The day was cold and sunny, Nancy's favorite kind of day. She entered the campus premises after the weekend with a new resolve to face anything these vile people thought to throw at her. She was not going to drop out or back down.

But she was not expecting the next confrontation to take place so soon. Since she had some time before her first class, she decided to go to the small garden at the back of the campus where she had first met William. But as soon as she entered, she turned to leave. There was a group of Andrew's thugs standing there, busy in conversation.

However, turning around, she almost ran into Andrew, who was blocking the way out.

"Where are you going, Nancy?" His voice was filled with amusement. He easily blocked her way again as she tried to sidestep him. "Haven't you had enough? Why don't you just leave? It's only natural that someone of your birth would aspire to greatness, but your reality means you can never achieve it. So you would be doing yourself a favor if you left." The garden fell silent as everyone turned to watch.

When Nancy remained quiet, Andrew continued. "Got nothing to say?" He smirked and turned around to walk away.

"Stop right there." Anger was building up inside Nancy. Andrew turned around slowly, looking at her expectantly. Nancy took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "I'd like to know why you think you have the right to tell me that you are superior to me. You, whose only power and influence comes from your parents. What have you done on your own?" She walked closer to him. "Your only achievement is that you were born rich. You have never worked a day in your life. You have had everything handed to you. The only reason people are scared of you is because they are actually scared that if they upset you, you will go running to your father."

People were murmuring around her, but their voices faded into the background as her whole being shook with rage.

"You don't even do your own dirty work yourself," she continued. "You sent two boys twice my age to attack me. That probably gives you some kind of self-validation, but truth is, that just shows what a coward you really are. But just know this, Lord Montgomery: I am not scared of you, and you are not entitled to this place just because of your family's status."

Andrew looked shocked but recovered fast. His lips curled into a smile again. "Calm down, Nan." He walked forward, closing the distance between them, standing directly in front of her. "I have an offer for you. I will call off this whole game—if you do one thing."

"No. I will not beg for your forgiveness!" Nancy almost shouted.

"This is something else, Nancy. Learn to listen to people without throwing tantrums." Andrew was smiling maliciously.

Nancy was about to scream again, but she caught herself at the last minute. She was curious about what he had to offer. "Let's hear it then."

Andrew's eyes flickered toward the forest behind the garden. "I will call off this whole thing if you can climb that tree "—he pointed toward the tallest tree, just at the outskirts of the forest—"to the top and jump down." He smirked. "Without injuring yourself. Let's see if you are actually as brave as you act, Nan."

Nancy did not reply, but her mind was working fast as she glared at him. It would be nice if he would leave her alone and let her go through her two years here in peace.

"Fine."

"Andrew." He heard a quiet voice behind him and turned around to see William. "Do not be so ridiculous."

"Stay out of this, Cooper." Andrew was irritated.

"No. You'll kill her."

"What is it to you?" Andrew turned on his friend. "Why do you care about her so much?"

William looked at him steadily for a moment before shrugging. "I don't. But making her jump off such a high tree is suicide. Are you mad?"

"It was just an offer. If she is stupid enough to accept the challenge, it's not my fault."

William sighed. "Andrew, you're my best friend, so I say this: Grow up. Otherwise, I will feel extremely sorry for Grafton one day." And with that, he turned and walked away.

---

Nancy walked toward the tree as the small group of people watched her in fascination. Andrew folded his arms, watching her. She reached the tree and began to climb it.

She got two feet above the ground before the branches and leaves began to scratch her arms and get tangled in her hair and clothes. She tried to ignore them, snapping some out of her way and dodging the others, but she still did not manage to completely avoid them. She concentrated on not slipping and falling, trying to remember how she used to climb trees when she was a child. She could hear people beginning to cheer below her.

When she was halfway to the top, she paused to look down at Andrew. He was watching her with an odd expression on his face—almost of concern. She looked back up and continued to climb. By the time she reached the top, she could feel scratches and bruises on her face, arms, and legs. She looked down from the top.

"Go on, Nancy." Andrew smirked, looking amused. "I'm sure you don't have it in you to jump."

"Have you absolutely lost your mind, Andrew?" Benjamin Soulden hissed as he entered the garden enclosure, followed by Roger Green.

"Are you going to be Mother Teresa like William now?" Andrew shot back, not taking his eyes off Nancy.

"Montgomery, have you forgotten how your mother reacted the last time you almost killed a student?" Roger exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Roger, she isn't going to jump." Andrew sounded certain. "She is not that brave."

With a sigh, Roger shoved him aside and strode forward. He opened his mouth to say something to Nancy, but it was too late. As Andrew looked up, she closed her eyes and let go of the branch she was holding on to.

The air whistled past Nancy's ears as the ground rushed up to meet her. It's not so high, she had told herself before she had jumped. I can easily land on my feet. And they will let me live in peace after this. However, she was not so sure anymore as gravity pulled her toward the ground.

To her surprise, she felt strong arms catch her, breaking her fall. She opened her eyes, realizing only then that she had closed them. She looked up, feeling a mix of relief and irritation. She had been so close to forever being free of Andrew Montgomery and his thugs. Why did this person have to come in the middle and ruin it? She steadied herself and looked up at the person, ready to tell him off. But to her surprise, there he stood—Andrew Montgomery. His eyes were filled with anger. Soulden and Green stood not far behind him, relief on their faces.

"Are you mad? Do you have a death wish?" He was looking at her accusingly.

"Is this your way of stopping me from completely doing the challenge?" Nancy said, irritated.

"No, you stupid girl," Andrew growled. He turned back to the crowd. "Show is over." He sounded as though he'd had no part in gathering them there. "Get out of here." They all hastened to obey. He turned to Soulden and Green.

"Take her to our common room," Green said. Andrew nodded.

"Your common room?" Nancy raised her eyebrows. "Why do you have your own common room?"

Andrew grabbed her arm and pulled her with him. "You weren't entirely right when you said I am not entitled to this place, Nancy. The money and status you scorn so much is actually beneficial."

Nancy opened her mouth to speak but realized that her lip was bleeding—probably because of the branches of the tree.

"No more talking now," Andrew barked, leading her down hallways until they reached a big ornate door with fancy markings outside. He threw it open, pulling her inside with him.

Their common room was large and comfortable. It had plush red armchairs and small side tables everywhere. There was a larder in one corner and a large fireplace in the other.

Andrew turned toward her. He looked at her for a few moments before sighing. "You are an incredibly stubborn girl." His tone was soft, almost affectionate.

"Lord Montgomery, I think you've had your fun for the day." Nancy fought to keep her voice steady, anger threatening to take over her. Andrew moved forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, pushing her gently into one of the armchairs and crouching down in front of her. "Have you not had enough?"

"I did not do a single thing, my lady. It was your choice to accept my challenge and your absolutely idiotic choice to jump off that tree." His voice sounded matter-of-fact, but there was no trace of mockery there. He raised his hand and gently ran his thumb over a cut on her forehead. Nancy froze, unsure of what to do. He then moved to her arm, holding it still to examine the scratches on them. Instinctively, she pulled away.

"Get away from me." Her voice cracked and her eyes filled up with tears, despite her effort to not show any emotion. He had been focused on her bruises, but at the sound of her voice, he looked up, giving her a piercing stare.

"Hold still, Nancy." He carefully ran his fingers from her elbows to her wrists, examining all the damage. His touch was gentle, his long and slender fingers moving carefully, barely making contact with her skin. Sighing, he got up and walked over to a small cupboard near the bookshelves. He returned with a small bottle of what Nancy assumed was medicine. He crouched back down in front of her. Taking her arm into his hand again, he began to rub the medicine over her cuts. He then did the same to the cuts on her face and neck. There was a look of deep concentration on his face, and Nancy realized that this was probably the first time she had seen him without a smirk or a cruel smile on his face. Once again, she couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. His touch was extremely gentle, and it almost felt nice. Nancy felt slightly detached from the scene in front of her as she watched him.

She came out of her entranced state when she felt his thumb run over the cut on her lip. Her breath caught in her throat, and she pulled away slightly.

"Just leave that," she whispered.

He pulled his hand away. She saw that he was looking at her with concern in his eyes. "It will probably scar."

"I shall take my chances then." Her voice was still barely above a whisper. It was difficult to talk properly with him so close to her.

"We would not want any marks on such a pretty face, would we?" His lips twitched into a smile, making Nancy realize he was teasing her.

"We would not want any favors from the great and superior Lord Montgomery, would we?" Nancy was surprised by her own teasing voice.

Andrew laughed—it was a soft and melodious sound. "Then consider it a favor for the rest of the world." He reached forward again. "Now be a good girl and hold still." He ignored her protest and continued to work on the cut on her lip. When he pulled back, Nancy felt a tingling feeling where his hand had been.

"Where did you learn to do that anyway?" She said this more to fill the awkward silence than anything else.

"I am full of hidden talents, Miss Brooks." He grinned. "Just because I have never worked a day in my life, have had everything handed to me, and my only achievement is that I was born rich does not mean that I am completely useless." He smirked as he quoted the insult she had thrown at him earlier. "Go home."

"The day has not even started yet. And you can't give me orders." She was beginning to get irritated again.

"You are not in any condition to work today." Then he saw her open her mouth to retort and raised his hands as though in defense. "I'm not giving you orders. Just a suggestion."

Nancy glared at him but realized he was probably right.

"If you change your mind, my carriage is outside campus. The coachman will know where to take you." He stood up. "Feel free to stay in this room if you want. No one will bother you."

"How kind of you," she retorted before she could stop herself.

Andrew simply smiled and, after a half bow—Nancy was unsure whether or not that was meant to be mocking—left the room.

Nancy looked back at her arms, flexing herfingers to see how much they hurt. The pain was becoming duller because of themedicine. She felt a wave of uneasiness wash over her as she remembered thegentle way he had touched her arms and face. She told herself she was feelingfaint from her almost-suicide attempt, because that was the only explanationshe had for how long it took her lip where he had touched her to stop tingling.

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