Aurora's POV
The phone call came like a thunderclap.
I had been at the kitchen table, earbuds in, studying for my next exam, when my mother's frantic voice pierced through the air. "Aurora, get in here now." I could hear the tremor in her voice. Something was wrong. Something big.
I rushed into the living room, my heart pounding. My father sat on the couch, his hands trembling as he stared at the phone in front of him, his face a mask of disbelief. His once confident, unshakable demeanor was gone, replaced by something I'd never seen before. Fear.
"I don't understand," my father muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "They can't be serious. This is… this is a mistake."
I froze. My father—the man who'd built an empire from nothing, the man who could negotiate deals with billionaires and win at any game—was no longer in control. It felt like the ground beneath me was crumbling.
"Dad?" My voice barely came out, shaking as much as my hands. "What's happening?"
He looked up, his eyes red. For the first time in my life, I saw defeat written all over his face. "They've accused me. Of embezzling. Of fraud. And now… they're sending me to California. For the investigation." His voice cracked, the weight of the words sinking in like lead.
I stared at him in shock. My father wasn't just being fired—he was being blamed for something that could ruin our lives. Everything we had was built on his name. His reputation. Our life had been a golden one, a life of luxury and ease. But it was all hanging by a thread, unraveling faster than I could process.
My mother, who had been standing by the door, walked over to him. Her hands were shaking as she placed them on his shoulders. "We'll fix this. We have to stick together, Richard." Her voice was a steady anchor, though the fear in her eyes mirrored mine.
But I couldn't focus on them, on their pain. Not when my own future seemed to be slipping away. I had worked so hard to get here—to be something, to prove that I wasn't just my father's daughter. But now? What was the point? How could I go on with my life knowing that the world I had known was collapsing?
Over the next few days, everything changed. My father's company was investigating him. My mother was a wreck, her every move calculated, her smile forced as she tried to keep the family together. I found myself in my room, headphones on, trying to block out the panic, the whispers of scandal that floated through our once-silent house.
And then came the move to California.
It felt like we were running, escaping the wreckage my father had caused. Or maybe my parents were just trying to pretend that nothing was wrong. They told me we were starting fresh. That everything would be fine. But I knew better.
California wasn't home. It was a cold, unfamiliar place where I knew no one. Where our family was nothing more than a blip on the radar, lost in a sea of unfamiliar faces. The house we'd moved into was tiny, a far cry from our grand estate back home. My father's company had cut him off completely. No more luxuries. No more connections.
I couldn't escape the feeling of being trapped.
But through the chaos, a spark of hope flickered in the darkness. Silver Crest Academy.
I had heard whispers of it in the halls back home—Silver Crest, the prestigious school that everyone talked about. The school that took only the best. The kind of school that could set you up for a future. And they had a scholarship. A scholarship I could apply for. The one shot at escaping my family's mess, at proving that I could rise above all of this.
I filled out the application with nothing but desperation. The essay. The interviews. Everything. It was my only chance at redemption. My only hope to get out of California, to escape the shadow of my father's scandal.
When the day came for the entrance exam, I was beyond nervous. My hands were clammy, my mind racing as I stepped through the gates of Silver Crest. The campus was beyond anything I could have imagined. Pristine. Sleek. The kind of place where the best of the best went. It felt like stepping into a different world entirely.
And that's when I saw him.
I almost ran straight into him, not watching where I was going. He was standing by the door, looking like he belonged in one of the glossy magazines my mother always had on the coffee table. His eyes caught mine for a split second, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.
I quickly averted my gaze, my cheeks burning. Of course, he was with a girl. The girl had a smile that could light up the entire room, and I felt like I didn't belong there, like I was a ghost in a world of perfection.
But that moment? That brief encounter with him? It haunted me. Not just because he was handsome—he was the kind of guy that everyone noticed—but because something in that brief exchange, that fleeting moment, seemed to call to me.
Weeks later, the result came in.
I had been accepted.
Silver Crest had chosen me, despite everything, despite the weight of my family's mistakes, despite the world falling apart around me. It was my chance. A new beginning.
The email came as a relief, a moment of victory amid the storm. I stared at the screen, unsure if I was dreaming. My hands shook as I called my mother in. She didn't believe it at first, but when she saw the email, tears welled up in her eyes. For the first time in months, I saw a glimmer of hope in her gaze.
It wasn't just my victory. It was ours.
The prestigious high school for the wealthy, the elite, the children of those who ruled the city. A dream that had seemed unreachable. But now, it was mine. It wasn't just an opportunity—it was my escape.
My mother reached for the phone, and with trembling hands, I dialed my father's number. It rang twice before he picked up. His voice was thick, like he'd been holding his breath all day.
"Auri? What is it?"
"I got it," I said, barely able to speak. "I got the scholarship to Silver Crest."
There was silence on the other end. Then a soft chuckle, disbelief in his tone. "You're serious?"
"Yes," I whispered. "I'm going. I'm actually going."
I could hear the relief in his voice as if he'd been carrying a weight he hadn't realized was crushing him until it was gone.
"My girl… you did it. I knew you would. I knew you had it in you."
I could hear my father's breath, ragged but relieved. In that moment, everything felt different. For the first time in what felt like years, I wasn't just the daughter of a man who had fallen from grace. I was something else. Something more.
When I hung up the phone, I found my mother standing in the doorway, her face wet with tears. I had never seen her like this before—vulnerable, emotional, overwhelmed with the kind of joy that only came when everything you'd worked for, everything you had longed for, finally fell into place.
"I'm proud of you, Auri," she whispered. "I've always known you'd rise above this. You've always had fire in you."
I hugged her tight, as though I could hold on to that moment forever. In her embrace, I found something I hadn't realized I was missing: hope.
The following days passed in a whirlwind of forms to fill out, documents to sign, and endless preparations. This was no easy transition. Silver Crest Academy wasn't just any high school—it was the top of the top, the kind of school where your status was as important as your grades. And now, I was stepping into this world, a transfer student from the other side of town, the side I had tried to leave behind.
The uniform was the first thing that hit me. I had never worn something so… official. A crisp white blouse, black skirt, the Silver Crest crest embroidered onto the pocket of a smart blazer. I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the tie, the weight of it all settling heavily on my shoulders. Was I really going to fit in at this school? Could I survive here?
The nerves hit me again, but I pushed them down. This was my chance. I had to take it.
On the first day, my mother and I drove to the school together. The car ride was silent, and for the first time, I felt the weight of everything pressing down on me. What if I didn't belong? What if I couldn't keep up?
But the moment we reached the gates, it was impossible to ignore how different this place was. The lush campus stretched out in front of me, the buildings modern and pristine. Students in uniforms walked past, their heads held high, talking about things I couldn't even begin to comprehend. I clutched my bag tighter and reminded myself that I wasn't just here by chance. I had earned this.
I walked through the gates, feeling both small and like I belonged at the same time.
As I made my way to the main office to finalize everything, I couldn't help but notice a group of students near the entrance. They stood out from the rest of the crowd. They were tall, confident, with an air of something that made people take notice. Among them was a guy, the same one I saw the other day. He was so strikingly handsome that it almost didn't seem real. His dark hair was perfectly styled, his eyes sharp with intelligence, his jawline like it was carved by a sculptor.
I couldn't take my eyes off him. But I quickly looked away, realizing I was staring. His presence was undeniable, though.
I didn't know who he was, but the murmurs around me quickly filled in the gaps.
"That's Hayden Carter," one girl whispered to her friend. "He's the son of one of the wealthiest families in California."
I barely had time to digest the information before I heard another voice.
"That's his sister, Bianca. And Ciara, Alex, and Seth are their friends. They're… untouchable."
I didn't know what to make of it all. They walked by me, their steps confident, as if they owned the place. Hayden's eyes briefly met mine, and I felt a strange shiver run down my spine. There was something about him, something that made it impossible to look away.
I tried to shake it off. But as they passed, I felt the weight of their gaze, the kind of attention that made everything else fade into the background. It was as if the whole world had just paused for a moment, waiting for something. Waiting for me to make my next move.
I quickly turned my attention to the office, trying to focus. But even as I stepped into the building, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning.