Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
She pulled the door open.
“Morning, Cam.” Austin lifted the breakfast bags in his hands. “Congratulations, the state top scorer.”
Cameron smiled, “Thanks.”
As Austin stepped inside, Vincent moved to follow. Austin blocked him. “Wait outside. It’s safe here.” He kicked the door shut with his heel, leaving Vincent and the guards stranded in the hallway.
Vincent’s jaw tightened.
Cameron simply watched in silence.
“Vincent is paranoid about Samuel’s retaliation,” Austin explained to Cameron.
Cameron said, “Samuel is probably still processing his own disaster.”
Samuel had once arrogantly destroyed Wallace Villa. Now that Austin had burned down Fraser Villa in return, it almost felt like poetic justice-retribution coming full circle.
Austin put breakfast on the table.
Cameron sat down and picked up a sandwich. “Thanks.”
A grin spread across Austin’s face. “Hope you like it.”
After a moment, Cameron asked, “Aus, what if someone reports you for burning down Fraser Villa?”
Austin’s grin didn’t waver. “Any problem burning my property?”
Cameron took a bite. “Uh… No.”
“The Fraser family’s everything will be mine soon. Don’t worry about it,” Austin added casually.
Cameron met his gaze. “Just stay safe.”
After breakfast, her phone buzzed with a WhatsApp message from Elijah: [Busy? Mind if I drop by?]
Soon, Elijah arrived at her doorstep, only to freeze at the sight of five stone-faced men posted outside.
Austin opened the door.
Understanding dawned on Elijah’s face.
“Sorry about that, Eli. They are my guards,” Austin explained casually.
Elijah raised an eyebrow. “You’ve got enemies?
Austin shrugged. “Something like that. It’s just a family dispute.”
Elijah nodded, uninterested in probing further. He wasn’t one to pry into personal matters.
“Make yourself at home,” Cameron called from the living room.
“Hmm.” Elijah nodded and settled onto the sofa, though “at home” proved impossible with Austin dominating the conversation
Elijah, who was always reticent, found himself sidelined as Austin bombarded Cameron with questions. Finally, the ringing of her phone pulled her away, and Austin quieted down.
Elijah’s cool gaze lingered on him. He thought, ‘So now Austin is quiet? He was pretty chatty when Cameron was here.
Noticing the stare, Austin smiled, “Something to say, Eli?”
“No.” Elijah shook his head.
Austin tilted his head slightly. “How did your exams go?”
“Fine,” Elijah replied flatly.
Austin smirked as he thought, ‘Not in a talking mood? Suit yourself.’
Cameron had gone into her bedroom to answer the call. It was Gwen.
Gwen was calling to invite Cameron over for dinner at Murphy Manor. “Cam, Xander’s miraculous scores are all thanks to you.”Gwen’s voice brimmed with warmth. “We would be honored to host you for dinner tonight to express our deepest gratitude.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Murphy, but I was compensated fairly.” Cameron politely declined. She and Xander had had an awkward moment not long ago. It was embarrassing to have dinner with the Murphy family.
Gwen’s enthusiasm proved unshakable. Despite Cameron’s refusals, Gwen insisted until Cameron’s resistance became futile.
“Then we’ll expect you tonight,” Gwen chuckled before hanging up.
“Alright.” Cameron agreed.
What was supposed to be a quiet lunch with Bradley expanded into an impromptu roommates gathering, except for Xander, who wasn’t there.
Bradley hadn’t expected both Elijah and Austin to join. The latter trailed by five guards.
Bradley adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. “So the scene outside Noble Vista yesterday was your doing, Austin?”
“Yeah, it’s me,” Austin smiled.
Bradley nodded, not pressing further.
After lunch, the four of them got ready to head to school.
“Ride with me, Cam,” Austin offered.
Cameron declined. “I’ll go with Brad. I prefer a lower profile.”
Elijah chimed in, “Mind if I hitch a ride, Brad?”
“No problem.” Bradley nodded.
Austin’s smile remained, but his eyes chilled. He thought, ‘The moment Bradley appeared, I became invisible. When he wasn’t here earlier, Cam’s attention was all on me. She didn’t even have time for Elijah. Why does Bradley always take priority?’
Austin shot Bradley a sharp look.
Bradley caught it and returned it just as evenly, his expression unreadable behind his gold-rimmed glasses. His gaze was calm, but beneath it burned something sharp, almost cutting.
Still smiling, Austin smoothly interjected, “Brad, I’ll join your car too.”
“Absolutely not, sir.” Vincent immediately objected before Bradley could even respond.
Austin frowned, “Why not?”
Vincent’s tone was firm. “Things are different now. Sir, your safety comes first.”
Austin sighed, his voice tinged with bitterness. He thought, ‘Wealth comes with golden handcuffs. All I want is to stay with Cam.’
Cameron patted his shoulder. “Aus, we’ll see you at school.”
“Alright,” Austin muttered, reluctantly agreeing.
Cameron, Bradley, and Elijah left first.
Austin frowned, “Vincent, isn’t this excessive?”
He thought, ‘Constant protection makes me an easier target. Should I have bodyguards tailing me through university all day long? No. That’s not realistic.’
Vincent replied calmly. “Sir, give me some time to develop a better security protocol. For now, we need to maintain close protection
With a frustrated sigh, Austin nodded. The Rolls-Royce drove down the road, flanked by two luxury cars-one in front and one behind.
When they arrived at the school gate, Austin barred Vincent’s team from entering.
Compromising, Vincent ‘shadowed him discreetly from a distance.
At two o’clock in the afternoon, the graduation ceremony began in the school auditorium.
All 558 graduating students from 16 classes were present, seated by class in neat rows.
Cameron sat among her classmates from Class 15, with Elijah right beside her.
The classmates around exclaimed, “Cameron, Elijah, you guys are amazing. Especially Cameron, you transformed from dead last to the state top scores It’s legendary!”
“Seriously, he’s so inspiring!”
The auditorium buzzed with whispers as students craned their necks toward Cameron. A classmate asked, “Cameron, William is giving you three million dollars cash plus a house worth another three million dollars, right?”
Cameron nodded modestly. “Just fortunate timing.”
The classmates exclaimed, “Just fortunate timing? You got 1588. It’s pure genius!”
