The Stranger in the Shadows

The day the transfer student arrived, Emerald High nearly exploded with excitement.

From the moment I walked through the school gates, whispers buzzed like bees. Girls stood in clusters, fixing their hair and practicing smiles in their compact mirrors. Even some of the boys seemed curious, pretending they weren’t as they leaned against lockers.

“Today’s the day!” Mia squealed, grabbing my arm as soon as she spotted me. “The transfer student is finally here!”

Sam groaned, slinging his backpack higher on his shoulder. “It’s just a student, not a celebrity. Why’s everyone acting like we’re about to meet royalty?”

“Because we practically are,” Mia countered. “I heard her parents are rich. Like, super rich. She studied abroad for years before coming here.”

“Her?” I repeated.

Mia blinked. “Yeah. Didn’t you hear? It’s a girl.”

A weight I hadn’t realized I was carrying slipped off my chest. So it wasn’t Elian.

For a moment, when I first heard the rumor, a spark of hope had flickered inside me. Foolishly, I had wondered if fate was finally weaving our paths together again. But now that hope dissolved as quickly as it had come.

Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.

I forced a small shrug. “Then there’s no reason for everyone to be this dramatic.”

“Easy for you to say,” Mia huffed, smoothing her skirt. “Some of us want to make a good impression.”

---

By the time homeroom began, the atmosphere was thick with anticipation. Mr. Thompson stood at the front of the class, his usual stern expression doing little to quiet the students.

“Settle down,” he said, clapping his hands. “We have a new student joining us today. Please give her a warm welcome.”

The door slid open, and in walked a girl who looked like she had stepped out of a fashion magazine. Her hair was sleek and dark, falling perfectly around her shoulders. Her uniform fit her like it was tailored, and she carried herself with a poise that made even the teachers straighten unconsciously.

“Introduce yourself, please,” Mr. Thompson said.

The girl smiled politely. “My name is Serena Han. I hope we can all get along.”

The room erupted in whispers. She’s so pretty. She looks like an actress. Did you hear that accent?

I watched silently, unmoved. She wasn’t Elian. She wasn’t even a fragment of the past I longed for. Just another face in the endless crowd of this modern life.

When Serena was assigned a seat near the window, Mia leaned toward me with shining eyes. “She’s amazing, isn’t she?”

“She’s just a girl,” I said, flipping open my notebook.

But still, I couldn’t help noticing the way Serena’s gaze swept the room—calm, detached, as if she wasn’t here to make friends but to observe. Something about her unsettled me, though I couldn’t place why.

---

The day passed quickly. Between introductions, whispered questions, and Serena being the center of attention, my friends barely had time to drag me into conversations. By the final bell, I was exhausted.

“Let’s walk home together,” Mia suggested, looping her arm through mine. Sam followed with his usual lazy stride, kicking at loose pebbles as we made our way down the street.

We were halfway to the bus stop when it happened.

A sleek black car pulled up at the curb ahead, the kind that screamed wealth and power. Two men in sharp suits stepped out first, their eyes scanning the street with the cold precision of bodyguards.

Then the back door opened.

A man emerged.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a tailored suit that probably cost more than my family’s entire monthly expenses. His dark hair was neatly styled, his expression calm but unreadable. Even from a distance, there was something magnetic about him—an aura that made passersby pause and stare.

Mia gasped, clutching my arm tighter. “Oh my god, who is that?”

Sam whistled low. “Looks like a mafia boss.”

I should have kept walking. But fate had other plans.

Because just as we passed, one of his bodyguards stepped aside abruptly, and I collided straight into him.

---

The impact was brief but jarring. My books slipped from my arms, scattering across the pavement.

“I—I’m sorry,” I stammered, kneeling to gather them.

A shadow fell over me. Large hands reached down, picking up one of my notebooks before I could.

“Careful,” the man said.

His voice was low, steady. The kind of voice that carried authority without effort.

I looked up.

And for a split second, the world stilled.

His eyes—dark, intense, familiar in a way that made my breath hitch—met mine. It was like being pulled backward through centuries, back into candlelit halls and moonlit gardens.

But then the moment passed.

He handed me the notebook, his expression unreadable. “You should watch where you’re going.”

“R-right,” I muttered, clutching the book to my chest.

Mia and Sam hurried to my side, whispering frantically. The man straightened, adjusting his suit, and without another word, stepped into the building beside the street. His bodyguards followed like shadows.

---

We stood there, stunned.

“Did you see him?” Mia hissed. “He looks like he walked straight out of a drama! Who is that?”

Sam scratched his head. “Whoever he is, he’s got serious money. Did you see that car?”

I didn’t answer. My heart was still racing, my hands trembling slightly.

There was something about his presence, about those eyes…

But no. It couldn’t be. He was older, probably in his twenties, far removed from my world of classrooms and teenage drama. He wasn’t Elian.

He couldn’t be.

---

The next day, the school was in chaos again—but this time, not because of Serena.

Students crowded the hallways, buzzing with the latest rumor.

“Did you hear? Emerald High has a new chair holder!”

“Apparently he’s filthy rich.”

“And young, too. Like, barely in his twenties.”

“Some say he’s connected to big business overseas.”

I froze.

Could it be… him?

Mia bounced excitedly beside me. “Ai! Remember that guy yesterday? I bet it’s him. Oh my god, we literally bumped into the new chair holder of our school!”

Sam gave a low chuckle. “Guess we should’ve asked for an autograph.”

I forced a smile, though my mind was spinning.

The man with the bodyguards. The man with eyes that made my soul shiver.

And now, he was here—woven into my life, into my school.

But I told myself firmly: It’s just coincidence. Nothing more.

Because the alternative—that fate had brought Elian back into my world in such a dramatic way—was too much for me to believe.

For now

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***