C1 THE GIRL IN THE WRONG PLACE

CHAPTER 1

THE GIRL IN THE WRONG PLACE

Emily Carter had learned one important lesson long before she arrived at Westbridge University.

Never look like you are afraid.

People could smell fear.

Especially people who had never had to worry about where their next meal was coming from.

Especially people who had grown up behind gates, inside mansions, surrounded by expensive cars and private drivers, with parents who could solve every problem by making a phone call.

Emily had spent nineteen years learning how to survive without any of those things.

So when she stepped through the enormous iron gates of Westbridge University for the first time, carrying one suitcase in her right hand and a worn backpack over her shoulder, she lifted her chin.

She refused to look impressed.

Even though she was.

Westbridge looked nothing like the small public college she had imagined attending when she was younger.

The campus stretched across acres of perfectly maintained green lawns. Tall stone buildings stood beneath rows of ancient oak trees, their windows reflecting the afternoon sunlight. Students walked around wearing clothes that probably cost more than everything Emily owned.

A black luxury car rolled slowly past her.

Then another.

Emily swallowed.

"Okay," she whispered to herself. "Don't panic."

She adjusted the strap of her backpack and continued walking.

She had earned her place here.

Not through family connections.

Not through money.

Not because somebody important knew her last name.

She had earned it with grades.

With sleepless nights.

With textbooks borrowed from libraries because buying new ones had been impossible.

With applications she had rewritten dozens of times.

And with a scholarship that had changed her life.

Westbridge was supposed to be her fresh beginning.

Nobody here knew her family.

Nobody knew how hard her mother had worked to keep them afloat after her father died.

Nobody knew that Emily had spent the summer working two part-time jobs just to save enough money for transportation, school supplies, and the little things her scholarship didn't cover.

Nobody knew that sometimes she still woke up terrified that everything could disappear.

That was exactly how she wanted it.

She wanted to become Emily Carter.

Not the poor girl.

Not the scholarship student.

Not the girl people felt sorry for.

Just Emily.

She stopped in front of a large campus map.

"Administration building..." she murmured, tracing the map with her finger.

"Wrong side."

Emily turned.

A girl about her age stood behind her, holding several folders against her chest.

"Excuse me?"

"The administration building is on the other side of campus."

Emily glanced at the map again.

"Oh."

The girl smiled.

"You look lost."

"I'm not lost."

The girl raised an eyebrow.

Emily sighed.

"Okay. Maybe slightly lost."

The girl laughed.

"I'm Mia."

"Emily."

"First year?"

"Yes."

"Same."

Emily smiled.

For the first time since arriving, her shoulders relaxed.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Mia pointed toward the opposite path.

"Come on. I'll show you."

They started walking together.

"So," Mia said, "what are you studying?"

"Business."

Mia looked impressed.

"Seriously?"

Emily nodded.

"I want to start my own company someday."

"That's ambitious."

"It has to be."

Mia gave her a curious look.

"Why?"

Emily hesitated.

Because the real answer was complicated.

She wanted enough money that her mother would never have to choose between medicine and groceries again.

She wanted enough success that nobody could ever look down on them.

She wanted to prove that the life she'd been born into didn't have to be the life she died in.

But she simply smiled.

"I just don't like depending on people."

Mia nodded slowly.

"I think you're going to fit in here."

Emily almost laughed.

She wasn't so sure about that.

They had just reached a wide courtyard when a sudden roar of an engine cut through the conversation.

Several students turned their heads.

A black sports car entered the courtyard.

The vehicle was sleek, expensive, and completely out of place among the walking students.

It stopped near the main building.

The driver's door opened.

A young man stepped out.

The atmosphere changed immediately.

Emily noticed it before she even understood why.

Students began whispering.

Some girls straightened their clothes.

A few boys exchanged knowing looks.

Mia suddenly became quiet.

Emily frowned.

"Who is that?"

Mia stared at her.

"You don't know?"

"No."

Mia looked almost shocked.

"That's Adrian Black."

The name meant nothing to Emily.

"Should I know him?"

Mia lowered her voice.

"Everyone knows Adrian Black."

Emily looked toward him again.

Adrian was tall.

Very tall.

He wore a black jacket over a white shirt, with dark jeans and expensive-looking shoes. His dark hair was slightly messy, as if he didn't care enough to fix it.

There was something cold about his face.

Not angry.

Not exactly.

Just... distant.

Like the entire world existed several steps beneath him.

He closed the car door and slipped his hands into his pockets.

A group of students immediately approached him.

He barely acknowledged them.

Emily watched for another second before looking away.

"What's so special about him?"

Mia lowered her voice even more.

"His family owns Blackwell Holdings."

Emily blinked.

"So?"

Mia stared at her.

"You really don't know anything about wealthy families, do you?"

"No."

"Blackwell Holdings is worth billions."

"Oh."

"And Adrian is basically the heir."

Emily shrugged.

"Good for him."

Mia's mouth dropped open.

"You cannot say that around here."

"Why?"

"Because half the girls on this campus would probably sell their souls to date him."

Emily glanced at Adrian.

She couldn't understand why.

He wasn't smiling.

He wasn't charming anyone.

He looked like he wanted everyone to disappear.

"He's not my type."

Mia laughed.

"You've known him for ten seconds."

"And that's enough."

Emily turned away.

Unfortunately, she didn't realize Adrian had looked in her direction.

And he had heard her.

His eyes narrowed.

Emily continued walking with Mia, completely unaware.

Until someone suddenly stepped into her path.

She stopped.

Adrian Black stood directly in front of her.

Up close, he was even more intimidating.

His eyes were dark and unreadable.

Emily looked behind him.

Then at Mia.

Mia had gone completely silent.

Adrian's gaze dropped briefly to Emily's backpack before returning to her face.

"You're new."

It wasn't a question.

Emily frowned.

"Obviously."

His expression hardened.

"What's your name?"

Emily's eyebrows rose.

"Why?"

"I asked you a question."

"And I asked you one."

Mia made a tiny sound beside her.

Emily ignored it.

Adrian stared at her for several seconds.

Then he stepped closer.

"Emily Carter."

Emily froze.

Her heart skipped.

"How do you know my name?"

Adrian's expression changed.

Just slightly.

It was the first sign that something had gone wrong.

He looked at her more carefully.

"Carter?"

Emily nodded slowly.

"Yes."

For the first time, the cold confidence in his eyes disappeared.

Something darker replaced it.

Recognition.

Anger.

Maybe even hatred.

Emily couldn't understand it.

"What?"

Adrian's jaw tightened.

"Who sent you?"

Emily stared at him.

"What?"

"Don't play stupid."

Her face hardened.

"I'm not playing anything."

"You knew I'd be here."

"I don't even know who you are."

His eyes narrowed.

"Liar."

Emily's temper flared.

"Excuse me?"

Adrian stepped closer.

"You think you can walk into Westbridge and pretend nothing happened?"

Emily stared at him in disbelief.

"Nothing happened."

His voice dropped.

"You really expect me to believe that?"

"I don't care what you believe."

She turned to leave.

His hand closed around her wrist.

Emily immediately stopped.

She looked down at his hand.

Then back at him.

"Let go."

Adrian didn't move.

His expression remained cold.

"Tell me why you're here."

Emily pulled her wrist free.

"I earned a scholarship."

Silence.

She rubbed her wrist and glared at him.

"I worked for this place. I didn't sneak in. I didn't ask your permission. And I certainly didn't come here because of you."

Adrian stared at her.

Something unreadable crossed his face.

Then he said quietly,

"Stay away from me."

Emily laughed bitterly.

"Trust me. That won't be difficult."

She walked away.

Mia hurried after her.

When they were several feet away, Mia grabbed Emily's arm.

"What was that?"

"I have no idea."

"You just argued with Adrian Black."

"He started it."

Mia looked nervous.

"You don't understand."

"Then explain."

Mia glanced behind them.

Adrian was still standing there.

Watching Emily.

"Adrian doesn't like the Carter family."

Emily stopped walking.

"What did you say?"

Mia's voice dropped.

"Your last name."

Emily's stomach tightened.

"What about it?"

"I don't know the details. Nobody really talks about it. But apparently your families have some history."

Emily stared at her.

"My family?"

Mia nodded.

"Something happened years ago."

Before Emily could ask anything else, a voice called her name.

"Emily!"

She turned.

A university staff member stood near the administration building.

"Emily Carter?"

"Yes."

"Professor Harris is waiting for you."

Emily nodded.

"Thank you."

She followed the staff member toward the building.

But before she disappeared through the doors, she looked back.

Adrian was gone.

For some reason, that made her even more uncomfortable.

She had come to Westbridge expecting difficult classes.

She had expected wealthy students to look down on her.

She had expected to struggle.

She had not expected Adrian Black.

And she certainly hadn't expected the way he had looked at her.

As though her last name had reopened a wound he had spent years trying to bury.

---

Across the courtyard, Adrian stood inside his car.

His hands gripped the steering wheel.

He couldn't stop thinking about her.

Emily Carter.

He had heard that name before.

Years ago.

From his father.

From his mother.

From the arguments that had stopped whenever he entered a room.

From the night his family had lost everything that mattered.

He had been told one thing his entire life.

The Carters were responsible.

And now, after all these years, a Carter had walked directly into his world.

Adrian pulled out his phone.

He made one call.

"Find out everything about Emily Carter."

A pause.

"Everything?"

"Her family. Her mother. Her father. Where she lived before Westbridge. Who paid for her scholarship. Who recommended her."

His voice became colder.

"And I want the answer tonight."

He ended the call.

But something bothered him.

Something he couldn't explain.

When Emily had looked at him, she hadn't looked guilty.

She hadn't looked frightened.

She had looked angry.

And somehow, that was worse.

Because for the first time in years, Adrian wasn't sure he knew the whole truth.

And he hated that feeling.

He hated uncertainty.

He hated the Carter name.

Most of all...

He hated the fact that he couldn't stop thinking about the girl who carried it.