---Chapter 61The next day, Jamal walked into the entrepreneurship club meeting with a grin that hadn’t left his face since he’d woken up. Today was different—today was the day of the annual “Campus Scavenger Hunt,” and Maya, the club president, had promised that this year would be “bigger, better, and crazier than ever.”Jamal found Zoe, Leah, and Ethan already gathered by the door, looking excited but a bit skeptical.“Are you guys ready for this?” Jamal asked, holding up a small envelope that Maya had handed out to everyone as they entered.Ethan raised an eyebrow. “I’m ready for whatever this is, but ‘crazy’ doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence.”Leah grinned. “Come on, it’ll be fun. Plus, I’ve been here long enough to know we’re going to end up running all over campus, and there’s no way I’m losing.”Zoe chuckled. “She’s right. You know she has a hidden competitive streak.”Jamal smiled and handed over the envelope. “It’s a scavenger hunt. The rules are simple—find the clues

---Chapter 63Jamal sat at the café table, staring down at the notes in front of him. His mind was racing, but no matter how hard he tried to focus, it kept drifting to one thing.Leah.It wasn’t just the fact that the competition was fast approaching. It wasn’t just the pressure of having to get everything right. No, it was Max.Every time Max entered the room, Jamal couldn’t shake the feeling that the guy wasn’t just there for business. Max was charming, easygoing, and way too comfortable around Leah. It had only been a few weeks since Max started hanging around, but it already felt like he was trying to plant himself firmly between Jamal and Leah.Jamal shook his head, trying to push the thoughts away. This wasn’t the time for distractions. He had to focus on the competition, on the pitch, on the work they needed to do. But every time Max was around, it was like a cloud hanging over everything.Leah’s voice snapped him back to the present."Jamal," she said, her tone sharp. "You’r

---Chapter 65: The excitement from the pitch competition still buzzed in the air, but Jamal couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted. As the day wore on, Leah was all smiles, recounting how well their presentation had gone, but Jamal’s thoughts were elsewhere—his eyes often drifting to where Max had stood earlier, or to Leah’s subtle glances in his direction.The competition had gone well. The investors were intrigued, the judges seemed impressed with their ideas, and for a moment, Jamal felt a sense of pride swell within him. But beneath that pride, there was something else—a gnawing uncertainty he couldn’t ignore.Leah had been so focused on the pitch, on getting their startup off the ground, that Jamal had barely had a chance to tell her how much she meant to him. His feelings for her had only deepened over the past few weeks, and every time they shared a moment—whether it was working on the project together or just talking between classes—he felt a pull, a connectio

Chapter 67The morning after the pitch competition was unusually quiet. The surge of adrenaline had faded, leaving Jamal in a restless calm as he sat at his desk, fingers drumming against the wooden surface. His laptop was open, but the screen blurred in his vision.Stacks of notebooks, pitch drafts, and empty energy drink cans still littered the desk—remnants of the late nights that had led up to yesterday’s event. His phone lay silent beside him, face up, the screen dark. No notification yet.The results were supposed to arrive by noon. It was already 12:17 p.m.A soft knock echoed from the dorm door before Ethan stepped inside. He was in his usual laid-back hoodie and jeans, a cup of coffee in hand, his brown hair slightly tousled as if he’d been up late too."Still nothing?" Ethan asked, glancing at Jamal's phone.Jamal shook his head. "Nope. Not yet."Ethan set his coffee down on the dresser, then leaned against the wall with a grin. "Dude, chill. You nailed that pitch. Trust me,

Chapter 69The next morning, sunlight streamed through the dorm window, falling across Jamal's desk, still cluttered with notebooks and empty coffee cups. His laptop sat closed, but the anonymous email lingered in his mind like a whisper he couldn’t ignore.By 8 a.m., he was already dressed and pacing the common room. Ethan stumbled out of his bedroom, rubbing his eyes and squinting at the early activity.“Man, why are you up so early?” Ethan mumbled, scratching his head.“Got some stuff on my mind,” Jamal replied, avoiding Ethan’s gaze. “Thought I’d get a head start on things.”“‘Stuff’ as in the business, or ‘stuff’ as in the weird email?”Jamal paused, caught off guard. “How do you—”Ethan held up his hands, yawning. “Relax, bro. Zoe mentioned it when I got back last night. She’s worried about you.”Jamal exhaled sharply. He hadn’t realized how much Zoe picked up on. “It’s nothing,” he said quickly. “Just some hater trying to mess with me.”“Maybe,” Ethan said, grabbing a bottle of