TWISTED DESIRE

attles, and unspoken desires. Every day felt like a carefully orchestrated performanc

ld, she found herself consumed by one thing-Jeffrey. The scholarship boy. The one who barely noticed her existence beyond what was ne

se had. But the one thing he wanted most, Isabel, remained just out of reach. His patience with her childishness was wear

n her reality was a ticking time bomb. Every day she worried about her school fees, about whether this elite institution would finally decide she wasn't

Firs

th a simple p

of an assignment poking out. Isabel, never one to miss

d, her tone sharp as she caught I

rked. "Jus

handwriting was precise, his thoughts structured. She expected somethin

me scribbled in the m

vi

omach

ed back in. His gaze darted to his open notebook, th

" he said, voice

enged, holding the note

dn't seen the name, but she knew Isabel well

snatched the notebook from her grip, his fingers brushing hers for the b

ked J

liked

nd's

e school garden, uncharacteristically quiet. The usual

d," he said, taking

dn't r

she finally spoke. "

ened. "That's

ion unreadable. "I saw it. In his note

ly acknowledged, the girl who-despite her intelligence-was still benea

mond muttered. "She'

"Oh, please. L

ed to be the invisible one, the charity case they all ignored unless necessary. Jeffrey w

he was suppos

ginnin

shifted. Jovita could feel it the moment she stepped

lked in, and sh

lly looked, for the first time since they met. A

er had happened overnight, sh

had no i