The night air was thick with the scent of shattered dreams and whispered betrayals. Ethan Cole stood at the gates of Ravenswood School of Arts, clutching a solitary suitcase in one hand and a worn painting in the other. Around him, the elite world of Western high society gleamed with cold indifference—a world where wealth and privilege judged more than talent ever could.
At just seventeen, Ethan was already a fractured star, his wings broken by silent cruelty and public humiliation. A scholarship kid from a poor, working-class family, he had dreamed of illuminating stages and screens with raw, unfiltered emotion. But the gilded halls of Ravenswood, with its dazzling galas and ruthless social climbers, had other plans.
Inside, the air was thick with envy and scorn. Damian, Victoria, Chase, and Sienna—the four whose smiles masked sharp daggers—had made it their mission to remind Ethan that in this world, fire was reserved for those born into it. Tonight, as their mocking laughter echoed beneath the glittering chandeliers, Ethan felt his dignity unravel like the threads of his cheap blazer, doused in sparkling champagne.
But in the depths of that humiliation, beneath the crushing weight of rejection and despair, a spark ignited. A promise whispered along the summer breeze—soft, yet smoldering with fierce resolve.
“You took my dreams,” Ethan whispered to the indifferent night sky, “Now I’ll take yours.”
And with that, the fallen boy vanished into the shadows, not to perish, but to rise.
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