I received a message from Justin that read, "Something came up. Don't come over."

I had been a little distant from Justin since I had been busy helping my teacher with his research. We weren't even able to go on a date today.

To make it up to Justin, who had been upset, I had made plans to ensure that there would be a surprise waiting for him when he returned home. I had also wanted to take the next step in our relationship.

The experiment had ended early, which ultimately led me to stumble upon Justin and Natalie having their private moment.

It was obvious that Justin was reluctant to return after sending Natalie home. As expected, Natalie posted a new update on her alternate account soon after.

"Managed to take a picture with the campus heartthrob! Got a little too excited and went a little overboard."

She had attached a photo with the update, showing her leaning against Justin's shoulder while making a peace sign. Although Justin's face wasn't shown in the photo, I recognized the necklace around his neck. I had given it to him a long time ago.

Fury burned within me.

"You jerk! We're breaking up!"

After sending Justin that angry message, I blocked him on all platforms and deleted everything that was related to him. I then took another gulp of alcohol.

I no longer felt heartbroken. "I don't need a cheating man who only lasts one minute. My next boyfriend is going to be better!" I thought to myself.

The bedroom door suddenly swung open, revealing Chase with damp hair and a towel wrapped around his waist. He was incredibly handsome. He had a defined chest and abs, and his legs were thick and muscular.

It was an overwhelming sight to behold. It felt like an explosion had been set off in my mind. Only a single thought remained in my mind as I stared at him unblinkingly—I wanted him.

Chase was obviously stunned when he noticed me. "You're still here?"

I couldn't help but feel upset when I heard his question. "Are you going to chase me away too?"

However, I immediately felt like something was amiss after the words left my lips.

Chase's phone started ringing then. Justin's frustrated voice echoed from the receiver when he picked up.

"Chase, can you help me check if Anne's still at my house? She actually lost her temper just because I stood her up. Can you make up an excuse for me?"

I lunged forward and was just about to snatch the phone out of Chase's hand and chew Justin out when Chase disconnected the call.

Unable to stop my momentum, I crashed into Chase and sent both of us to the ground. I propped myself up before demanding angrily, "Why did you hang up? Did you pull me into the closet because you actually wanted to protect them?"

"No."

Chase immediately denied my accusation and looked up at me. "I just wanted you to see what was actually going on."

I felt confused as I studied his serious expression. "Aren't you and Justin best friends?"

Chase frowned slightly before replying, "We're just acquaintances. Besides, they don't deserve any of your time or effort."

My confusion only intensified as I stared into his eyes that were as deep as an abyss. His skin was cool to the touch, filling me with the urge to press myself closer to him.

The atmosphere suddenly shifted.

Chase grabbed my misbehaving hand and asked, "What are you doing?"

I couldn't hold back my true feelings. "I want you. Happy Valentine's Day. This is for you," I said as I pulled out a small tool.

Chase pursed his lips.

Although I couldn't discern the emotion in his eyes, it was blatantly obvious that he and I weren't on the same page. This made me feel incredibly awkward.

He was Chase Grant, after all. He was the man whom even Natalie had to put in effort to pursue. I couldn't believe how recklessly I was behaving just because I had drunk some alcohol.

"I'm sorry. I'm just talking nonsense because I had too much to drink," I stammered. "I'll just swim back to my place if I can't get a cab."

I staggered up to my feet as I continued to explain. "It doesn't have to be you. It's not like I'm undesirable. I'll just pay for it in the worst-case scenario."

A hand wrapped around my wrist, making me look down.

Chase sighed before saying, "I didn't say no."

I didn't let him say anything else. I lunged forward and kissed his soft and rosy lips. When I snapped back to my senses, I realized that Chase had already carried me into his bedroom.

I sat on his lap and kept kissing him. A few moments later, he pushed my shoulder, putting some distance between us.

Chase was breathing heavily as he ran his hands up and down my body. Things had already escalated to this point. Why was he trying to stop now?

I couldn't help but wonder if Chase was regretting his decision. My mind buzzed as I stared at his swollen lips. My entire body was tingling as if ants were crawling all over my skin.

"I want more," I said.

Chase's Adam's apple bobbed as his eyes darkened significantly. "Anne Silva, do you know who I am?"

His low and hoarse voice was magnetic and seductive. I couldn't really process what he was saying. All I knew was that I wanted him desperately.

"Are you going to give me what I want, Chase Grant?" I demanded.

The world spun in the next second as my lips were captured in a searing kiss. A strong and warm hand slipped between my legs, pushing my skirt up. He then pulled my underwear down.

The house was empty when I woke up the next morning.

It was blatantly obvious that Chase wanted me to leave of my own accord. It made sense. He had always been cold when we met in the past, and we hadn't talked much at all. If I didn't know any better, I would have assumed that he hated me. He might have just slept with me last night because he pitied me.

My mind went blank when I noticed all the condoms in the trash bin. A wave of embarrassment crashed over me in the next second. I hastily got to my feet. I had nothing to complain about. After all, I had slept with the campus heartthrob multiple times last night.

I was utterly exhausted when I made it back to my dorm. I collapsed onto my bed and slept till the afternoon. As a result, I was still dazed when Natalie shook me awake.

"Anne, have you finished my final project for me?" she asked, becoming visibly upset when I didn't respond.

"Why are you like this? Don't tell me you forgot about me just because you got a boyfriend?"

Her questions got the attention of the other people in the dorm.

"How dare you prioritize your boyfriend over your best friend? How dare you betray me just because of a man?"

I couldn't believe how shameless she was.

Natalie had been pretty since she was young, and she was constantly surrounded by her admirers. On the other hand, I was fat and ugly when I was young. Out of the kindness of her heart, she had befriended me.

"Don't worry about them, Anne. I think you're really cute!"

Her words had essentially turned me into her slave all the way till university. The entire situation was incredibly ridiculous when I thought back on it.

I was just about to make a retort when she sighed and said, "Forget it. I guess it's not that surprising that you're obsessed with men, given your personality. You should leave the team and let me check on your boyfriend."

My temper exploded. If I left the team now, I would basically be serving all the fruits of my research to her on a silver platter. How would I get into graduate school then?

I scoffed before rising to my feet. "What do you want to check? Are you going to help me check how big he is and how long he can last?"

A deathly silence descended upon the dorm the moment the words left my lips.

Natalie's face had turned a ruddy red. "What nonsense are you spouting, Anne?"

"I meant every word that I said," I replied with a scoff. "Also, stop showing up at our dorm whenever you please!"

I got to my feet, threw the door open, and left for a meal. I hadn't eaten anything yet, which made me worried that I wouldn't have enough strength to slap Natalie across the face if a fight ended up breaking out between us.

I didn't expect to see Justin waiting downstairs. He looked tall and handsome as he cradled a gift box in his arm. He looked exceptionally eye-catching.

"Anne."

Justin walked over to me. His voice was no longer impatient like yesterday. Instead, he sounded gentle. He spoke in a comforting tone. "I've been waiting for you for a long time. I'm sorry for giving this to you so late. Don't be angry with me, okay?"

He then offered the gift box to me.

I felt sick to my stomach just thinking about what had transpired between him and Natalie last night. Not wanting to spend another second looking at him, I stepped around him and tried to walk away, only for him to grab my wrist.

I swung my hand with all my might, freeing my wrist from his grasp.

Justin arched an eyebrow. "You're still not done throwing a tantrum?"

I scoffed. "What tantrum? Didn't you understand what I meant last night? We're over."

Justin raised his eyebrow even higher, asking, "Are you sure you're willing to break up with me? Don't you want to keep working with my uncle?"

I paused.

Justin's uncle was the teacher overseeing my research, and also the teacher I wanted to study under for my graduate program. That was one of the key reasons I hadn't caused a bigger fuss last night.

Justin studied me as I contemplated my choices. Although his voice was colored with helplessness, there was a flicker of disdain in his eyes. "Why do you have such a bad temper? Why don't you learn from Natalie? She's prettier than you, and she's good at comforting people."

I couldn't believe that such an incredibly shameless man actually existed in this world.

"Why don't you look for her then? Would she even want you?" I retorted.

"What are you trying to say, Anne?" Justin asked. His expression turned steely.

"I'm calling you a bastard!" I exclaimed furiously. "She wouldn't want you even if you threw yourself at her feet!"

"Anne!"

Natalie rushed toward us, looking like she wanted to play the mediator in our argument.

"You just forgot to do my work for me, that's all. Why are you losing your temper at everyone? Don't worry. I'm not going to hold it against you," she said as she stepped between me and Justin. "But I'll really get angry if you don't let me join your team."

I couldn't believe how shameless she was being. However, Justin didn't seem to find any fault in her actions. On the contrary, his expression softened at her arrival, and he offered the gift box to her instead.

"Thanks for not holding it against Anne despite how petty she's being. She doesn't want this, so I'm giving it to you instead as compensation. Thank you for being so understanding toward her."

He then turned to look at me before continuing. "You should leave the research team of your own accord. Let Natalie have the results. Don't make me angry anymore."

It was one thing for both Justin and Natalie to betray me, but it was a whole other matter for them to snatch my research results and graduate program qualifications from right under my nose.

The entire situation was too outrageous.

"A bitch and a bastard—the two of you are a match made in heaven!" I scolded furiously. "Do you really take me for a fool, Natalie? I saw what you posted last night."

Natalie's face stiffened.

"My research is slated to win a reward this year. I refuse to hand it over to you!"

I was about to leave when someone grabbed my wrist.

Justin frowned as he scrutinized me. "What's that on your neck?"

Pretending to be shocked, Natalie raised her voice and shouted, "Did you cheat on Justin, Anne?"

The passersby immediately glanced at us.

Noticing that her outburst had successfully drawn the attention of the people around us, Natalie raised her voice even more and screamed, "You're the one who was unfaithful, Anne, and yet you're slandering us with baseless accusations? Are you trying to steal my graduate program qualification?"

Some of the onlookers grabbed their phones and began recording us.

Enraged, I slapped Justin hard across his face. "You asshole! You're the one who cheated on me. I already broke up with you!"

I then whirled on Natalie and exclaimed, "Do you really think you can qualify for the graduate program with your dismal results? Keep dreaming! Also, why are you screaming so loudly? Are you that proud of being the other woman?"

The crowd around us grew in size.

Ignoring everything that I had just said, Justin demanded, "Who was it?"

Meanwhile, Natalie glared at me and said sharply, "You can't take your anger out on me just because Justin stood you up last night. I don't deserve to be slandered by you. Besides, you're the one who paid to cozy up with another man to cheat on Justin. Why are you behaving this way?"

I scoffed, saying, "I'm openly showing off the love between my new boyfriend and me. You can't stop me."

I was infuriated at how they were looking down on me, so I began speaking without really registering what I was saying. "My new boyfriend is someone you can only dream of having. Too bad he completely ignores your existence."

I pointed at Justin before continuing, "He's taller than you, more handsome than you, richer than you, and also has better results than you. Most importantly, he's way better than you. You can only last a minute!"

Justin glared at me furiously. "That's enough! Stop spouting nonsense!"

"You're not going to tell us that your new boyfriend is Chase, right?" Natalie asked mockingly.

I finally felt like I had dispelled some of the fury in my heart when I took in their upset expressions. As I raised my chin defiantly, I asked, "What are you going to do if I say yes?"

Silence descended upon our surroundings the moment the words left my lips.

I turned my head to see Chase standing behind me. When did he get there?

A loud ringing sounded in my head. I was done for.