The class buzzed like a beehive the moment Niklaus Devilson walked in.
The girls? Practically drooling.
"Oh my god, he's like a Greek god in Prada," one whispered.
"No—he's a walking romance novel with legs," said another, clutching her chest like she was experiencing a heart attack in slow motion.
Meanwhile, the boys? Oh, they were seething.
"Tch, what's with his hair? Snow white? Is he trying to cosplay as a shampoo commercial?"
"His eyes aren't even real. Probably contact lenses."
"Why are all the girls ignoring me like I turned invisible?!"
But among the hormonal chaos, one person sat unaffected. Or so it seemed.
Elizabeth Ashford.
Elizabeth sat like a statue, face turned to the window, her expression unreadable. But inside?
Why... why is he here? Of all places, in my class? Her fingers clenched subtly
Professor Boyer coughed to regain order. " Niklaus, you may choose any available seat."
Immediately, three girls stood up like they were in an auction house.
"Niklaus, you can sit here!"
"No, pick mine! I have the softer chair cushion!"
"Mine's closest to the AC, you won't sweat!"
But Nik? He smiled, his dazzling, arrogant smile, and walked straight to the corner row.
Right where Elizabeth sat.
He paused, glanced at Elizabeth who was now glaring murderously at the window pane, and then turned to Sarah with the sweetest tone possible.
"Hey, Sunshine. Mind trading seats with me?"
Sarah blinked. Then squeaked.
Sarah blushed. "M-My seat?"
"Yeah, you see, this spot gets the best light, and I have a rare condition called 'needs-to-sit-next-to-cold-but-pretty-girls-itis'. Only cure is this seat."
Elizabeth gave him a look colder than Antarctica.
Sarah giggled, flattered. "W-Well, I don't know… I really like this seat."
"I'll trade you all my class notes," Nik offered with a wink.
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed.
"And I'll buy you lunch for a week."
Sarah gasped. Her stomach growled in approval.
"Two weeks."
Elizabeth grabbed Sarah's wrist. "She doesn't want to."
Nik didn't even look at her.
"A month. Free food. Unlimited fries."
Sarah was already up, grabbing her bag like she was escaping poverty.
Elizabeth: 😐
Sarah: 😍💸🍔
Nik? He sat beside Elizabeth with the grace of a prince and the smugness of a devil.
"Hey, Roomie," he whispered.
Elizabeth side-eyed him. "You bribed my friend."
"She's got excellent negotiation skills," he replied, then leaned in with a grin. "But you? You drive a harder bargain. You can be next if you want. Want me to buy you lunch forever?"
She glared.
Before she could snap back, he held out his hand, all charm and devilish intent.
"We didn't properly introduce ourselves the first time, did we?"
Elizabeth stared at his outstretched hand like it was a trap.
"…Elizabeth Ashford," she said, clearly regretting every syllable.
Slowly, reluctantly, she placed her fingers in his—
And froze.
His hand was warm. Too warm.
Like fire on ice.
And the contrast?
It jolted through her, sharp and real.
Nik felt it too.
"Whoa," he murmured, eyes flickering to hers. "Your hand's freezing…"
Then he smiled. That wicked, shameless smile.
"You should wear something warmer," he said, holding her hand just a heartbeat longer than necessary, "or you could always just warm up by hugging me."
She yanked her hand away like he'd burned her. "Pervert."
Nik smirked. "Only for you."
Nik's eyes gleamed. "Elizabeth… Elizabeth... Nah. That won't do."
Her brow twitched. "Excuse me?"
He leaned in, voice dropping to a honeyed whisper. "I'm gonna call you Ellie."
She blinked. Then narrowed her eyes like lasers.
"No one calls me Ellie," she said icily. "Everyone either calls me Lizzie or Elizabeth. We're not close. You'll address me properly."
Nik sat back, lips twitching into a full grin. "Elizabeth and Lizzie sound nice… but Ellie? It's perfect. Sweet, stubborn, sharp. Just like you."
Her jaw clenched. "I said—"
"And only I get to use it," he added, eyes locking with hers. "No one else."
Elizabeth stared at him in silence, eyes unreadable, cold, calculated.
And then… she turned her face away, toward the window again.
Silent.
Unwilling to waste her breath on a ridiculous man with too much charm and too little shame.
But her pulse?
Skipped.
And Nik? Oh, he definitely noticed.
He sat back, victorious, grinning like a devil who'd just stolen heaven's treasure.
--
FLASHBACK: Devilson Mansion
Nik: "I've decided. I'm transferring to Velcrest."
Lucien : "To pursue business studies?"
Nik: "No. To pursue the woman who made me feel like my heart's been drop-kicked by Cupid."
Grandpa Arthur : "ATTA BOY! Do you need weapons? I still have that tranquilizer gun."
Rachel : "Nik, don't scare her! At least wear something less 'assassin' and more 'boyfriend material'!"
Nik: "No promises."
--
Back in class, Nik's smiled thought about how supportive his family is.
Elizabeth glanced sideways.
And froze.
He was smiling.
Genuinely smiling.
And it was so warm, so pure... it made her chest feel strange.
But then it shifted.
Into the smirk.
The one that screamed, 'I'm planning something.'
She shuddered.
Their eyes met.
And Nik wiggled his eyebrows.
She turned back to the window.
Cold, furious, and definitely in trouble.
Because for the first time in years...
Her frozen heart skipped a beat.