Today.
Colton kept the word steady in his head, like a pulse he couldn't afford to lose.
He had missed his chance earlier. The tension from the hall still clung to Kim—he'd seen it in the way she held herself, sharper edges where there used to be ease.
And then there was the other matter.
The plan.
His and Kaiden's.
Unforgiving. Time-sensitive.
He needed an entry point—something small enough to slip past her guard, strong enough to hold.
Friendship would do.
For now.
The orchard came into view, quiet and half-forgotten, branches casting shifting shadows across the ground. He had mapped her habits without realizing it—library, then here.
Predictable.
He smiled faintly.
Good.
"You may sit near them, but don't mistake proximity for position."
The voice carried, crisp with disdain.
Colton slowed.
Then angled toward it.
Kim sat beneath a tree, one leg crossed over the other, a book resting lightly in her hand. She didn't look up.
Two girls stood over her—Lynn's orbit.
Posture high. Eyes sharp. Confidence borrowed but worn loudly.
"Silence doesn't make you mysterious," one continued, folding her arms. "It just makes you look like you don't have a defense."
The other stepped closer, gaze sweeping Kim from head to toe. "Honestly, it's almost impressive. No rank worth mentioning, no background anyone can verify, yet somehow you sit with them."
A pause.
Deliberate.
"What exactly are you?"
Kim turned a page.
Unhurried.
The first girl scoffed. "Or is it strategy? Latch onto people above your level and hope no one questions it?"
The second laughed lightly. "If you're going to play that game, at least be good at it. You don't even pretend convincingly."
Still nothing.
Their confidence swelled.
"Let's simplify it," the first said. "You think you belong near them? Prove it."
A tilt of her chin.
"Name something—anything—that puts you in their league."
The second smiled, sharper this time. "Or we can skip the pretense and ask the real question."
A beat.
"What's your net worth?"
The word hung—heavy, intentional.
Kim closed her book.
Snap.
The sound cut cleaner than their voices.
She looked up.
Slowly.
A faint smile curved her lips.
"So you noticed."
Her gaze moved between them, unblinking, measuring—ten seconds each, no more, no less.
"At least I have a chance," she said quietly.
The air shifted.
"Neither of you do."
The words didn't rise—but they landed.
The second girl's smile faltered. "Excuse me?"
Kim tilted her head slightly. "You rely on your fathers to stand beside Lynn."
A pause.
Her voice cooled.
"That's not a position. That's a placeholder."
Silence cracked.
"And if she realizes that—" Kim's gaze sharpened, "—you won't even have that."
The first girl's jaw tightened. The second's fingers curled.
They understood.
Too well.
Clap. Clap.
The sound arrived before the tension could snap.
All three turned.
Colton stepped into view, a smile resting easily on his face—warm, almost amused.
It didn't reach his eyes.
Kim's expression shifted—subtle, but there.
Recognition.
The girls stiffened.
"Co—Colton…"
Their earlier sharpness dissolved into something brittle.
He stopped beside them, hands sliding into his pockets.
"You were doing well," he said lightly. "Confident. Articulate."
A tilt of his head.
"What happened?"
Silence.
His smile remained.
"Aurikon doesn't consider status when it enforces rules," he added, tone even. "You know that."
A pause.
"Apologize."
No emphasis.
No repetition.
Just certainty.
They bowed instantly.
"We're sorry," they said together, voices tight, controlled.
Kim didn't speak.
She simply watched as they retreated—quick steps, lowered heads.
The orchard settled again.
Colton's gaze lingered on her.
"Wait."
Kim had already turned.
She stopped, looking back at him, one brow lifting slightly.
"Do you need something?"
He studied her for a moment—then something lighter slipped into his expression.
"You didn't deny it."
Her eyes narrowed just a fraction. "Deny what?"
"That you sit with us," he said. "That you're close enough for people to notice."
A beat.
"Most would've rushed to correct that."
Kim held his gaze.
Still.
Unmoved.
Then—
"And most people are desperate to be seen," she replied evenly. "I'm not."
The words landed clean.
For a second—
Neither of them moved.
Then Colton let out a quiet breath, something like a laugh slipping through.
"Right."
His smile returned—but this time, it stayed.
Oh.
The thought came uninvited.
I really like this girl.
He didn't say it.
Didn't let it show.
But it settled.
Firm.
"I wanted to ask you something," he said.
Kim tilted her head slightly. "What is it?"
"Friends," he said, the word landing simpler than he expected. "Can we be friends?"
She looked at him.
Long enough to measure.
Long enough to decide.
Then she shrugged.
"Okay."
Colton blinked.
"That was… easier than expected."
Kim turned, already stepping away. "You asked. I answered."
He watched her go.
A slow smile pulled at his lips.
Phase one.
Complete.
His hands slipped back into his pockets as he turned slightly, gaze drifting toward the path ahead.
Now it gets interesting.