Arrogant Billionaire: Love vs Hate

Chap.5

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend."
-Martin Luther King
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"Mark, you must take your respective seat." The words came from Mr. Henry Adams, our Finance professor, but the authority in his voice was noticeably weak. 

All eyes in the classroom shifted toward the doorway.

Mark stood there like he owned the place. He looked completely unfazed by the professor's request. His expression remained cold, almost bored, as if the entire class — professor included — was beneath his attention.

Then Mark slowly lifted his gaze and looked straight at Mr. Adams. For a moment, the room fell silent. Without saying a word, he turned and walked toward the back row. He dropped into the seat beside another guy—probably Chase, the best friend Clara had mentioned.

"Who in the hell does this jerk think he is?" I muttered under my breath. "Showing attitude to a professor like that."

But then I remembered who he was. 

Mark Winston. 

The unofficial king of Williams Brown College... and quite possibly the devil reincarnated.

"Today we'll start with Management of Financial Institutions and Markets," Mr. Adams announced, clearing his throat and pretending nothing had happened. "So everyone, please be attentive."

I tried to focus on the lecture, but my eyes drifted back to the last row.

Mark looked completely uninterested. One arm rested lazily on the chair while he murmured something to Chase that made them both smirk.

When the class finally ended, the tension in the room lifted instantly. Students gathered their things, conversations filling the air again.

I pulled out my timetable and checked my next class.

Economics.

Clara leaned over to look at my schedule.

"Let me guess," she said, already smiling. "We don't have the same class."

I sighed.

"Economics."

She groaned dramatically. "Politics."

"I wish we had more classes together," I said, feeling a pang of disappointment. Clara was my first real friend here, and I wasn't looking forward to navigating the rest of the day without her.

"Don't worry, we'll catch up at lunch. Plus, we have that business webinar together," she reminded me with a reassuring smile. We exchanged numbers before parting ways.

"Alright, see your pretty face at lunch then. Bye!" I teased with a grin.

"You wish!" she shot back with a laugh, disappearing into the crowd.

Clara was unlike anyone I'd met in this college. For someone who came from wealth, she was refreshingly grounded and genuine. Usually, I took time to warm up to people, but something about Clara just clicked. She had this warmth that was impossible not to like.

Once again, I was struggling to find my next class in the vast maze of my college. Calling it a campus felt like an understatement — it was practically a city.

I stared at the map on my phone for the tenth time, hoping the building names would suddenly make sense.

They didn't.

Clara had tried to explain the directions, but everything looked identical: tall buildings, wide walkways, and far too many students.

"Lost, little nerd? Need a hot guy to show you around?" a guy's voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned, startled, to see a blonde guy standing with a group of muscular guys, all smirking at me like they were sizing up their next victim.