screamed luxury. " Are y
It had been a week. Seven days of pretending to be Pearl. Of swallowing down the truth like a secret that might rot me from the inside out. No one noticed. Not really. They still called me by the name that wasn’t mine. Still treated me like the girl who arrived at the academy dazed and forgetful. Still saw the version of me they expected to see. But I saw it. In the mirror. In the way I stood. The way my voice had softened, lilting into the same cadence Rosie used to have when she whispered to the stars from her bedroom window. I saw it in the way my fingers reached up—absent, automatic—to tuck my hair behind my ear whenever I was nervous. Just like she used to do. Just like I used to do. Rosie was slipping out of me like light through cracked glass, and I didn’t know how to stop it. And Lucas… he noticed something. I could feel it. He didn’t say anything. But I’d catch him staring sometimes, brow creased in that quiet, careful way of his—like he was trying to
And I screamed and screamed as loud as I can to stop the voices in my head, to hush them from consuming me entirely. The room was pitch-black, but I could still see the flames. Still hear the screech of tires, the shattering glass, the last words my mother ever said to me—Rosie, close your eyes. And I had. For years. But now they were open. Wide open. And everything hurt. The door slammed open. I barely had time to breathe before he was there—Lucas, heart in his throat, panic in his eyes. “Pearl!” He was at my side, hands cupping my face like I might vanish. “What happened? Are you okay?” I couldn’t speak. Not right away. Because looking at him felt like bleeding. He was older now. Broader. More haunted. But he still had the same eyes—the ones that used to look at me like I was his world. Not Pearl. Rosie. And that was the part that shattered me most. He was holding me like I was someone else. Like I was a girl with a different name, a different story. But I
The candlelight is low. Flickering. Dying. I walk barefoot down a hallway lined with mirrors—dozens of them, tall and arched, gilded in gold that’s flaking away. The floor is marble, but my footsteps don’t echo. It’s like the air itself is swallowing the sound. Heavy. Watching. My dress clings to me, unfamiliar. Pale gold, stitched with roses. I don’t remember putting it on. Everything smells like rosewater and smoke. I pause beside a mirror. My reflection stares back, but there’s something off. I lean closer. The tilt of my head, the shape of my mouth, the line of my shoulders—it’s all right, and yet… wrong. Like I’ve seen this face on someone else. It’s me. Of course it’s me. But my stomach tightens. I force myself to look away. That’s when I see him. Daniel, standing at the far end of the corridor, dressed in black, shadows curled around his shoulders like a cloak. He holds a bouquet of roses—blackened, wilting, soaked in something that drips down his wrist.
I press the phone to my ear and glance at the stars. The rooftop is cold beneath me, slates hard against my back. The wind carries that soft chill that always makes me feel like something’s about to shift.My mom’s voice comes through the speaker, warm and clipped with concern.“You sound tired, sweetie. Are they overworking you again?”I let out a breath—half a laugh, half exhaustion.“No, it’s fine. Just a lot of assignments.”A pause.“And late-night walks,” I almost add. “And watching someone unravel.” But I don’t.She hums thoughtfully. I can hear her stirring something, probably tea. Home always sounds like comfort.“Have you made any new friends yet? You never talk about anyone there.”I hesitate, then lie.“Yeah. A few.”She doesn’t press. She never does. Maybe she thinks I’m just quiet. Or maybe she’s learned not to dig when I’m like this—floating somewhere far away from where my body is.“Your father says hi,” she says. I can hear him grumbling in the background, something a
I’ve always hated mirrors.They show too much. Too honestly.But now—Now, I can't stop staring.The girl in the glass tilts her head. She’s beautiful in that haunting, aristocratic way. Rosie Miller’s beauty was always cold, like marble warmed by candlelight.And now… it’s mine. Mother did everything so that I look like her. The cheekbones took two surgeries. The lips were easy—subtle filler and muscle memory. I even learned how she blinked. Slowly. Like she knew the world would wait for her.I lean in, brushing a lock of black hair behind my ear, her signature habit. I trace the light scar at my neck. A perfect replica from her dead body.Rosie was always the star. The one with the spotlight in her eyes. The chosen daughter. The heir. The girl people died for.But she’s dead now.And I’m not.I trace the curve of my jaw with one finger, still bruised faintly under the skin where the bone was shaved. Months of healing. Years of training. Voice lessons. Diary entries memorized. Even
The wind clawed at the windows like it was trying to warn me. I stood at the edge balcony leaning against the railing. Below, the ocean was bathed in silver moonlight, still and too perfect. A lie, like everything else lately. The moon hung low tonight, pale and sharp-edged. Pearl would say it looked like a blade. My phone buzzed once on the table. The number flashed. Cale. I snatched it up. “Report.” “Sir,” he said, voice crisp, but edged with something else. Hesitation. “ I have the report .” The cold that slid through me wasn’t a surprise—it was confirmation. I said nothing. Just waited. “She’s not Rosie,” he continued. “… she’s not the one who died in that accident.” I closed my eyes. My chest didn’t rise. I was stone now. “I had to dig deep, sir. Most of the records were burned or erased, but a few medical files survived in private storage. Enough to run a sequence. And... it matched someone else.” “Who?” My voice came out hoarse, like it hadn’t been used in days. “He
Apollo whined softly as I knelt beside him, his blue eyes watching me with quiet protest. His paw pressed against the doorframe like he understood what it meant—that he couldn’t follow me past this point. “I know,” I whispered, running a hand gently down the sleek curve of his back. “I don’t like it either. " He nuzzled my wrist, and I swallowed hard. “I’ll be back after classes, then we'll go back home, alright? You’ll be safe here.” My voice sounded too sure. Like I was convincing myself more than him. He tilted his head, ears flicking at some distant sound, but stayed close—refusing to move from the doorway. “I have to go,” I said, brushing my thumb just under his chin, where the fur was softer. “You know the rules. No panther cubs allowed in Elite Garden’s holy halls.” my phone ringed again, I looked down it was Lucas calling me. " yes, I am coming. ” That almost earned a huff from him. Almost. I smiled down at him. " it's your dad, the classes are going to start
The engine purred beneath my hand, smooth and obedient like always. The car was built for silence and speed—one of my father’s more useful indulgences. Black exterior, sleek leather interior, the kind of vehicle that announced your presence before you ever stepped out of it. Pearl sat beside me, legs crossed at the ankle, eyes on the window. The early morning light painted the world gold, but she didn’t seem to notice it. She hadn’t said much all morning. I kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting near the gearshift, close enough to brush against her thigh if I reached. I didn’t. Music played softly in the background, something mellow she usually liked. She didn’t hum along like she used to. I stole a glance at her. Eyes open, but distant. Her fingers were curled in her lap, nails tracing the lines of her skirt like she was trying to count something she couldn’t name. She looked tired—not the kind of tired that sleep fixed. The kind that lived in the bones. “You okay?” I
The next morning, I move like nothing happened. I pour coffee, feed Apollo, fold a blanket left on the couch. Lucas is in the shower, and I can hear the water running upstairs like white noise. Safe. Familiar. Grounding. But every now and then—just in the gaps between movements—I feel it again. The weight. Not heavy enough to drag me down, but just enough to notice. Like walking through air that's a little too still. Like forgetting what you were doing mid-sentence. Like something watching from the corners, but only when you don’t look directly. I tell myself I’m fine. And mostly, I am. But the dream clings. Not in vivid images—those faded as soon as I woke—but in texture. In the way I flinch when the kettle whistles. In the way I glance at the kitchen doorway without meaning to. In the way Apollo follows me from room to room, tail low, eyes tracking the corners of the ceiling as if he remembers too. I don’t tell Lucas. I make him breakfast. I brush my fingers throug