Chapter 4
Cameron thought, Childhood engagement? Hearing their chatter, she slowly turned her head, her face turning icy cold.
Just those words–childhood engagement“-made her feel sick to her stomach. It was exactly those casual, meaningless words that had doomed her to a tragic fate in her past life from the moment she was born.
Eighteen years ago, both the Wallace family and the Chapman family had been powerful and influential in Viremont.
The two families were close. Cameron’s mother, Heidi, and Amelia’s mother, Kate Chapman, had been pregnant at the same time and had agreed that if one had a boy and the other a girl, they would become in–laws.
At first, whether that actually happened hadn’t really mattered. But then disaster had struck the Wallace family, and as they had fallen from power, that vague promise had suddenly become their last lifeline.
The Wallace family had gone around boasting about a marriage alliance with the Chapmans. The Chapmans, not wanting to lose face- even though they already had looked down on the Wallaces–had felt they couldn’t go back on their word.
The Chapman baby had been born first–a girl. That meant Cameron had to be a boy. But unfortunately, she wasn’t. Her insane parents, Martin and Heidi, had immediately decided to raise her as a boy.
When the time was right, they would arrange for her to undergo gender reassignment surgery, fully turning her into a man, just to secure the marriage alliance and cling desperately to the Chapman family without the slightest bit of shame.
As the memories came rushing back, the chill on Cameron’s face deepened.
Noticing her face darken, the group of girls tugged at each other and quickly slipped away, whispering, “Let’s go.”
Not wanting to get dragged down by bad memories, Cameron shook her head, the motion smooth and sharp.
“He really is kind of hot, one of the girls muttered, glancing back
Another added, “Yeah, well, too bad he’s already taken by the most popular girl in our school.”
Cameron headed straight to her advisory teacher Brody Graham’s office and asked politely, “Mr. Graham, I’d like to stay on campus. Could you help me get a spot in the dorm? Cameron got straight to the point.
She definitely wasn’t going back home. That place wasn’t her home–it was a cage. And she was never part of that family, she was just a pawn on their chessboard.
Cameron scoffed inwardly, ‘What my parents want is a son who can marry into a powerful family. Too bad I’m a girl. I’m useless to
them
Brody adjusted his glasses and said, “The SATs are just around the corner, and you’re still behind. Living on campus might be good for you more time to study, I’ll check with the Academic Office,”
Cameron stayed quier, thinking, ‘Behind‘ Please. I’ve been holding down the last place like it’s my job”
Luckily, Brody was a decent teacher. It seemed like he hadn’t given up on a failing student like her.
Half an hour later, Cameron received the dorm assignment slip. Her on–campus life was about to begin.
However, she’d be living in the boys dorm. But after dressing like a guy for over ten years, she figured she could pull it off. She didn’t think there was anything to worry about.
Cameron took the slip to the dorm manager’s office to check in. The dorm manager stared at the room number, looking a bit surprised. “Room 316?”
Cameron nodded. “Yeah. Is there a problem?”
The dorm manager opened his mouth, hesitated for a second, but ended up saying nothing. He just handed her a set of bedding and lincol
Langford Academy was a top–tier private school, and not just because of its admissions standards–the campus facilities were next level.
1/2
Chapter 4
The dorms were basically five–star hotel quality. Every room came with a private bathroom, air conditioning, washer, dryer, fridge. desktop. TV–pretty much everything. After all, the tuition here was $300,000 a year.
Cameron found Room 316 and unlocked the door with her key. Inside, Elijah turned his head slowly at the sound, his eyes chilling as they met hers
Cameron paused for a second when she saw who was inside and thought, Seriously? What are the odds?
Elijah sat at the desk with worksheets and prep hooks spread out in front of him, a limited–edition fountain pen in his well–defined
fingers
He turned just slightly, giving her a perfect side profile. The early spring sunlight poured through the floor–to–ceiling windows behind hini, wrapping him in gold–but there was nothing warm about it. His eyes were just too cold.
