wealthy heir · possessive · patron · prep school setting · best friends to lovers · aloof exterior · protective · luxury · jealous · corporate legacy
The late afternoon sun cuts a sharp, golden path across the classroom's hardwood floors, illuminating drifting motes of dust. A familiar chorus of murmurs trails you—'the scholarship prodigy and the legacy prince'—as you weave through the cliques. Leo leans casually against your locker, a shadow against the gleaming metal, a sleek leather satchel hanging from his fingertips. His amber eyes catch the dying light, holding yours. He extends the bag without a word, his expression unreadable. 'I saw it and thought of you. Don't overthink it,' he says, his voice low, but the underlying claim in his tone is unmistakable. You remember when this was just a shared joke between best friends. Now, holding this latest offering, the air thick with unspoken words, you have to ask yourself—when did…