Chapter 1
Madison Shaw had learned one hard truth early in life, her face was a magnet for trouble.
From a young age, her striking looks made her a magnet for trouble, attracting a constant stream of
unwanted attention.
By the time she turned eighteen and was ready for college, the lifelong “good girl” had finally had
enough.
She made a radical decision. Hiring a professional makeup artist, she commissioned a custom “ugly” transformation, a meticulously crafted disguise that effectively concealed her striking beauty beneath layers of artificial plainness.
Leaving her identity as the Shaw family heiress behind, she set off for Northwood University alone,
determined to build a normal life.
For two blissful years, the strategy worked perfectly. Shielded by her plain–Jane persona, Madison enjoyed the peaceful anonymity she’d always craved, free from the complications her looks usually
brought.
That all changed on a Christmas Eve during her sophomore year. While celebrating at a bar with her roommate, Madison watched in dismay as a group of guys began aggressively harassing her pretty friend, their hands wandering where they weren’t welcome.
Madison’s temper flared. Stepping forward despite her pounding heart, she positioned herself between her friend and the harassers.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” she challenged, her voice cutting through the noise. “Can’t you hear my friend saying she doesn’t want to talk to you?”
One of the men turned his contemptuous gaze on her, shoving her aside with a rough, dismissive hand. “Back off, ugly,” he sneered. “We weren’t hitting on you. Why are you butting in?”
The force sent her stumbling backward, right into the solid, unexpected support of a stranger’s
arms.
As she regained her balance and looked up, her breath caught. The man holding her was ridiculously handsome, with features so perfectly sculpted they seemed almost unreal. He stood a head taller, all long limbs and lean strength, and as he glanced down at her, one eyebrow arched in
curious amusement.
“What’s going on here?” His voice was as captivating as his appearance, though it carried a lazy,
almost bored drawl.
He gave her a slow, appraising look. “Since when do they let minors into bars?”
Chapter 1
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***
Madison was dazed for a long moment before she managed to stammer, “I’m 21… I just…‘
I just look young, she meant to say.
But before she could finish, the man suddenly leaned in, closing the distance between them in an
instant.
Madison could even see the reflection of the fake freckles on her face in his pupils.
“You look familiar,” he muttered to himself. “Do you go to Northwood University?”
Madison nodded instinctively. She saw the corner of his mouth quirk up.
“So you’re my junior then.” He straightened up and looked at the troublemakers, his smile casual and unconcerned. “You’ve got some nerve, picking on my junior.”
The previously arrogant guys instantly paled. “Mr. Quinn… we didn’t know she was with you…“, then they turned and fled in a panic.
Madison only pieced it together later, the man who’d stepped in was none other than Ethan Quinn, the trust–fund baby whose reputation for trouble was the stuff of walking legend all over Northwood’s coffee shops and fraternity houses.
He was recklessness personified, a slave to his own whims with a reputation for chaos that trailed
him like a shadow.
People said if he woke up and decided he wanted the moon, he wouldn’t just try to buy it, he’d probably figure out how to pull it down from the sky himself, just to prove a point.
But two years ago, for reasons no one understood, he’d suddenly donated a building to Northwood University and even enrolled as a graduate student.
He rarely attended classes, just occasionally roared past campus in various luxury sports cars. Yet, despite all that, his face alone was enough to attract countless female admirers at school.
Rumor had it the girls who had a crush on him could form a line that circled the library ten times over. There were even stories of girls attempting suicide over him.
The moment the New Year’s countdown bells rang, Madison suddenly realized, She was about to become one of them. For the first time in her life, Madison had a crush on someone.
From that day on, she’d bring him breakfast and even custom–ordered a spirit shirt from the campus print shop with his last name and jersey number, leaving it anonymously in his locker. During one of his basketball games, she sneakily put a carton of milk in his bag, only to be caught
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red–handed by him and his friends.
His friends burst into laughter. One, feeling slightly sympathetic, reminded her, “Hey, Freckles,
our man Ethan doesn’t drink matcha…”
But before the words fully left his mouth, they watched in shock as Ethan picked up the matcha milk
Madison had given him and drank every last drop.
Then he leaned close to Madison’s ear, his voice low. “I prefer strawberry flavour.”
He caught the faint scent of strawberry body wash from her skin and chuckled softly. “Something that smells like you.”
Madison’s heart slammed against her ribs. Looking into the man’s teasing, half–smiling eyes,
knew she was a goner.
On Valentine’s Day, Madison finally mustered the courage to confess her feelings to Ethan.
she
She had assumed a boring girl like her would definitely be rejected. Ethan might seem carefree and irreverent, but in two years, he had never agreed to date any woman.
To her surprise, Ethan spoke slowly and deliberately, “Madison, being with me means you’ll become a target. People might bully you because of me. Are you… willing to accept that?”
Madison was stunned for a second, then her heart exploded with joy, mirroring the fireworks blooming overhead. “I… I am willing!”
Madison originally thought Ethan’s question was just a casual remark. But she never expected that after they started dating, her assignments would be torn up, her locker spray–painted, and girls who liked Ethan would trip her in the cafeteria.
Having grown up sheltered and protected by the Shaw family, Madison was obedient and naive, completely unprepared for this kind of treatment.
Now, she faced daily harassment. The worst incident was when she was kidnapped by Ethan’s enemies and locked in a warehouse for a full day and night.
After she was safe, Ethan pressed a kiss to her forehead, his voice a low murmur. “I’m sorry you
went through that, Maddie.”
And just like that, every moment of fear and uncertainty stilled. In that single sentence, she found a gentle anchor, and the world felt right again.
Until, just before graduation, the most sought–after girl in the Advertising Department was thrown into the campus lake.
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Madison followed the crowd to the lake’s edge, only to see Ethan, acting like a madman, brutally
beating a man on the ground.
His eyes were bloodshot, the usual playful arrogance on his face replaced by pure fury. “I told you! Stay away from Chloe Grant! Are you deaf?!”
Chloe Grant, the most sought–after girl of their department.
Ethan only stopped punching when the man’s face was a bloody mess. Then he scooped Chloe up into his arms and carried her away. As the man passed by Madison, she managed a weak, “Ethan…”
But he didn’t even glance her way.
The crowd of onlookers soon dispersed, but Madison stood there, frozen in place. She walked over to the beaten, bruised man and asked softly, “Why…?”
The man forced his eyes open, recognized Madison, and let out a low laugh. “You’re the new girlfriend Ethan’s seeing? You want to know why I went after Chloe Grant?”
He sneered, intense hatred flashing in his eyes. “Because my sister killed herself over Ethan Quinn! So I’m going to torment the woman he loves for revenge!”
“And the woman Ethan Quinn loves is Chloe Grant! Why else do you think a spoiled rich brat like him would come study at Northwood? He followed her here because he fell for her at first sight!”
“But too many girls like him, and he’s pissed off too many people. Everyone targeted Chloe for revenge. She was harassed so badly she had to take a year off, developed depression, and that’s why
they broke up.”
“As for you…” The guy gave Madison a scornful look.
“A plain Jane like you… you don’t actually think Ethan likes you, do you? Let’s be real. You’re just a decoy he found to draw fire away from his real girlfriend.”
Madison’s face instantly lost all color. She remembered the day she confessed, when Ethan had asked her, “Being with me means you’ll become a target. People might bully you because of me. Are you willing to accept that?”
So… so that was what he meant. He was never worried about her getting hurt. He wanted her to be a human shield for the girl he truly loved.
Madison had no idea how she made it back to her dorm. She threw away her umbrella and walked through the pouring rain, her waterproof makeup streaking and washing away.
When she finally reached her dorm entrance, just as she was about to go inside, “Madison?”
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A familiar male voice rang out. She turned and saw Ethan standing under her dorm window, apparently waiting for her. Before Madison could say anything, Ethan spoke first, looking stunned.
“Madison, your face….
