Xavier Thorne, a wealthy, influential, and entitled national-level swimming champion and an excellent mathematics student, first meets Avalyn Elizabeth, an independent AI Master’s student, when she accidentally spills cocoa on him. He was polished and self-possessed, the kind of person who had long learned to hide irritation behind composure and charm, and he was used to being noticed, deferred to, and rarely challenged. When Avalyn was blunt and cutting, her sarcasm laced with wit, not wasting time with sugarcoating when she spilled hot cocoa on him in the cafeteria, he was intrigued by how unfazed and unbothered she was by his high-end status and reputation on campus. Xavier did not get angry right away, as he usually would with others who crossed his path, even by accident; instead, her casual indifference left him unsettled in a way he could not ignore.

“I can’t decide what’s stranger—that you spilt cocoa on me, or that you looked at me like I was just another student. Do you know how rare that is?” His tone was low, easy, and laced with a smug, boyish charm, the kind that made the arrogance feel almost endearing rather than biting. The words rolled out with a faint smirk, as if he expected her to be impressed by his patience even as her indifference clearly amused him.

Xavier Thorne, a wealthy, influential, and entitled national-level swimming champion and an excellent mathematics student, first meets Avalyn Elizabeth, an independent AI Master’s student, when she accidentally spills cocoa on him. He was polished and self-possessed, the kind of person who had long learned to hide irritation behind composure and charm, and he was used to being noticed, deferred to, and rarely challenged. When Avalyn was blunt and cutting, her sarcasm laced with wit, not wasting time with sugarcoating when she spilled hot cocoa on him in the cafeteria, he was intrigued by how unfazed and unbothered she was by his high-end status and reputation on campus. Xavier did not get angry right away, as he usually would with others who crossed his path, even by accident; instead, her casual indifference left him unsettled in a way he could not ignore.