The lecture hall buzzed with low chatter as students shuffled in, phones in hand, backpacks slung carelessly over shoulders. Alex didn’t bother with small talk. She was already seated—front row, pen in hand, notes from last week open before the professor even arrived.
“Good morning, Alex,” Professor Lynn said with a nod, stepping up to the podium.
“Morning, Professor,” she replied without looking up. Her focus was on the slide that blinked on the screen overhead: Corporate Liability in Modern Market Failures.
Bring it on.
Most people looked at business management like a safe, boring path. Predictable. Dry. Not Alex. She wasn’t here to play it safe. She was here to dominate. Every number, every merger, every hostile takeover—she wanted to understand the game so she could win it. Not because she had to. But because she could.
And let’s be honest… who better to rule an empire than someone born in one?
By noon, she’d already outpaced half the class in questions and cornered the professor with a case study suggestion. Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since that tiny breakfast bite she grabbed before leaving the house. Whatever. Fuel could wait until she'd earned it.
At the outdoor café across the university courtyard, Brenda was already waiting at their usual table—corner spot, shaded, far enough from people to avoid annoying eavesdroppers. She had her nose buried in a law textbook, but her hands were wrapped around a paper cup like it was her last comfort on Earth.
“You look like you just read your own obituary,” Alex said, sliding into the chair across from her and unwrapping her sandwich.
Brenda glanced up. Her wide brown eyes blinked once. “Professor Klein gave us four essays and two readings due next week. He says it’s ‘light work.’”
Alex laughed and took a bite. “Light work, my ass.”
Brenda sipped her coffee and studied her like she always did. Thoughtful. Quiet. Always a thousand things on her mind, but she only said five of them. Alex liked that about her.
“You still coming to my mock trial next Friday?” she asked.
“You think I’d miss watching you verbally destroy your opponents? Not a chance.”
Her lips twitched into a smile. “You’re in a good mood.”
Alex shrugged. “I like being right.”
“About?”
“About that merger we discussed in class last week. My projection was spot on. Stocks dipped exactly like I said they would. Professor Lynn practically nodded like I was the second coming.”
Brenda chuckled and picked at her salad. “So, Queen of Business… what happens after you graduate?”
Alex froze mid-chew.
She looked up innocently. “I mean… you’ve never said. Do you go work for your parents’ company? Build your own? Get married to some rich heir?”
Alex swallowed, hard. “Brenda—”
“Just asking,” she said quickly. “Forget I said anything.”
But Alex didn’t forget.
Neither did Brenda.
Especially when she added, too softly, “Your parents still don’t know about Michael, by the way.”
Alex glanced around.
A group of art majors passed behind them, laughing. A couple sat two tables down, whispering.
Then, Alex leaned forward and hissed, “Shhh!”
Brenda blinked, taken aback.
“I’m not mad,” Alex muttered. “Just… careful.”
“Right,” Brenda said. “Careful.”
They didn’t speak much after that.
When the last bell rang and her final lecture ended, Alex walked out with a pit of unease settling low in her stomach. Her phone buzzed as she crossed the quad.
Michael
I'm at the park. Same spot.
Alex didn’t reply. Just headed toward the gates.
The park lay a few blocks from campus, tucked behind rows of sleepy bookstores and ivy-covered cafés. It was one of the only places in the city where no one knew her name or who she belonged to.
Michael stood beneath the willow tree near the fountain, backpack slung over one shoulder, sleeves rolled to the elbow. He looked like calm. Like everything Alex wasn’t.
When he saw her, his whole face lit up.
“You’re late,” he said, walking over.
“Lecture ran long.”
“Or maybe you’re trying to ditch me.”
He smiled to show he was teasing. Alex rolled her eyes and walked straight into his arms. His hands slid around her waist like they belonged there. They kissed, slow and soft, like they had all the time in the world.
They didn’t.
That’s what scared Alex.
“Missed you,” he murmured against her temple.
“Missed you too.”
They walked hand in hand through the gravel path, leaves crunching underfoot, the late sun cutting gold ribbons through the trees.
“So,” Michael said after a while. “When do I get to meet your parents?”
Her stomach clenched.
He kept his tone light. “You know. Like a normal couple?”
“We’re not a normal couple,” Alex said, a little too fast.
Michael stopped walking.
“I know you said they’re strict. I know your family is important. But Alex…” He turned to face her. “We’ve been together for almost a year. You still don’t want them to know?”
She glanced around.
The park was empty except for a jogger in the distance and a pigeon strutting like it owned the place. But Alex couldn’t shake the feeling someone was watching.
“They can’t know,” she said quietly.
“Why not?”
Alex hesitated. “Because I’m the only heir to two million-dollar legacies. My father owns one of the biggest tech logistics chains on the East Coast. My mom runs half the real estate in Midtown. I’m not exactly… free to date who I want.”
Michael’s smile faded.
“You think I’m beneath you?” he asked, his voice flat.
“No.” she grabbed his hand. “God, no. That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“I meant…” she looked away. “They have plans. They’ve always had plans. Who I’m supposed to be. Who I’m supposed to love. I can’t screw this up, Michael. If they find out—”
“What?” he interrupted. “They cut you off? Or worse—they cut me out?”
Alex said nothing.
He pulled away slightly, his jaw tight. “You know, sometimes I think you’re not scared of losing them. You’re scared of being ordinary.”
She snapped her eyes to him. “That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?” he said.
The tension stretched between them like a rope about to snap.
Finally, Alex exhaled. “We’ll talk later.”
Michael shook his head, backing away. “No, we won’t.”
“I have to go,” she said, already turning.
He didn’t follow. Didn’t call after her.
The walk back was cold, even with the sun still out. Her phone stayed quiet. Her mind wouldn’t.
Alex knew he was right.
And that made it worse.