Chapter 66 A New Student

Chapter 66 A New Student
Tasha’s POV
THE NOTE from Val was still sitting inside my desk drawer.
I had read it so many times that I practically knew every curve of the handwriting by memory.
Be careful who you trust at Vanguard.
For three days, I had tried to figure out what it meant. For three days, I had failed. The message was frustratingly vague. Every time I thought I might understand it, another possibility appeared.
Maybe she knew something about the investigation. Maybe she had overheard something in Monaco. Maybe she was simply paranoid.
At this point, I wasn't ruling anything out. 
Unfortunately, Vanguard wasn't exactly helping my stress levels. 
The situation with Carlos remained painfully awkward. Old Man Reyes still hadn't called. The mystery surrounding my father's past seemed to grow more complicated every day.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, I still had classes, projects, deadlines, and enough engineering assignments to make me question my life choices.
By Thursday morning, I was running entirely on caffeine and stubbornness. “Good morning, sunshine.”
I looked up from my laptop to find Luigi sliding into the seat across from me in the cafeteria.
“You sound suspiciously cheerful,” I said.
“That’s because I got eight hours of sleep.”
“Show-off.”
“I know.”
He stole one of my fries.
I pointed accusingly at him. “That was theft.”
“It was taxation.”
“You didn’t contribute anything.”
“I contributed friendship.”
I rolled my eyes. “Friendship doesn't grant snack privileges.”
“It absolutely does.”
Before I could continue arguing, a notification chimed through the cafeteria speakers. The room gradually quieted.
A moment later, the academy's dean appeared on the large display screens mounted throughout the building.
A collective groan rose from the students. Announcements rarely meant anything good. The dean smiled politely.
“Good morning, Vanguard students. Before classes begin, we have several announcements regarding upcoming events and academic placements.”
Beside me, Luigi muttered, “This is how every disaster starts.”
I kicked him lightly under the table. The dean continued speaking. Most students barely paid attention. Neither did I.
Until one particular sentence caught my attention.
“We would also like to welcome a new transfer student joining Vanguard International Engineering Academy effective immediately.”
Several students looked up. Late-semester transfers were unusual. Not impossible. Just rare. The dean smiled toward someone standing just outside the camera frame.
“Please join me in welcoming Miss Valentina Rossi.”
My brain stopped functioning. For a full second, I genuinely thought I had imagined the name. Then someone stepped into view.
Dark hair. Confident posture. A familiar crooked smile.
Valentina Rossi.
The same woman who had crashed a motorcycle into a delivery truck. The same woman who had argued with paramedics. The same woman who had secretly slipped a warning note into my bag.
I nearly dropped my coffee.
Across from me, Luigi blinked. “What?”
I stared at the screen. “No way.”
The dean continued speaking. “Miss Rossi will be joining the engineering program and several racing technology modules. We ask everyone to help her transition smoothly into campus life.”
Val waved at the camera. Actually waved. Like she was greeting old friends. Then she smiled.
“Oh no,” I muttered.
“What?” Luigi repeated.
I pointed toward the screen. “I know her.”
His eyebrows immediately shot upward. “You know the new transfer student?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
The screen switched back to academy announcements.
I leaned back in my chair. “You're not going to believe this.”
Twenty minutes later, I was still trying to process it. Students flooded the hallways as classes changed.
Meanwhile, I stood outside the Engineering Building staring at the person responsible for my current state of confusion.
Val stood near the entrance with a backpack slung over one shoulder. She appeared perfectly relaxed. As though transferring internationally halfway through a semester was something people did every day.
The moment she spotted me, her grin widened. “There she is.”
I crossed my arms. “No.”
Val blinked. “No?”
“No.”
She laughed. “That’s a very strange greeting.”
“You transferred to Vanguard?”
“I did.”
“You transferred to my university?”
Val tilted her head. “When you say it like that, it sounds possessive.”
“Val.”
“Okay, fair.”
I stared at her. She stared back. Then she smiled innocently. The expression looked entirely fake.
“You knew I studied here.”
She tilted her head. “Maybe.”
“You absolutely knew,” I said narrowing my eyes.
Val laughed. “Relax.”
“Relax?” I asked, frowning. “You appeared at my garage in Monaco.”
“Technically, it wasn't your garage.”
“You left me a mysterious warning.”
“A thoughtful warning.”
“And now you've enrolled at my university.”
Val considered that. “When you list everything together, I admit it sounds slightly suspicious.”
“Slightly?”
“Moderately.”
I groaned. She seemed delighted by my reaction. Unfortunately, that only made her more suspicious.
“Why are you here?”
The question finally wiped away some of her amusement. Not all of it. Just enough.
“Because Vanguard has one of the best engineering programs in Europe.”
I scoffed. “That sounds rehearsed.”
“Maybe because everyone keeps asking,” she said the smiled again. “You should be happy. You know somebody on campus now.”
I laughed. “I already knew people on campus.”
“Sure, but none of them are me.”
“I don't know whether that's a benefit or a threat.”
“Excellent question.”
Despite myself, I smiled.
Val noticed immediately. “See?”
“See what?”
She smirked. “You missed me.”
“I knew you for one afternoon.”
She nodded. “A very memorable afternoon.”
Unfortunately, she wasn't wrong. Before I could respond, another voice interrupted us.
“Tasha.”
I turned. Primo was approaching from across the courtyard. The moment he reached us, his attention shifted toward Val. Curiosity immediately appeared in his expression.
“New friend?”
“Tasha's favorite friend,” Val answered before I could speak.
“That is not true.”
Val pointed at me. “Notice how she didn't deny the friend part.”
Primo laughed softly. “I'm Primo.”
“Val.”
They shook hands. For some reason, Val studied him a little longer than necessary. Not obviously, just subtly. As though she was evaluating him. The moment passed quickly.
Still, I noticed it.
Then again, lately I seemed to notice everything. Primo eventually excused himself for class. The second he disappeared into the building, Val looked at me.
“Well.”
“Well what?”
“He's handsome.”
I nearly choked. “Oh my God.”
“What?”
“You cannot evaluate people like racehorses.”
Sh shrugged. “I absolutely can.”
As we entered the building together, neither of us noticed the pair of eyes watching from the second-floor balcony.
Bianca Laurent stood with her arms folded. Her expression darkened as she observed us. She had already recognized me.
More importantly, she had recognized the easy familiarity between Val and me. Bianca didn't know who Val was. She didn't know where she came from. She didn't know why she seemed so comfortable around me after only arriving on campus.
But she knew one thing immediately. She didn't like her. Something about Val felt dangerous. Most students at Vanguard cared about hierarchy and those things made them predictable.
Valentina Rossi didn't appear to care about any of them. People like that were difficult to control. And even harder to intimidate.
Down below, Val laughed at something I said as we disappeared into the Engineering Building together.
Bianca's eyes narrowed, but instinct rarely needed justification.
The moment she saw Valentina Rossi, she knew they were eventually going to become enemies.
And somehow, that realization irritated her far more than it should have.