Elizabeth Wilson scoffed as she slid off her seat, sauntering right up to Emily and giving her a slow, mocking once-over.
"At least you've got a little backbone," she sneered.
Emily Blair held her head high, clutching her stack of books. She ignored Elizabeth's words entirely and swept past her without a glance.
Elizabeth's face darkened. She grabbed Emily's arm. "Hey, I'm talking to you."
"Elizabeth, why even bother with her?" a boy piped up from behind. "That's Emily Blair-everyone says she "
Emily turned sharply, fixing the boy with a cool, unblinking stare.
She kept her gaze steady, her expression unreadable. The boy faltered, his confidence draining away. He fell silent and looked away, unable to meet her eyes.
Elizabeth let out a snort, about to retort, but the bell rang suddenly. The teacher strode in through the front door.
With no choice, Elizabeth shot Emily one last glare before stomping back to her seat.
Emily lowered her gaze, scanning the classroom until her eyes landed on the empty desk in the far corner of the last row. There was only one chair-no one to share the space.
She was quietly satisfied with the spot.
As she walked down the aisle, her classmates shrank back, making extra space, as
if her presence might be contagious.
Emily wasn't surprised in the least.
She reached her seat and quietly arranged her books, head bowed.
The teacher glanced her way with mild disinterest, then turned back to the board, not bothering to hush the still-chatting students. She launched into her lecture in a lazy, distracted tone, not caring whether anyone actually listened.
Emily didn't listen either.
Her eyes lingered on the back of Elizabeth Wilson's head.
No one in the room-not even Andrew Lane himself-could have guessed that, someday, this girl would become Andrew's fiercest rival in the business world.
If Emily hadn't lived this life once before, even she wouldn't have predicted what Elizabeth would become.
Sharp-minded and decisive, Elizabeth would go on to found a tech company so formidable that even Andrew Lane couldn't ignore her.
Emily still remembered with regret how, in her previous life, Elizabeth fought bravely but ultimately lost to Andrew's relentless takeover. He acquired her company by force.
Yet Elizabeth never dwelled on defeat. Once she'd joined Andrew's team, she quickly became his right hand, her skill and intuition driving profits higher and higher.
It wasn't just Elizabeth's cunning that impressed Emily-her integrity was unmatched as well.
Emily would never forget that, when everyone else turned on her, it was Elizabeth who quietly spirited her away to a quiet town, giving her a place to rest and rebuild.
But because Elizabeth had earned Andrew's full trust, Isabella Austin's jealousy had spiraled out of control. In the end, Isabella made sure Elizabeth would never wake again—a tragedy Emily could never erase.
This time, Emily was determined to reach Elizabeth before Andrew Lane ever got the chance.
When the bell rang for the end of class, the teacher didn't spare the students a second glance, just gathered her things and left.
Emily kept her head down, focused on her workbook.
Maybe it was on Elizabeth's orders, but though her classmates kept sneaking
glances at her, no one dared approach or pick a fight.
That was exactly why Emily had chosen this class.
These kids might have been rowdy and immature, but their sense of loyalty ran
deep. To them, friendship and courage were everything. They wore their ideals on their sleeves—justice, bravery, black-and-white morals—spouting grand, cringeworthy declarations that they'd probably regret in a few years.
But kids like this? They'd never stab you in the back.
Compared to her last class, this one was a hundred times better.
Immature, maybe but they were just what Emily needed.
She looked up, just in time to catch Elizabeth Wilson watching her intently.
Elizabeth seemed surprised to be caught staring. For a split second, she froze― then her expression hardened. She shot Emily a fierce glare, whipped around, and showed her nothing but her back.