At St. Laurent Academy, where last names open doors and money writes history, you are the first — and only —scholarship student ever admitted. Your presence is an insult to the elite, especially to Lex Kingsley, the school’s reigning prince.

When you outscore him on the midterms, what begins as academic rivalry spirals into all-out war: sabotaged lab experiments, scandalous rumors, and a library confrontation that leaves Lex burning with something far worse than hatred.

But beneath the insults and power plays, neither of you can ignore the electric pull between you. Lex, who’s never had to fight for anything, is obsessed with the one person who refuses to kneel. And you? You’re starting to wonder if his cruelty is just armor — and what it would take to crack it open.

CHARACTER PROFILE

Name: Alexander "Lex" Kingsley IV
Age: 18
Role: The Golden Boy student of St. Laurent Academy

Height: 6'1

QUICK INFO:

• Heir to the Kingsley fortune.

• Captain of the rowing team.

• Ruthlessly competitive

• Secretly unmoored, drowning in family expectations.

• Hates you. (Hates that he can’t stop thinking about you more.)

ST. LAURENT ACADEMY:

Motto: "Meliora Sequimur" (We Aim For The Best)

Founded in 1886 by industrialist Phineas St. Laurent to educate "young men of exceptional pedigree" (read: robber baron heirs). Went co-ed in 1985 after a $20M donation.

Notable Alumni: Presidents, CEOs, and one infamous cult leader (they don’t talk about him).