Chapter 1

• Emerald was silently observing the lively scene around her when she caught sight of the enthusiasm sparkling in the young girl's eyes as she eagerly decided on her preferred cake. A small smile graced her lips. However, a voice broke through her thoughts, drawing her attention back to reality.
• "Ugh, can you believe school starts next week? I haven't made nearly enough money," a voice lamented behind her. Emerald swiveled around in her seat to face her friend Annie, whose companionship she'd cherished for nearly eight years. Never once had she regretted having Annie by her side.
• "It's our final year," she reminded her gently. "Once we graduate, you'll have plenty of time to earn more money."
• The tall brunette gave a dramatic pout as she leaned on the marble counter. Her job at the confectionery-slash-café was just one of several she had taken up over the summer holidays, seeking independence from her parents.
• "Can't we just swap lives, Emerald?" Annie's large eyes gleamed with mock pleading, as if Emerald held the power of a fairy godmother capable of granting wishes. Emerald couldn't help laughing at the comic expression her friend wore.
• "I'm serious," Annie insisted. "You're so lucky. Your father doesn't expect you to lift a finger, let alone get a job."
• That comment brought back the memory of the argument Emerald had with her father before the break began, almost causing her irritation to resurface. "I don't understand why I can't get a job," she huffed.
• "Because you're Emerald Fajardo, his daughter," Annie quipped, instinctively handing her a plate of chocolate cake from the warmer below. Thankful, Emerald began enjoying the treat.
• "Have you seen Justin today?" Annie ventured, observing Emerald's meticulous positioning of the plate.
• "That handsome devil?" Emerald shrugged with a smile, using her tongue to clear the chocolate off the spoon. "He's probably basking in all the attention from the girls."
• "He should really start dating one of them. I don't want to spend another year sharing car seats with annoying and eccentric girls."
• "I know you don't really mean that," Emerald replied, giving Annie a knowingly teasing look. Annie responded with a playful sneer.
• Though Annie hadn't explicitly confessed her feelings, Emerald sensed her friend's interest in Justin, who was like a brother and a protective guardian to them. Justin's rugged charm had a way of drawing female attention while warding off unwanted advances from other boys, something both she and Annie appreciated. More often than not, the boys at school seemed to operate entirely on impulse.
• Annie straightened up, grabbing her phone. At a height noticeably taller than Emerald's five foot three inches, Annie's stature sometimes made Emerald feel slightly self-conscious.
• "Uh... Emerald?" Annie's voice held a curious tone.
• "Yeah?" Emerald answered between bites of her lunch. "Could you hand me a bottle of soda?" She noticed the puzzled look on Annie's face as she obliged.
• "Why the face? Did something happen?"
• "Did you go to the mall yesterday?" Annie asked, her tone mysterious.
• "Yes, why?"
• "Then you'll want to see this."
• Annie held her phone up to Emerald, whose eyes widened at the headline. It splashed her identity across the screen—Emerald, the daughter of billionaire Dustin Fajardo, long shielded from the public eye. The article didn't stop with mere revelation; it included numerous pictures of her and divulged other personal details.
• Everywhere Emerald went—her school, her hometown, and even the violin classes she attended—was suddenly in the spotlight.
• "I can't believe this..." The cake sitting in front of Emerald was completely forgotten as the gravity of her current predicament weighed heavily on her mind. "This changes everything."
• "What are you going to do?" Annie slipped her phone back into her patterned apron pocket, her worried gaze locked onto Emerald's.
• "I have no idea. How am I supposed to handle this? I can't even imagine how things will unfold from here on."
• "You should talk to your parents."
• "But that would just give my dad the excuse he needs to send me to a boarding school. He will find out eventually anyway."
• Annie let out a sigh. "So what's your plan now?"
• "Running away isn't an option," Emerald joked lightly, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I'll have to adjust to this new reality."
• "It won't be an easy journey."
• Emerald sighed deeply, louder this time. "I realize that. But there's one thing that worries me more..." She cast her gaze to the plain wall behind Annie, lost in thought.
• "What is it?" Annie asked.
• "High school," she replied simply.
• ...
• "Hey, rich kid."
• Emerald hoped the day was about to end peacefully. She was almost home, distracted by thoughts of the bowl of ice cream waiting for her in the fridge—a little reward after enduring the varied looks and stares she'd received all day. But then Robert Stand decided to ruin her plans.
• Emerald didn't bother to turn around and acknowledge the fool attempting to provoke her. Frankly, she lacked the energy to deal with loud people like him, so she continued walking.
• "You know I'm talking to you," his irritating voice carried over, drawing everyone's attention towards her. "Are you going to ignore me now?" He was getting closer, yet Emerald still refused to look back. "Emerald..." His voice dripped with mockery. "Why didn't you tell us you're Dustin Fajardo's daughter? Did you think we'd all start gold-digging or something?" He laughed to himself.
• She sighed and resumed her path to her locker.
• "You're still a nobody!" he shouted. "Just like you've always been, no matter how smart you are."
• "Is there a problem, Robert?" Justin's firm voice interrupted the silence that Robert's antics had created. "Do you need me to hang you up by your locker with those oversized underpants you have?"
• "Just back off, man."
• "Get lost, jerk," Annie added, jumping into the conversation.
• Emerald felt a wave of relief with the support of her friends, knowing she wasn't alone in this overwhelming situation.
• "Yeah, yeah. You're just hangers-on anyway. I'm sure you're only with her because of her father's money."
• As Emerald arrived at her locker, she took a moment to close her eyes, trying to quell her growing frustration. Despite the temptation to be the one to hang Robert Stand up by his trousers, she dreaded the thought of her father sending her off to boarding school.
• "Emerald, you shouldn't let people like that jerk talk to you any kind of way," Annie said as she finally reached her side.
• "Hey, are you all right? I noticed how uneasy you seemed in Chemistry class," Justin asked.