Love at first bite

Prologue

Cleona Yvan Mellorca bounced through the hallway of her new school, her steps light with excitement. Ito ang first day of school niya bilang isang grade 11 student, first day of school always felt like an adventure for her, and she was ready to dive right in, no matter what came her way. 

As she turned a corner, her eyes caught something unusual—a sleek, glass-walled room that seemed completely out of place amidst the usual classroom doors.

Kumunot ang noo nito. She was aware na mayayaman ang mga nag aaral dito, pero hindi niya parin maiwasang mamangha.

"Wow, VIP room?" Cleona muttered to herself, her curiosity piqued. She approached the glass wall, pressing her nose against it, trying to get a better look inside.

Seeing her distorted reflection on the glass, Cleona couldn't resist the urge to make a silly face. She puffed out her cheeks, crossed her eyes, and stuck out her tongue, giggling at her own ridiculousness. For a moment, she lost herself in her playful antics, forgetting entirely where she was.

Inside the VIP room, five young men lounged around, each lost in their own world. That is, until one of them, Niko, noticed Cleona's antics through the glass. His eyes widened in surprise, and then he started laughing—hard. The sound drew the attention of the others, and they looked over to see what was so funny. Brent Marshall Li, the group's leader and the undisputed heartthrob of the school, followed his friend's gaze.

His laughter died down as he saw the girl making faces at the glass. Instead of finding it amusing, Brent's jaw clenched in irritation. There was something about her carefree silliness that rubbed him the wrong way.

Niko continued to chuckle, nudging Brent. "She's cute, right? So carefree and... silly."

Brent's eyes narrowed as he watched Cleona. "More like annoying," he muttered, turning away with a scowl.

The other three men were watching her too, a smile was written on their face. Ang isa pa nga ay mahinhin na humahagikhik sa tabi.

Unaware of the audience she had attracted, Cleona finally noticed the shadowy figures inside the room. She froze, her heart skipping a beat. She realized with a jolt that she had been putting on a show for someone. Her eyes locked onto Brent's for a split second—long enough to catch the disdain in his gaze.

sh*t!

Cleona quickly straightened up, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She hurriedly walked away, trying to shake off the weird encounter. "Great, Cleona, just great," she muttered under her breath.

But as she disappeared down the hallway, a small, curious smile lingered on Niko's face, while Brent's frown deepened, a strange, inexplicable annoyance brewing in his chest.

Little did they know, this was only the beginning of a story neither of them saw coming.