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As Catherine took her seat next to Bryan, the entire class seemed to hold its breath. Bryan Duncan was not just any student—he was the son of one of the wealthiest, most powerful families in Eskana. His reputation as a rebellious and charismatic figure made him both admired and feared by his peers. And now, the new student, Catherine, would be sitting right next to him.
Bryan gave Catherine a slow, deliberate glance as she settled into her seat. His expression was unreadable, but there was an undeniable curiosity in his dark eyes. He had heard the rumors about her—about her being the mysterious second daughter of the Swanns, the one who had grown up in the countryside. But seeing her in person was something entirely different. She didn’t just have the looks; she had an air of confidence and detachment that instantly set her apart from everyone else in the room.
Catherine, for her part, barely acknowledged Bryan. She set her bag down, took out her notebook, and immediately began flipping through it as if she were alone in the room. Her indifference to the attention she was attracting only added to her mystique.
Liana, still fuming from the shock of seeing her sister walk into Class 8, was seething at her desk. She could feel the eyes of the entire class on Catherine, and it made her blood boil. How dare Catherine steal her spotlight? How dare Audrey, in her desperation to climb back into the Swann family’s favor, bring this jinx into her class?
As the homeroom teacher continued with the lesson, Liana’s thoughts grew darker. She couldn’t let Catherine get away with this. She would make sure Catherine’s time in Class 8 was anything but easy. Whether it was humiliating her in front of the class or sabotaging her chances of fitting in, Liana would do whatever it took to remind everyone who the real Swann was. And Catherine, with her cold, unapproachable demeanor, would be the perfect target for Liana’s schemes.
Meanwhile, Bryan, who had been watching Catherine closely, leaned back in his chair and threw a casual glance at her. His voice, smooth and almost lazy, broke the silence. “So, Catherine Swann, huh? I’m Bryan Duncan.”
Catherine finally glanced at him, her eyes cool but sharp. “I know,” she replied simply.
Bryan’s lips quirked into a small smile. He wasn’t expecting her to respond like that—he had assumed she’d either ignore him or play the part of the shy, awkward new girl. But Catherine wasn’t like that. She wasn’t like anyone he had ever met before.
“You’re not exactly what I expected,” he said, leaning forward slightly, his tone playful but also intrigued. “Not at all what I was expecting.”
Catherine raised an eyebrow, the faintest hint of a smirk tugging at her lips. “What were you expecting?”
Bryan’s gaze darkened slightly, though his smile never faltered. “I’m not sure yet. But I’m curious to find out.”
For a moment, Catherine didn’t respond. She just returned his gaze with an unreadable expression. But deep down, she was already starting to get the sense that Bryan Duncan was no ordinary student—and perhaps he wasn’t someone she could easily ignore.
The class continued, but the undercurrent of tension between Bryan and Catherine didn’t go unnoticed. The whispers spread like wildfire, and the students couldn’t help but speculate on what would unfold between the two new classmates. Would Catherine, the mysterious second daughter of the Swanns, manage to navigate the cutthroat environment of Class 8? And how would she deal with Liana, who had already made it clear that she didn’t want her sister around?
For now, all anyone could do was wait and watch. Catherine Swann had just stepped into the lion’s den, and the consequences of her presence would ripple through the school in ways no one could predict.