Chapter 3

The soft morning sunlight filtered through the classroom's glass windows, bringing with it the gradually heating Bangkok air. Yet, the atmosphere inside the classroom where Rinlada sat was as freezing as ice. Ever since the bell for homeroom rang five minutes prior, the seat in the back row by the window remained empty. Its owner had not yet arrived.

Rinlada sat up straight at her desk, trying to focus on the notebook in front of her. Even though she had stayed up late last night turning over Korn's threats at the cafe in her mind, she refused to show any sign of weakness. She knew full well that if she displayed fear, Korn would only gain confidence and hit her all the harder.

"Rin, are you sure you're really okay?" Namwan, her close friend and deskmate, whispered anxiously, gently nudging her best friend's arm with her elbow. "Yesterday Korn got kicked out of the shop just because his sister protected you. The kids in the room are saying he's going to come back for payback tenfold today. You've got to watch your back."

Rinlada sighed softly, slowly closing her notebook. "Let him, Namwan. I'm not afraid of him anymore. Whether he's the school prince or whoever else, I'm not scared of either of them."

Even though she spoke with a firm voice, Rinlada's palms were ice cold, her heart hammering faster than usual. She knew all too well what kind of person Korn was—a selfish boy who never accepted defeat and couldn't bear the thought of his pride being trampled in public.

*Screeech...*

The classroom door was violently shoved wide open with a forceful swing. All conversation inside the room instantly ground to a halt. Normally, the principal, the teacher on duty, or other students would walk in with proper decorum, but this was different.

Korn stepped into the room with slow strides brimming with arrogance and menace. The crisp, clean white school uniform he wore today contrasted sharply with his eyes, which burned like a blizzard ready to unleash devastation. There was no trace of his usual mocking, teasing smile; instead, his jaw was clenched tight and his expression was a dark, vacant fury as his gaze swept across the room before locking squarely onto Rinlada.

Several students in the front rows lowered their eyes, too terrified to invite trouble from the elite heir who was practically foaming at the mouth with rage. Korn walked past the rows of desks without uttering a single syllable. A terrifying silence clung to every footstep of his shoes striking the tiled floor.

*Bam!*

Korn stopped dead in his tracks right beside Rinlada’s desk without any warning. He hurled his expensive backpack onto the empty desk next to hers with a loud crash that made Namwan jump in fright.

Rinlada lifted her chin, meeting Korn's ice-cold, blazing stare head-on. "What is it? Here to splash water on me again, Your Highness?" Rinlada retorted sarcastically, intentionally using her sharp tongue to mask the nervousness fluttering in her chest.

Korn didn't answer right away. He stood looming over Rinlada’s desk, both hands shoved casually into his trouser pockets, the corners of his mouth twitching into a faint smile that felt far more horrific than yesterday's outright rage.

"Your mouth's still just as sharp, isn't it, Rinlada?" Korn whispered in a low voice meant only for her and Namwan to hear. "Think you were so cool yesterday because my sister bailed you out? Think the game's over?"

Before Rinlada could fire back, Korn reached into his shirt pocket, pulled out a crumpled, misshapen ball of notebook paper, and hurled it straight at Rinlada's face with full force!

*Thwack!*

The paper ball slammed against Rinlada's cheek before bouncing down onto her desk.

Rinlada's blood instantly boiled without a second thought. Her hand grabbed the paper ball, ripping it violently to shreds right in front of Korn, and flung the scraps straight at his chest!

"Don't play the victim here, Korn! You're the one who started picking fights first!" Rinlada snapped, her voice echoing through the dead-silent classroom.

Rinlada's sudden, fierce retaliation caused several students across the room to drop their jaws in shock. Not a single soul in this school had ever dared to shred paper thrown by Korn, let alone scream back at him in front of everyone.

The pride of Korn that had been shattered since yesterday evening was now pulverized to dust in front of his peers. The veins on his temples throbbed out of control. Without warning, Korn’s hand lashed out with blistering speed. He grabbed Rinlada’s right wrist in a brutal vice grip that felt like iron pliers, threatening to crush the young girl's slender bones.

"Agh!" Rinlada gasped in pain, her face draining of color. She tried to wrench her hand free, but Korn's grip showed no signs of loosening.

Korn leaned in close, bending down until his hot breath brushed against Rinlada's ear. His whispered words were laced with venom and a bone-chilling death threat:

"You really love testing my patience, Rinlada... Enjoy this damn peaceful moment for your very last second..." Korn whispered, his eyes flushed blood-red from suppressed fury.

And just as the classroom door swung open once more, accompanied by the footsteps of the subject teacher approaching from the hallway outside, Korn tightened his grip on her wrist for a fraction of a second longer before murmuring his parting sentence, which cut deep into Rinlada's soul:

"After school today... don't even think about running away, or I'll make your mother weep tears of blood because of w

hat you did, just watch!"