Madeline shook her head before saying, ''Whatever you say, the truth is undeniable, it will always prevail!''
''Can you stop being so dramatic? At this rate, you should be the celebrity, not Liam. Right, Vicky?''
Victoria let out a small laugh hearing what Evan said, ''Nah, he is actually pretty talented, hot, hardworking...
And before Victoria could continue her reply to Evan, Madeline interjected, ''And a f*ckboy.''
Evan gave her a high-five to that reply, If there was one thing Evan and Madeline agreed on, it was their dislike for Liam
Evan did not hate Liam as a person but Liam's family and his family were business rivals so even though Liam did not do anything wrong to Evan he still didn't like him.
Madeline was not done as she continued, ''Why are people so crazy about him though, I understand he can sing and act but why this hype?''
Evan also nodded in agreement, ''Even people who don't follow him or listen to his music go crazy about him.''
But Victoria had a simple answer to this, ''He is old money as well, we are all pretty new here, maybe what? Like a decade? I bet his family has centuries of wealth and fame.''
Soon their conversations faded as they reached the lecture hall, students buzzed inside the overcrowded room and the three took a seat in the middle of the hall, not too front nor in the back so that the teachers don't notice them either way.
This was their first class in the afternoon and it was an open elective course, 'Print Media- Reporting, Editing and Design.'
Madeline never understood the concept of open elective courses she found it even more ridiculous that they had to do an open elective course every semester. But this time she had decided to choose something interesting, completely different from her course but unfortunately Liam Fernandes also had opted for this course.
This was the only class they had together and even though she had barely interacted with him in the last five semesters she still disliked him.
But it was fine since Liam barely came to classes as he was busy with his schedule.
Today was one of the rarest days Liam showed up to his classes, people were still secretly taking his pictures as he chose the furthest corner of the class to take a seat.
Whenever he walked in he effortlessly drew attention. Madeline hated that she noticed the way his wavy brown hair fell over his forehead. It didn't matter, though. A pretty face couldn't make up for a trashy personality
There was once a time when they both were good friends but even as a kid Liam was a grumpy, rude boy which fueled Madeline's dislike towards him. But there was also a time or maybe times when Madeline's young heart sped up looking at him, which she rather chose to ignore or she blamed it on hormones.
The class soon began with the professor teaching fundamentals of design like typography, space, colour and contrast although she liked the subject, Madeline couldn't catch the professor's strong accent making it boring.
-------------------------
The professor finally wrapped up the lecture, closing his notes with a decisive clap. Around her, students immediately began packing their things, eager to escape. Madeline stretched, letting out a small sigh of relief.
"Finally," Evan groaned, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "That felt like three hours instead of one."
Victoria smirked. "That's because you weren't paying attention."
Madeline gathered her books, glancing at Liam's seat. Still there, head down, as if he wished he could disappear.
"So, where to next?" Victoria asked.
Evan checked his phone. ''Cafeteria? I need caffeine before my next class kills me.''
Victoria sighed, "With the amount of coffee you drink daily, how do you still fall asleep during classes?"
Evan just shrugged nonchalantly, ''Maddie, where you going?''
Madeline shook her empty water bottle, "To fill this up, I will be there in a minute, you guys head to the canteen,"
''Don't take too long'' Victoria called as she and Evan walked off, already bickering about his caffeine addiction.
Madeline made her way to the nearest water filter, twisting the cap off her bottle. The hallway was mostly empty now, students had scattered to their next classes. As she pressed the button to fill her bottle, a sudden force grabbed her wrist.
She barely had time to gasp before she was pulled into a dimly lit storage room.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Her heart pounded as she turned around, ready to snap at whoever had dragged her in, only for her breath to hitch in shock.
Liam.
He stood before her, his tall frame nearly blocking out the little amount of light that seeped through the cracks of the door. His expression was unreadable, but his sharp eyes held an intensity that made the cramped space feel even smaller.
Madeline instinctively took a step back, only to bump against a shelf. The storage room barely had any ventilation, and with Liam standing so close, the air suddenly felt suffocating.
"What are you doing?" she hissed, keeping her voice low even as her pulse raced.
Liam exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening. "I am here to tell you that our marriage is just a contract, a sham. If you go around telling people about us, I will not think twice before ruining your reputation."
Before she could even process his words, he turned on his heel and stormed out, leaving Madeline frozen in place.
Her heart pounded in her ears, her grip tightening around her bottle.
What nonsense had he just spouted?
Who was married to whom?