The announcement ended.
Students immediately exploded into discussions.
Everyone was excited about the upcoming international leadership summit.
Groups formed instantly.
Some talked about internships.
Others talked about business leaders.
And some were simply excited to skip classes.
Typical.
Meanwhile, Kiara and Ishira slowly made their way toward the cafeteria.
"Do you think we'll get extra assignments?"
"Don't ruin my mood."
"I'm serious."
"That's exactly why you're ruining my mood."
Kiara laughed.
Then suddenly—
Someone called out from behind them.
"Ishira!"
Both girls turned.
A student council member was running toward them.
Holding several files.
When he finally stopped, he handed one directly to Ishira.
She frowned.
"What is this?"
"Selected candidates."
"Selected for what?"
"The summit."
Both girls froze.
The council member smiled.
"You've been nominated as one of Blackwood University's student representatives."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Kiara looked shocked.
Ishira looked confused.
"What?"
The student council member pointed toward the file.
"Top academic performance."
"Participation."
"Leadership activities."
"Recommendations."
Everything had added up.
And somehow—
Her name had made the final list.
Kiara immediately grabbed the file.
"Oh my God."
Ishira stared at the paper.
Still processing.
Meanwhile, several nearby students had already noticed.
Whispers immediately began.
"That's Ishira Sharma."
"She got selected."
"Not surprising."
A few congratulated her.
Others looked jealous.
Normal university behavior.
The council member smiled again.
"There will be meetings every week until the event."
Then he lowered his voice.
"And you'll be interacting directly with several guest speakers."
That finally caught her attention.
"Guest speakers?"
"Business leaders."
"CEOs."
"Trustees."
The moment he said trustees—
Ishira already knew.
Kiara knew too.
The two girls slowly looked at each other.
Then toward the faculty building.
And unfortunately—
A familiar black-clad figure was already standing near the window above.
Watching.
One hand in his pocket.
The other holding a file.
The Devil.
Even from a distance, she could tell he had heard everything.
And judging from the faint smirk on his face—
He seemed entirely too pleased about it.
Upstairs.
Ivaan stood near the window.
Watching the courtyard below.
A faculty member approached him.
"Interesting choice."
Ivaan looked away from the window.
"What is?"
"Ishira Sharma."
The faculty member adjusted his glasses.
"She'll represent Blackwood."
A faint smirk appeared.
Almost invisible.
"Good."
The professor looked confused.
"You expected that?"
Ivaan closed the file in his hand.
Then calmly replied—
"She was always going to make the list."
And somewhere downstairs...
A Butterfly had absolutely no idea that the Devil already knew exactly how far she was capable of flying.
The moment the student council member left—
Kiara grabbed Ishira's shoulders.
Hard.
"YOU GOT SELECTED."
"I know."
"YOU'RE GOING TO REPRESENT BLACKWOOD."
"I know."
"THIS IS HUGE."
"I KNOW."
Several students turned to look.
Kiara didn't care.
At all.
Meanwhile, Ishira was still staring at the file.
The reality was slowly sinking in.
She had been selected.
Out of hundreds of students.
And next month she would be standing among some of the biggest names in business and leadership.
For a brief moment—
She felt proud.
Very proud.
Then—
Her phone vibrated.
Immediately.
A new message appeared.
😈 Devil
Ishira narrowed her eyes.
Already suspicious.
Opening the message, she read—
😈 Devil: Congratulations, Butterfly.
The audacity.
The absolute audacity.
🦋 Butterfly: How do you know already?
The reply came instantly.
😈 Devil: I know everything.
🦋 Butterfly: That's creepy.
😈 Devil: It's efficient.
She rolled her eyes.
Typical.
🦋 Butterfly: Don't act like you had anything to do with it.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
😈 Devil: I didn't.
Another pause.
😈 Devil: You earned it.
For some reason—
That message hit differently.
Because it wasn't teasing.
Wasn't sarcasm.
Wasn't an argument.
Just a simple statement.
A rare one.
Ishira stared at the screen.
Unsure how to respond.
Meanwhile, upstairs in the faculty building—
Ivaan was already back to reviewing documents.
As if the conversation had never happened.
Back in the cafeteria.
Kiara suddenly leaned forward.
Dangerous smile activated.
"What are you smiling at?"
Immediately, Ishira's expression disappeared.
"I wasn't smiling."
"You were."
"No."
"Yes."
Before the argument could begin—
The cafeteria doors opened.
And the entire atmosphere changed.
Students began whispering.
Again.
A group of senior executives and university board members entered.
Walking through the cafeteria toward a reserved section.
Among them—
Ivaan Mehra.
Black shirt.
Cold expression.
Perfect posture.
The usual.
He wasn't even looking around.
Yet somehow—
The moment he entered—
The room became quieter.
Students moved out of the way automatically.
Respect.
Fear.
Both.
Then something happened.
As Ivaan passed their table—
His phone vibrated.
A message appeared.
He glanced at it.
Then looked toward Ishira.
Directly.
For exactly one second.
Before continuing to walk.
Confused, Ishira looked down at her own phone.
A new message had arrived.
😈 Devil: Stop staring.
Her eyes widened.
Immediately.
🦋 Butterfly: I wasn't staring.
😈 Devil: Liar.
Across the cafeteria—
A faint smirk appeared on the Devil's face.
And unfortunately for Ishira—
Kiara had witnessed everything.
Absolutely everything.
"Oh my God."
"Don't."
"Oh my God."
"Kiara."
"This is better than Netflix."
And just like that—
The teasing began all over again.
Kiara was still teasing Ishira mercilessly.
Meanwhile, Ishira was busy threatening to throw her coffee at her.
A perfectly reasonable reaction.
At least according to Ishira.
Then suddenly—
A peon approached their table.
"Miss Ishira Sharma?"
Both girls looked up.
"Yes?"
"The board members would like to meet you."
Silence.
Kiara froze.
Ishira froze.
"The board members?"
The peon nodded.
"They're waiting in the executive lounge."
Kiara immediately grabbed Ishira's arm.
"Oh my God."
"Stop saying that."
"THE BOARD MEMBERS."
"I heard him."
"Go."
Ishira reluctantly stood.
Straightened her blazer.
Took a deep breath.
And followed the peon.
Executive Lounge
The atmosphere inside was completely different.
Elegant.
Professional.
Intimidating.
Several board members sat around a large table discussing university matters.
Trustees.
Executives.
Senior faculty.
People whose decisions shaped Blackwood University.
And among them—
Sat Ivaan Mehra.
One hand resting on the arm of his chair.
Expression unreadable.
Watching.
Always watching.
The moment Ishira entered, several conversations stopped.
Immediately.
A senior board member smiled warmly.
"Miss Sharma."
She greeted everyone politely.
Trying not to look nervous.
Trying.
The chairman stood first.
"We wanted to personally congratulate you."
That surprised her.
"Thank you, sir."
Another board member smiled.
"You've made quite an impression."
"We were pleased to see your name among the selected representatives."
A third member added—
"And as one of the youngest students ever selected for this role."
That finally caught her attention.
Youngest.
Several members nodded.
One even looked genuinely impressed.
"You've earned this opportunity."
"Representing Blackwood isn't easy."
"It comes with responsibility."
The conversation continued for several minutes.
Advice.
Expectations.
Leadership.
Public speaking.
Professional conduct.
Everything she would need for the summit.
Ishira listened carefully.
Answering questions whenever asked.
Meanwhile—
At the other end of the table.
Ivaan remained silent.
Observing.
Watching her handle the conversation.
Watching her answer confidently.
Watching her refuse to be intimidated.
Typical Butterfly.
One of the board members eventually smiled.
"You seem remarkably calm."
A few people chuckled.
Most students would've been terrified.
Ishira smiled slightly.
"I don't think panic would help."
That answer earned approving nods.
Even a few impressed smiles.
Then another trustee spoke.
"Confidence is important."
"But so is preparation."
Before Ishira could reply—
A familiar voice entered the conversation.
Cold.
Calm.
Confident.
"She'll manage."
The entire room looked toward Ivaan.
Including Ishira.
For the first time since she entered—
The Devil had spoken.
A senior trustee smiled.
"You seem very certain, Professor Mehra."
Ivaan's gaze shifted toward Ishira.
Only for a moment.
Then he replied—
"I've taught her."
The answer was simple.
Yet somehow it carried more confidence than anyone else's.
Several board members nodded.
Satisfied.
The chairman smiled.
"Then we expect great things from you, Miss Sharma."
Ishira nodded respectfully.
"I won't disappoint you."
Across the table—
A faint smirk appeared on Ivaan's face.
Gone before anyone else noticed.
But Ishira saw it.
And somehow—
That made her even more determined to prove him right.
The chairman smiled.
"We expect great things from you, Miss Sharma."
Ishira nodded respectfully.
"I won't disappoint you."
Across the table—
A faint smirk appeared on Ivaan's face.
Gone before anyone else noticed.
But Ishira saw it.
And somehow—
That only made her more determined.
The meeting continued for another ten minutes.
Several board members offered advice.
Some shared experiences from previous summits.
Others discussed networking and leadership opportunities.
Eventually, the chairman stood.
"That will be all."
Everyone slowly began returning to their discussions.
The meeting was over.
Ishira politely thanked everyone and turned toward the door.
Ready to leave.
Almost free.
Almost.
"Miss Sharma."
She stopped.
Of course.
Slowly turning around.
The chairman smiled.
"One last thing."
"Yes, sir?"
"We would like Professor Mehra to personally mentor the selected student representatives."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Ishira froze.
The board members looked pleased.
Several even nodded approvingly.
Meanwhile—
Ivaan remained completely calm.
As if he had expected this.
Which immediately annoyed her.
The chairman continued.
"He'll be overseeing preparations for the summit."
The betrayal.
The absolute betrayal.
Ishira looked toward Ivaan.
He looked back.
Unbothered.
Entirely unbothered.
One board member smiled.
"You should consider yourself fortunate."
Another nodded.
"Professor Mehra is one of the most successful trustees we've ever had."
A third added—
"There's a lot you can learn from him."
Meanwhile, Ishira was wondering if transferring universities was still an option.
Unfortunately—
It wasn't.
The chairman finally dismissed her.
"You may go now."
"Thank you, sir."
She immediately headed toward the exit.
Without looking back.
Without stopping.
Without saying a single word.
The moment she stepped outside—
Her phone vibrated.
A message.
Obviously.
😈 Devil: Mentorship begins tomorrow.
Ishira stopped walking.
Immediately.
🦋 Butterfly: No.
The reply came almost instantly.
😈 Devil: Yes.
🦋 Butterfly: I wasn't asking.
😈 Devil: Neither was I.
Her jaw clenched.
Across the executive lounge windows above, she could practically imagine his smug expression.
🦋 Butterfly: You're enjoying this.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
😈 Devil: A little.
The audacity.
The absolute audacity.
Meanwhile, back in the cafeteria, Kiara was waiting.
The moment she saw Ishira approaching, she jumped up.
"What happened?"
Ishira sat down.
Expressionless.
Dangerously expressionless.
Kiara immediately became concerned.
"Why do you look like that?"
Ishira placed her phone on the table.
Kiara read the messages.
Silence.
Then—
A grin appeared.
A very dangerous grin.
"Oh."
"No."
"Oh, this is going to be fun."
"For you."
"Exactly."
Ishira dropped her head onto the table.
Because tomorrow—
She wasn't just attending class.
She was getting a personal mentorship from the Devil himself.
And somehow—
That sounded more terrifying than the summit.
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