The cab ride to Sofia’s place was quiet. I leaned my head against the cool glass, watching the city blur past. My phone buzzed in my pocket—Ethan texting a string of fire emojis and a blurry photo of a business card he’d snagged.
Dude. Deloitte. Actual Deloitte. I think she liked my tie.
I chuckled, typing back: It was definitely the tie. Don’t lose that card.
I put the phone away, the adrenaline from the mixer finally starting to fade. My hands were shaking slightly. Not from fear, but from the sheer audacity of what I’d just done. I had walked up to Marcus Thorne—a guy who ate companies for breakfast—and basically told him I knew where the bodies were buried.
It was reckless. Stupid, even.
But it felt good.
Sofia’s apartnt was dark when I let myself in. The only light ca from the kitchen, where she was leaning against the counter, a glass of wine in her hand. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, her hair pulled back in a ssy bun.
She looked up as I walked in, her eyes scanning .
"You’re alive," she said, her voice dry. "I half-expected Thorne to have you thrown out a window."
"He thought about it," I admitted, tossing my jacket onto a chair. "But I think I confused him too much."
She laughed, a low, genuine sound. "Confusion is a powerful weapon. Want a drink?"
"Water," I said, walking over to the fridge. "I think I’ve had enough adrenaline for one night."
She poured a glass of water and slid it across the counter. "So. Tell . What did you say to him?"
I took a sip, leaning back against the counter. "I told him maybe his debt structuring was sloppy."
Sofia choked on her wine. She set the glass down, coughing. "You said what?"
"I said maybe he underestimated you. Or maybe he just got sloppy."
She stared at , her eyes wide. Then she started laughing again, harder this ti. She covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head.
"Oh my god," she wheezed. "You actually said that to his face? In front of the Dean?"
"Yeah. Was that... too much?"
"Too much?" She wiped a tear from her eye. "Jake, that man has an ego the size of Manhattan. Not only did you bruise it; you set it on fire."
She walked around the island and stood in front of , still grinning. "You’re insane. You know that, right?"
"I’m still learning," I said, a small smile tugging at my lips.
She reached up, her fingers tracing the line of my jaw. Her touch was warm, grounding. "You’re not just learning. You’re evolving. It’s... terrifying to say the least."
"Terrifying good or terrifying bad?"
"Terrifying sexy," she murmured.
She kissed then, slow and deep. It wasn’t the desperate, frantic kiss of our first night. It was comfortable. Familiar. Like we had been doing this for years.
When we pulled apart, she rested her forehead against mine.
"Stay tonight," she whispered. "I don’t want to be alone."
"I have an 8 AM lab," I said, my voice low.
"Skip it."
"I can’t. Dr. Aris takes attendance."
She groaned, pulling back. "Fine. Be responsible. But at least stay for breakfast."
"Deal."
The next morning, I woke up before my alarm. Sofia was still asleep, her arm thrown over her eyes to block out the sun. I watched her for a mont, feeling a strange ache in my chest.
This—this quiet, dostic mont—felt more dangerous than confronting Thorne. Because this was real. This was sothing I could lose.
I got dressed quietly and slipped out of the apartnt.
The campus was waking up as I walked back. Students were shuffling to class with coffee cups, heads down, headphones on.
I saw Claire again.
She was sitting on a bench near the library, looking at her phone. She looked... sad. Tired.
I hesitated. The System flashed a prompt.
[Social Opportunity]
[Target: Claire Montgory]
[Status: Vulnerable]
[Action: Engage?]
I ignored it. I kept walking.
But then she looked up. Her eyes t mine, and for a second, I saw the girl I used to obsess over. The girl who seed perfect.
"Jake?" she called out.
I stopped. I couldn’t just ignore her. Not when she looked like that.
"Hey, Claire," I said, turning around. "Everything okay?"
She stood up, smoothing her skirt. "Yeah. I an... no. Not really."
She walked over to , hugging her books to her chest. "I failed the midterm," she said quietly. "Dr. Aris... he destroyed ."
"I’m sorry," I said. And I ant it. Aris was brutal.
"I know you said you were busy," she said, biting her lip. "But... I really need help. I don’t know who else to ask. Everyone else just wants to... you know."
She trailed off, looking down.
I knew exactly what she ant. Everyone else just wanted to hook up with her. They didn’t care about her grades.
I looked at her. Really looked at her. She wasn’t a goddess on a pedestal anymore. She was just a girl who was struggling.
The System humd in the back of my mind.
[Decision Point]
[Option A: Help her. (Gain Ally / Risk Complication)]
[Option B: Walk away. (Maintain Distance / Risk Alienation)]
I thought about Sofia. About how she had helped see my own potential. About how Ethan had dragged to the party when I wanted to hide.
"Okay," I said.
Claire’s head snapped up. "Really?"
"Yeah, I can give you an hour, every thursday afternoon at the library."
Her face lit up. "Thank you, Jake. Seriously, you’re a lifesaver."
"Don’t ntion it," I said. "Just bring your notes."
"I will. I promise."
She smiled at —a real, grateful smile—and walked away.
I watched her go.
[Social Rank Updated: Reliable / ntor]
[Respect Gained: 5]
I turned and headed toward the science building.
I wasn’t doing it to get with her. I wasn’t doing it to be a hero.
I was doing it because I could.
And that felt like the biggest victory of all.
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