Amber's P.O.V.:

At 9.30 in the morning, the clock showed the time. Out in the front yard of our house, my dog, Jasper, laid on the grass. His eyes were half-opened, and they gazed in my direction filled with sadness.

Today marks the beginning of my adventure to Leeds, where I'm commencing my undergraduate studies at the university. I'll be living in the university dormitories for the next four years. This development has not only saddened my parents but also deeply affected my dear friend, Jasper. He has been by my side for as long as I can remember and is akin to a younger brother to me. Being an only child can be lonely, but having a furry sibling is the silver lining.

My mother, Anna Milburn, and dad, Henry Milburn, are genuinely delighted that their daughter is finally entering her dream business school. However, there's also a tinge of sorrow in their hearts because they won't have the chance to see their one and only daughter as frequently as they once did.

As my dad carefully puts my bags in his Volkswagen Derby, he looks sad. At the same time, my mom is talking about the snacks she packed for me.

"Amber, please pay attention. I've packed three bags of dry snacks, two boxes of your absolute favorite chocolates, five bottles of juice, and three bags of nuts and raisins for you. Promise me, and I mean it, promise me you won't ever think about skipping your meals. Have your meals on time and drink fresh juice three times a day..." Her instructions continued on.

"Mom! I'll make sure to visit you during my breaks. And don't worry, I wouldn't dream of missing a meal – I know you'd have my head if I did."

It may seem ironic, but when it comes to moms, nothing is too surprising. They're capable of anything. 

"Also, I'll not only enjoy all the treats you've packed but share them with my new friends as well. Anything else?" I inquired, wrapping my arms around my mom from behind and resting my head on her shoulder.

"Good girl! I have also packed all the warm clothes. Dress appropriately for the weather, and don't go sporting summer attire in the middle of an arctic blast..." Mom was in the middle of an outfit forecast when dad swooped in.

"Honey, our daughter is a big girl now. She can take care of herself. " he said as he held her waist and pulled her towards him.

"Not fair dad! You cannot take my mom away like that." I said whining.

"I've been generous enough in sharing my wife with you. Now, it's my turn to have her all to myself." he said, sealing the deal with a kiss that would make a Hollywood rom-com jealous.

Jasper and I closed our eyes.

"Could you two please save the romance for the sequel? I'm trying to catch a flight here," I remarked, making a somewhat disgusted expression.

My dad responded with a mischievous wink, saying, "Well, if I hadn't romanced your mom, you wouldn't be in this world," which caused my mom to blush.

"Thanks a lot for that tidbit information, dad. Now that you've had your moment with your wife, shall we get going to the airport?" I asked, putting on a puppy-dog expression.

"Permission granted!" he exclaimed in a playful tone, prompting a chorus of laughter that could've rivaled a sitcom's canned applause.

****

I embraced my parents tightly and planted a loving kiss on Jasper's furry head before making my way into the airport.

Today marked the start of a new chapter in my life, where I aimed to become independent and I don't need to depend on my parents. Even though they own quite a popular restaurant in town which is heavily frequented by then locals as well as the tourists, I don't want to rely on them for my financial needs anymore. My parents initially had doubts but eventually supported my decision.

Thus, I worked my ass off and managed to earn a partial scholarship to my dream university, but I am determined to cover all my educational expenses myself. Now my goal is to secure a top rank in the first semester so that I can earn full scholarship at St. Joseph University for my MBA programme.

*****

Three weeks later...

"Yes, Mom...yes, I did. Hmmm...Yes, I enjoyed that too. Yes, Mom, I shared it with Elsa as well. Okay, Mom, love you. Please tell Dad I love him too and not to get jealous. Give thousands of kisses to my baby, Jasper. Now, I've got to go. Bye!" I said, ending the call.

"Wow, your mom sounds quite unique. It's been ages since my mom last checked in on me. She's currently enjoying her vacation in Switzerland, leaving me stuck here in this university. I swear, she loves snow more than she loves me. She's so obsessed with it that she even named me after the snow queen, Elsa. I mean, seriously, which mother does that? I feel like a Disney princess every time I hear someone call me Elsa. I can't stand it!" Elsa remarked, playfully teasing her mother. She enjoyed making these little jabs at her mom, but it was clear that she adored her mother immensely.

I've known Elsa for the past three weeks, and I can confidently say she's not one of those individuals who criticize their parents for everything, even when their parents have provided them with everything they need.

Elsa Crawford, my roommate and my sole companion on campus, hailed from an incredibly wealthy family. We shared both classes and a quirky connection.

"But Elsa, 'Frozen' came out way after you got your name, so how can you blame your mom for that Disney association?" I teased, throwing a splash of logic into the mix. "Think about it, Queen Elsa." 

"Whatever!" she retorted, rolling her eyes in response.

"Now, if you're finished with your complaints, shall we shimmy our way to class? We're already running late. Chop-chop, you sleepyhead!" I said, playfully pushing her out of her bed.

****

"Finally, we're free from those boring lectures! I'm not sure our professors are business gurus, but they definitely have a black belt in the ancient martial art of yawn initiation," Elsa quipped, letting out another epic yawn as proof.

We had now taken our seats in the cafeteria, which had become my favorite spot on campus thanks to their world-class chicken sausages and mac-n-cheese. Just thinking about them made my mouth water.

"Elsa, please order the usual for me. I've got to use the restroom pretty urgently," I said as I got up from my chair and made my way to the bathroom.

To my surprise, the restroom was empty, which was quite unusual during the recess when it was typically crowded. I attended to my needs, but I couldn't help but hear faint sniffling. Hastily washing my hands, I followed the sound. As I approached, I found Lily, one of my classmates, in tears. She was a kind girl, and we had interacted a few times in the library and during classes. She always exuded a positive vibe with her sweet smile, so it was startling to see such a bubbly person in tears.

"Lily, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" I inquired as I knelt down in front of her, gently cupping her face and wiping away her tears as she looked at me. Upon realizing it was me, she embraced me tightly and began to cry again.

"Shhhh...Lily, it's okay. Please tell me what's wrong," I urged, gently stroking her hair to comfort her.

After what felt like an eternity, Lily composed herself enough to speak. "I had a crush on one of our seniors. Today, I mustered up all my courage to confess to him. I wore my best clothes and approached him. After fumbling around for a bit, I finally told him how much I loved him and what he meant to me. I poured out my heart and explained the impact he had on me. But..." Her voice quivered, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

"Shhh...it's okay to face rejection, Lily. There are plenty of guys out there waiting for you. You just need to find the right one," I reassured her.

"It's not just about the rejection, Amber. I could have accepted that gracefully, but...but he was so cruel. He laughed at me when I confessed my love. He said that 'love' is the most deceitful word any girl can use to manipulate a man into giving her money. He claimed that hearing such words from my mouth made his ears bleed..." She paused, breathing heavily.

Continuing, she said, "...and then he threatened to humiliate me in front of the entire university if I didn't leave."

"How can someone be so heartless? I despise people who are cruel to others," I said with disdain.

I retrieved a few tissues from the countertop and handed them to her to wipe her face.

"Don't waste your tears on people like that, Lily. You deserve better. Now, wipe your face and come with me to the cafeteria. You already look drained. You need some nourishment. And what better source of energy than chicken sausages?" I suggested, trying to lift her spirits.It seemed to work, as she managed a faint smile and thanked me.

"You really have a thing for chicken sausages, don't you?" she asked as she stood up and rinsed her face with some water.

"Have a thing? I am absolutely crazy for them. They're one of the greatest culinary inventions in history. Now, let's get out of here; otherwise, Elsa will think I have a stomachache today and won't let me near the sausages. You might not know, but she's my mom's personal spy," I quipped, rolling my eyes, which elicited a laugh from Lily.

Thank goodness she finally laughed.

After we exited the washroom, we headed towards our table where Elsa was seated and playing candy crush on her phone.

"Oh, great...you finally showed up. I was about to call your mom and tell her you've got a bad stomach," Elsa teased, which made Lily and me burst into laughter.

"I told you!" I exclaimed, giving Lily a playful look.

"Hey, Lily. You're here too. What's going on?" Elsa asked as we settled down at the table.

"Nothing much," Lily replied with a hint of sadness in her tone.

I rubbed her arm gently to offer emotional support, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by our ever-watchful Elsa.

"Hey, what happened, Lily? You sound sad, and your eyes look puffy. Were you crying?" Elsa inquired with concern.

"Yes, Elsa. There's this jerk who humiliated and rejected her really badly," I chimed in, my tone tinged with anger.

I proceeded to recount the whole incident to Elsa.

"Who is that jerk? How could he say such hurtful things to anyone?" Elsa asked, her anger clearly rising.

"I know, right? If someone did that to me, I'd have given him a piece of my mind," I declared, crossing my arms.

"But who is this jerk, Lily?" Elsa pressed, her curiosity getting the better of her."He's our senior, Chr..." Lily began, but Elsa's sudden burst of excitement cut her off.Lily and I turned to see what had Elsa so worked up, and there was a group of men who appeared to be our seniors gathered around something or someone near the coffee machine area.

"Why is there such a crowd over there?" I asked, puzzled.

"He's here. I need to go," Lily said abruptly, rising from her seat.

"Why? What's going on? Why are you leaving? And who's here?" I asked, getting to my feet as well.

"Hey, guys, just sit down. You're blocking my view," Elsa playfully scolded us.We ignored her and pressed Lily for more information.

"Tell us, Lily...what's happening? Who's here?"

"Chris Collins, the star student of our university. He's in the MBA class and is our super senior. This is his last year at the university, and he's really popular among the students, especially the girls. The ultimate playboy with the charm of a Prince Charming who can make any girl fall for him within minutes," Lily began to describe the guy.

"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point, Lily," I interjected, growing slightly impatient.

"He's the guy who humiliated me this morning," Lily confessed, letting out a sigh of sadness.I turned my gaze slowly toward the crowd, and this time there were fewer people, making it easier to spot Chris Collins.

He was a well-built, muscular guy, standing at around 6'3". He was wearing a grey hoodie layered under a black jacket, brown jeans, and white sneakers. Beneath the open hoodie, he sported a black t-shirt. From a distance, he looked cool. However, I couldn't make out his features clearly due to my weak eyesight, which was a constant reminder to wear my glasses, with a high prescription *sarcasm intended*.

I kept my eyes fixed on him for who knows how long. To be precise, I was glaring at him. I was throwing daggers his way with my eyes. So, he was the jerk who didn't know how to respect a girl's feelings.

As I continued glaring at him, I suddenly realized that he was approaching me and looking straight into my eyes.

It was then that I got a better look at his features. His features were strong, featuring a sharp jawline that could cut glass. He had a slight stubble on his beard and a little over his lips in the mustache area. After analyzing his features, my eyes slowly moved towards his deep blue eyes, like an ocean, which were piercing through me.

He looked at me intently as he drew nearer. As the fact that he was coming closer sank in, I started fidgeting. I wasn't sure what exactly about him was making me nervous, but my palms were getting sweaty, and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.

"Amber, why is he coming towards us?" Lily asked nervously.

"Oh my god! Is he really coming over here?" Elsa squealed.

"Guys, how should I know?" I responded without taking my eyes off him.

He was about a meter away from us when he suddenly turned left and walked towards the cafeteria's exit, leaving the place immediately.

I let out a deep breath that I hadn't realized I was holding all this time.

"Phew! He wasn't coming towards us," Lily said with a sigh of relief.

"What a shame, he wasn't coming towards us," I heard Elsa saying in disappointment.We all sat back in our seats and began eating our food, which had already arrived.

"So, he's the one who humiliated you?" I asked, taking a large bite of a chicken sausage. These sausages were simply the best!

"Yes, Amber. He's the one," Lily replied sadly as she sipped on her drink.

"But a Greek god like him has the full right to do that," Elsa remarked dreamily.

"Firstly, no guy has the right to humiliate a girl just because she confessed her feelings, and secondly, he's not a Greek god," I retorted, playfully hitting her head with a pencil.

"Ow! Dude, that hurts," she whined, rubbing her head.

I rolled my eyes and continued savoring my heavenly meal, but his intense gaze still seemed to linger at the back of my mind.

One week later

We were seated in the auditorium, as the Director of our university had an important message for all the freshmen and final year MBA students. The hall was abuzz with chatter as everyone eagerly discussed various topics. When the Director entered, everyone stood up to show their respect and took their seats when he gestured for us to do so.

"Good morning, students! It's a beautiful morning, and I'm delighted to see all of you here with such vibrant energy. Every time I encounter young students like you, it makes me feel like I've shed a few years and become young again," he began, speaking energetically into the microphone from the podium.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why I've called you here today, specifically summoning the freshmen and the final year MBA students. Some of you may already know that our university offers full scholarships to the most meritorious freshman who achieves the highest CGPA in the first semester. However, I pondered over the idea of why students should wait so long to earn their scholarships. Why can't they receive them before their final exams? To address this, our Student Welfare Committee has decided to provide an opportunity for students to earn their scholarships prior to their finals. You're probably wondering how these scholarships will be awarded. The answer is straightforward. Your faculty members will form pairs consisting of one freshman and one final year MBA student. Each pair will be assigned a project to work on, and the best project will earn the scholarship." As he concluded, the auditorium erupted into chaos as everyone began murmuring to each other.

This is a good opportunity for me and I cannot lose this chance. I am confident that I will be able to succeed at this. I just hope I am paired with a capable partner. I thought .

"So, students, prepare yourselves and immerse yourselves in this project. Seize this chance to earn the scholarship. However, remember that once the partners and projects are assigned, no changes will be allowed. You'll have to stick with your designated partner and project. With that, I conclude today's speech. Best of luck to you all!" The Director's words lingered in the air as he left the hall, followed by the other faculty members.

"I hope I get Chris as my partner," Elsa exclaimed excitedly, crossing her fingers.I simply rolled my eyes at that. Typical Elsa!

Our classes for the day had concluded, and we were getting ready to leave the campus when I received an email from one of my professors.

The email read, "Good afternoon, Ms. Milburn. I hope you've been enjoying your lectures. As the Director may have already informed you about the project to win the scholarship, I've selected your partner and the topic for your report. Please open the attached file for full details. I wish you the best of luck! Warm regards, Prof. Louis Gardenerr."I promptly opened the attached file to discover the assigned topic and my partner for this project.

Topic: 'Charity as an Advertising Strategy in Business'

Partner: Chris Collins (MBA final year)

Suddenly, the world around me started spinning, and in a split second, I collapsed.

****

The next day...

"Elsa, what on earth should I do now? This feels like a nightmare," I groaned, banging my head on the cafeteria table.

"I've been dreaming of something like this, and you're saying it's a nightmare. How ungrateful you are," Elsa quipped, crossing her arms.

I shot her a fierce glare, conveying that I wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"Amber, stop giving me one of those looks. It scares the daylights out of me. There's no way around it. The Director was clear that once the topics and partners are assigned, there can be no changes," she stated matter-of-factly.

"I know, Elsa. You know how important it is for me to secure this scholarship, and this project report could be my ticket to it. But...but working with Chris Collins is going to be incredibly challenging for me. I already have a negative impression of him for what he did to Lily. I'm starting to dislike him, and I'm worried about how I'll be able to collaborate with him on this project," I confided, expressing my concerns.

"Amber, you've got to be kidding me right now. Working with Chris Collins is a big deal for many students like us, and here you are, upset about it. Forget that he's 'The Chris Collins' for a moment. Focus on your goals, get along with him, and work together on your project," she advised, munching on her fries.

"I don't know...I just have this feeling that things won't go as smoothly as they should," I replied, trying to calm myself down.

****

I stood in front of Chris's classroom, waiting for his class to end. I had decided to take this opportunity to discuss the project with him. I hoped he was as enthusiastic about it as I was.As the class came to an end, students began to trickle out. I positioned myself to the side to allow them to pass. My eyes remained