Chapter One
The Past
WILLIAM
After the first six months in the prison called high school, I found myself hating everything about the place. It was like living in a chick flick movie. The popular people only got more popular, and the nerds got bullied.
It didn’t matter that I came from a wealthy family or that my older brother was the school’s star quarterback; I was still ranked amongst the lowest students in the high school food chain. It wasn’t like I wanted to be one of the popular kids anyway. I had my brain. Computers and coding were all that mattered. One day, I would own and run my own tech company, that was, if I could ever find a way out of the stinky locker I currently found myself locked inside.
Three of the school's football players thought trapping their victims inside lockers was a fun activity. High school really was like they described it to be in every teen movie. It fucking sucked for people like me. People with an IQ over room temperature.
‘’Help,’’ I reluctantly yelled and banged a fist against the locker, the metal singing beneath my clenched fists. ‘’Let me out!’’
It took another few shouts before the locker opened and daylight streamed in. I was momentarily blinded by the bright halo that surrounded an angel. My savior was a beautiful girl with the clearest blue eyes I had ever seen. Her long and curly locks framed the angel’s heart-shaped face to perfection.
I shot out of the locker and almost knocked the angel over in the process.
‘’I’m sorry,’’ I mumbled, looking down at the floor while correcting my askew glasses.
‘’It’s all right,’’ my savior’s soft voice replied. ‘’Are you okay?’’
‘’Absolutely. Some of my friends were just playing a joke on me,’’ I mumbled, feeling my face heating up.
‘’That didn't look like fun,’’ she said, glaring over my shoulder at the locker as though it had personally offended her. ‘’Are you sure you’re okay?’’
I didn't know how to respond, so I merely nodded and adjusted my backpack that hung loosely over my shoulder. The girl smiled in return. She had the most radiant smile William had ever seen. He didn’t recognize her, so she must be either a guest or a new student. I hoped for the latter.
‘’Well, your friends suck for pulling that prank on you,’’ she said. ‘’What’s your name?’’
‘’Me? My name?’’
‘’Yeah?’’ the girl asked with a puzzled look.
Maybe this school year could be different. All it would take was a friend. A true friend. One that would have my back. One that was popular enough that I’d stop getting picked on.
The dream lasted for all of one minute before I scoffed internally. My brother was Mr. Popular, yet that didn’t change my status at all. Only made it worse, in fact. People loved to remind me that I would never be as good as Grayson. Football would always be more important to people than a perfect grade.
The hallway was completely deserted. Maybe this was another cruel joke, carefully constructed by his bullies. However, as I looked into the eyes of the girl in front of me, I decided to take a leap of faith. She didn’t look evil, but she did look too good to be true. The bell had rung into class a few minutes ago; I would be late, but for the first time in my life, I didn’t care.
‘’William,’’ I stuttered in a high-pitched tone. The girl laughed, and I cleared my throat. ‘’William Montgomery. I’m a freshman,’’ I said again, this time in a much lower voice. Too low to be considered normal. I offered her my hand to shake, which the girl embraced with a smile on her face.
‘’Nice to meet you, William. I’m Nicole Campbell, but everyone calls me Nic. I’m also a freshman. I just transferred from…um…you know what, it doesn’t matter. You don’t wanna hear me yap on about me,’’ Nicole said, her beautiful face flushing red.
I didn’t want to admit it, but I would happily listen to Nicole talk about herself all day. I'd worship any and every word leaving her lips.
Her kissable red lips.
I coughed again and shook my head to get out of the haze I had been caught in. If I weren’t careful, I would soon have a problem down south that I wouldn’t be able to hide. I really didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of Nicole. An unintentional erection in front of Nicole would destroy me. Everyone in school would make fun of me. I would no longer just be a nerd; I would be a nerd with a hard-on from one conversation with a girl.
A loser.
Worse.
I'd forever be branded as a creep.
‘’Where are you headed? I mean to which class?’’ I asked.
‘’I have art with Mrs. Robinson in room 314.’’
‘’Oh,’’ I answered dejectedly. I so badly wanted to spend some more time with her and bask in her light. ‘’The art room is down the hall and to the left. I have Computer Lab. It’s in the opposite direction.’’
‘’Thank you so much. The school is huge. I could get lost in my own locker.’’
When Nicole was about to say goodbye, in walked my older brother, Grayson. I sighed and lowered my head. Grayson was the most pursued senior. All the girls threw themselves at him. Unsurprisingly, he and I didn’t see eye to eye.
On anything.
Where Grayson was muscular, devilishly charming, and an excellent football player, I was the complete opposite—skinny, wore glasses and braces, and lacked every social skill known to mankind. I was the ugly duckling whose swan feathers stubbornly refused to show.
If only Grayson were a stupid jock, but fate loved a good joke. My brother, despite being nowhere near as intelligent as me, wasn’t completely dense. Grayson was almost a straight-A student. And on his own merit. He didn't even make me or anyone else do his homework for him. Grayson was simply the type that didn't have to spend hours on end with his head in the books; he just knew a lot and always had the right answer.
‘’Well, well, well, if it isn’t my brainiac of a baby brother. How are things going, Willy?’’ Grayson threw one of his muscular arms over my shoulder in what was supposed to look like a loving brotherly gesture, but I knew better.
Grayson didn’t care about me, and I hated my brother for using the nickname everyone called me by. As a matter of fact, Grayson was the one who invented Willy. Oh, how I fucking hated that name. I tilted my head up and saw Grayson staring at Nicole with a lustful glint.
I shrugged off my brother’s arm and corrected my glasses without thinking. I gritted my teeth at the action. Touching my glasses was a nervous habit of mine, but I didn’t know what else to do.
Two of Grayson’s buddies came to a halt behind Grayson. One was a senior like Grayson, the other, Cain Gavick, a freshman like me.
It was the two dimwitted losers who had forced me into my locker earlier. I had gone to school with Cain Gavick my whole life, but it wasn’t until the beginning of this year that Cain had joined in on the bullying.
I furrowed my brows as my eyes landed on Cain. Unlike earlier, he now sported a nasty shiner. The sight made me smile. Good. Maybe he had walked into a lamppost or a brick wall. Cain might be a good football player, but I reckon he might have been tackled one too many times because his head sure didn’t contain many functioning brain cells.
Grayson introduced him and his friends to Nicole, who happily gave them her name.
‘’We’ll take you to Mrs. Robinson’s class,’’ Grayson’s voice rang out, attracting my attention. ‘’It’s right on our way to English.’’
Jealousy rippled through my body. It was a strange sensation. I had never cared about a girl before, but seeing Nicole's beautiful face grow bright red because of my brother pissed me off.
‘’Thank you, guys. I would appreciate it.’’
‘’Great, let’s go,’’ Grayson announced, throwing his muscular arm around Nicole and dragging her body into his. With the other arm, Grayson rifled my hair. ‘’See ya later, baby bro. Don’t go and get yourself into any trouble now.’’
As they turned to leave, Nicole glanced over her shoulder at me. ‘’Bye, Willy.''
Hatred took root in my heart. It was ugly. Loud and monstrous. I was mad at myself for expecting anything else from this new girl. Of course, she was meant to be a part of the cool crowd, but did she really have to call him Willy as well? I fucking loathed that name. But what could I do? Nothing. It wasn't like I could fight everyone who called him Willy. I would only lose horribly and become a target of even more bullying.
The group disappeared behind a corner, but not before Cain shot me an angry glare. Whatever, I thought and trotted down the hall. Usually, I loved Computer Lab, but not today.
Today just sucked.
***
Three years later.
Another day in the life of William Montgomery. Another day in purgatory. But I was used to it by now.
Same shit, different day.
Trotting down the halls of Oak Hills High, I couldn't wait to get out of there for good. I was counting down the days. Had been since the first day of freshman year. Waving goodbye to the sticky linoleum floors and the smell of sweaty teenagers with no brain cells would be the highlight of the year. From there, the road was paved straight to MIT. A degree in computer coding the dream. I just had to survive the last six months of high school first.
Easier said than done, but not impossible.
I had been sorely mistaken when I thought things would improve when my brother graduated. The bullying had only gotten worse after Grayson’s departure. Over the last three years, Cain Gavick grew into the role of my nemesis. As the new quarterback after Grayson's departure, Cain quickly became the school's pride and joy. Untouchable. He made my life a living hell. Every single day.
Today was a morning like any other. I had purposely arrived at school early. It was a way to ensure I didn’t stumble into any of my bullies. My preferred hiding spot was the library. I chuckled. None of my bullies knew where it was located.
When the bell rang, I reluctantly gathered my books. It was on my way to class that I almost ran straight into her.
Nicole Campbell.
She greeted me with a soft smile. I didn't receive many of those. Only my teachers would occasionally smile at me when I gave them a correct answer.
I knew full well that a girl like Nicole Campbell was way out of my league. I had known it since the first time I laid eyes on her, but that didn’t stop me from dreaming about her, fantasizing about her...and me…together. But it would never happen. The world had a bigger chance of going under than me and Nicole ever going on a date. It was simple high school math.
It hadn't taken long for Nicole to become one of the most popular girls in school. She wasn’t a mean girl per se, but she didn’t spare nerds like me many glances. She would, more often than not, look the other way when a nerd like me got in her line of sight.
Throughout the years, our interaction had been limited to a few selected smiles. On rare occasions, we'd exchanged a few words. I hated how I lived for those moments.
Every day, I'd wake up hoping that today was the day we'd get ten seconds alone together. But Nicole was a popular girl. She wasn’t alone very often. Unlike me. Alone was my middle name.
When the school day ended, I would go home and do homework and code on my computer. I never brought anyone to the house. No one noticed anyway. Dad was always too busy working, and Mom was too busy getting spa treatments.
After Grayson left to study business at Harvard, I finally got the peace I’d always craved—no more pranks, no more teasing. I’d spent years dreaming of the day he’d be gone, imagining how much easier things would be without his constant interruptions. But when the loneliness hit hardest, I realized something I hadn’t expected: I missed my annoying older brother more than I’d ever thought possible.
Nicole Campbell was every teenager’s wet dream. Her smile alone was enough to haunt me in my dreams. She had the perfect curves. My mouth watered thinking of her curves. It wasn’t only my manly parts that Nicole affected. She did something to me that made my heart beat faster every time I laid eyes on her.
Despite carrying the title of a straight-A student with an early acceptance letter to MIT, I still wasn’t smart enough to figure out what to do with my racing heart or the girl standing in front of me. How did words and sentences work? The answer didn’t come to me in time, and instead, I settled for a noise that was a hum mixed with a grunt sprinkled with a dash of an oink.
‘’You okay?’’ Nicole asked, and that was when I realized I had simply been standing there with my mouth agape, gawking at my crush.
My hand shot up to my glasses on its own accord, and I coughed uncomfortably. ‘’Yeah, I’m fine. Good. I’m great,’’ I finally managed to stutter out.
‘’Well, if it isn’t the little, ugly nerd talking to my girlfriend,’’ Cain interrupted and wrapped a possessive hand around Nicole's waist.
In that moment, I had never wanted to punch someone more than I wanted to punch Cain. Not when he'd trap me in lockers, steal my Math homework, mock my glasses, or even throw those so-called "friendly punches" that left my upper arm a patchwork of blue and purple. Those were all bad enough, but nothing—nothing—compared to the sight of his fingers digging into Nicole’s waist. That’s when my right hand clenched, itching to make contact with his face.
Nicole became small in Cain’s embrace. Her eyes stopped glowing, and her smile was replaced with a fake one. I hated the sight of it. Why did women always fall for the bully?
‘’Leave him be, Cain,’’ Nicole whispered under her breath.
Cain grinned. ‘’Sure, babe. Why don’t you head to class? I’ll be there in a minute.’’
Nicole didn’t have time to utter a word before Cain’s lips were on hers, claiming them possessively in front of me.
The worst part?
Nicole was kissing him back.
I curled my left hand into a fist as well, my jaw setting tightly. I was sure it didn’t make me look manly, more like a petulant child who hadn’t gotten his way. Cain was right. I was nothing but a small, weak, ugly nerd. Where Cain had grown in height and size over the years, I had remained the same. Still boney. Still a braceface. The only thing I had attracted was acne. All in all, a far cry from prom king material.
‘’Run along, Nic,’’ Cain commanded, swatting her ass with his filthy fingers.
She gave me a fleeting smile. It was undetected by the untrained eye, but I saw it, and it made my stupid heart beat faster again. I cursed myself for being stupidly attracted to her. I hated that it wasn’t just attraction I felt toward Nicole. I liked her. She was sweet and beautiful and smart. Never spoke a mean word to me. She didn’t belong with someone the likes of Cain Gavick. She was too good for him.
One time, after a math class, Nicole had even complimented me, saying how she admired my intelligence. Nothing could have gotten me down that day. I even faced my tormentors with my head held high, that was, until Cain grabbed me and pushed my head down into one of the toilet bowls. He flushed while my head was down there. Just flushing out the shit, Cain had said before laughing his ass off.
The second Nicole disappeared from view, Cain grabbed me by my shirt collar and threw me up against the wall of dark blue lockers. As always, Cain had a couple of his goons with him. Jocks always traveled in packs, too stupid to function on their own.
‘’I thought we were friends,’’ Cain said with an ironic laugh. ‘’Friends don’t hit on each other’s girlfriends.’’
Cain’s pressure on me increased with every word that left his mouth.
‘’I wasn’t hitting on Nicole,’’ I pleaded.
Nobody was coming to save me. Nobody cared about. None of the other students in the hallway even batted an eye at the spectacle. Cain Gavick was the golden boy at Oak Hills High. Nobody dared go against him.
With effortless strength, Cain lifted me off the ground, only to slam me down hard. The violent impact with the sticky linoleum knocked the glasses from my face, sending them skidding across the floor.
‘’Don’t sniff around my girl. And stop looking at her when you think no one is watching. Everyone knows what a creep you are.’’
I kept quiet and fumbled around, searching for my glasses. The silence that followed should have been a warning. Cain never took well to being ignored. A low crunch pierced my hardened heart. For the rest of my life, I would never forget the sound of humiliation as my glasses splintered under Cain’s foot.
All my bullies laughed like hyenas. A wave of blonde hair in my peripheral vision caught my attention. Nicole stood by the corner, watching me. She had returned. Good. At least now she could witness what a douchebag her boyfriend was. Unfortunately, Nicole didn’t react the way I had hoped. Instead of marching up to Cain and breaking up with him on the spot, she remained still and quiet as her boyfriend and friends humiliated me, pushing me to the ground, smashing my glasses, and calling me names.
While biting down on her thumbnail, Nicole’s face scrunched together in remorse, or at least, that was what I told himself. My stupid heart kept making excuses for her. She didn’t do anything to stop Cain. She didn’t intervene, which was as bad as doing the deed herself.
When my bullies were finally done tormenting me, Cain strolled over to Nicole. Relaxed as could be. Motionless on the floor, I watched them, praying Nicole would call Cain terrible names and break up with him in front of everyone. But she didn’t. She welcomed her boyfriend and his horrible antics with open arms.
It was at that moment, I swore to myself that, somehow, someway, I would destroy the love I carried for Nicole Campbell. I hated her. I hated her almost as much as I loved her.
Chapter Two
WILLIAM
The letter came in the mail today. I had expected it for some time, waiting patiently for the wounds in my heart to reopen.
Oak Hills High School’s ten-year reunion.
According to the party planning committee, it was set to be the event of the year. I increased the speed on the treadmill, and before long, my legs burned with cramps, my breath coming in shallow gulps. Still, I pushed harder, sweat trickling down my torso.
I had hated everything about high school, but maybe it would be nice to see everyone again, at least, just to rub it in their faces how well I was doing.
Gone was the scrawny and scared nerd.
After graduation, I kept the promise I had made to myself on the last day of high school. I had changed, completely reinventing myself, both physically and mentally.
College life had been good to me, and I quickly made a name for myself on campus. Everyone knew William Montgomery—the coding king of MIT, and later, California. Now, at twenty-eight, I was the CEO of my own successful tech company. The biggest surprise? My business partner. My brother, Grayson Montgomery. My teenage self would have shuddered at the thought of running a company with him, but somehow, it worked. Together, we built and led Montgomery Inc., a powerhouse in security software.
My focus was on the coding and programming side of the business, while Grayson handled the business side. He secured clients, did the meetings, oversaw budgets, and whatnot. Grayson was, after all, the one with a business degree from Harvard.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead after my morning workout, the California sun streaming through the window. The clock above the door in my home gym told me I had another hour before my meeting with Grayson.
Meetings were the worst. At least the ones where I had to deal with other human beings, which were all of them. Luckily, the meetings were few and far between. Grayson would usually handle them and simply debrief me afterward. But Grayson had called me late last night about a possible new client from New York, who demanded to meet both of us. Something about a security system for a nightclub chain. I didn’t much care. I would create whatever the client wanted as long as the price was right.
After my shower, I made a hearty omelet with ham, cheese, and crispy bacon. I sliced fresh cucumbers and ripe tomatoes, carefully arranging them on the plate so that each ingredient had its own space, untouched by the others.
Raisa, my family's longtime housekeeper, had taught me a thing or two in the kitchen while I was growing up. Now, she worked for me part-time, coming by a few times a week to cook and clean.
While eating breakfast, I always watched the morning news and searched the internet for any business-related announcements. Before closing my laptop, a headline sent tremors of excitement down my spine. CPH on the brink of bankruptcy. I swallowed deeply as I read the article about Campbell Publishing House, my heart beating faster than it had in years. It had been a while since CPH had made any major headlines. Montgomery Inc. had no business with the publishing house, but I would recognize that name anywhere.
The thought of Mr. Campbell, or more specifically, Mr. Campbell's oldest daughter, Nicole Campbell, made my palms sweat with anger.
I had purposely not thought about Nicole Campbell in a long time. Our last interaction on our last day of high school still haunted me.
My hatred for Nicole Campbell had been carved in stone that fateful day.
I still remember her radiant smile. Everything about her was radiant. Her eyes sparkled a vivid blue, her hair glimmered like spun gold, and her lips were more luscious than any I had ever encountered. It was because of her that I had sworn to change, to become someone worthy of the likes of her. I should have known she would be just like the rest of the popular clique. She destroyed me on the last day of high school, but it had given me the strength and drive to change.
Now fate played another one of its cruel jokes. On me, or the Campbells? I still wasn’t sure. Maybe this article was a sign that no one could outrun their past forever. Not completely. It was a part of you as assuredly as the next breath of air.
Campbell Publishing House was a few months away from going under. The company bled money. I may not have a business degree from Harvard, but even I could see how bad the situation was. If they didn’t find an investor soon, they would go under. Against my better judgment, I did a quick research on the company.
It didn't take me long to figure out the main problem. CPH hadn’t attracted any prominent authors in years or made any positive noise in the media. After a quick glance at their webpage, I could tell the company was horribly outdated. Their website lacked in every department, and the social media accounts were sparse.
The company mostly worked in ebooks and paperbacks. Another major flaw. Not a single one of their titles was available in audiobook or hardcover. It was honestly amazing that CPH had managed to stay in business as long as they had.
As I sat by the kitchen counter, I made the first rash decision I had made in years. I called my brother and cancelled our meeting. Grayson could go on without me. As usual, Grayson was a pain in my ass, but I hung up on him and quickly got in touch with my executive assistant.
Allison had been with me and the company for years. She was intelligent and good at her job, but my heart never beat faster when I laid eyes on her. No matter how hard I tried, I still had a thing for blondes with blue eyes. Besides, I never mixed business with pleasure, unlike my older brother, who more than happily enjoyed both at the same time.
For a brief moment, I considered looking Nicole up online, but in the end, I decided against it. It didn’t matter what she looked like now; my hatred for her was still as strong as it was ten years ago.
I hadn’t seen her since high school; she could be married with five children by now, but something deep inside me told me that wasn’t the case. I was, however, sure that she still looked just as beautiful as she had back then, and I hated her for it. I wished high school had been her prime, but a girl like Nicole would always come out on top.
The mere thought of Nicole and her fake smile made me want to clench my hands into fists and punch something.
Instead of letting my anger over the past take control, I changed into a black Armani suit and snapped a Rolex on my wrist. It was time I paid Mr. Campbell a visit.