Chapter 1

My name was scrawled on a card and tossed into the dating draw.

Suddenly, I, Asher Stone, a scholarship student at A-list University,became the latest prey in the most exclusive social scene on campus.

The one tasked with playing me was Lucy Vance, the Student Council President.

She was gentle, thoughtful, and generous, everything everyone imagined a perfect girlfriend to be.

Everyone whispered I'd snagged myself a sugar mama, skipping a decade of grinding.

They placed bets behind my back, wagering on how miserably I'd cry on the final day of the one-month challenge.

But what they didn't know?

The most cunning predators often disguise themselves as their unsuspecting prey.

My sole purpose for coming to this university was to assess the true character of my intended fiancée for an arranged marriage.

Now, the assessment was complete.

My name is Asher Stone.

According to the university's records, I was a student on full financial aid, no doubt about it.

On the first day of school, my roommate, Liam Carter, pulled me aside, secretively filling me in on A-list University's unwritten rules of survival.

"Asher, listen up, there are two kinds of people at our school."

He lowered his voice, nodding towards a pink Porsche zooming away outside the window.

"There are regular folks like us, who worked our butts off to get in."

"And then there are the heirs, rolling up in luxury cars."

"Especially Lucy Vance's crowd, the Student Council President. You absolutely, positively, have to stay clear of them!"

Liam's expression was dead serious.

"They're devils!"

"They love playing this disgusting game called the 'Love Lottery'!"

My hand, holding a water cup, froze mid-air. I looked at him.

"What game?"

Liam saw I wasn't taking it seriously and his voice trembled with urgency.

"They collect the names of handsome guys with normal family backgrounds, write them on cards, and put them in a box."

"Whichever rich girl draws a guy's name, she has one month to make him fall head over heels for her. To make him completely devoted."

Liam's face was filled with disgust and fear.

"Then, on the last day of that month, they dump the guy in the most humiliating way possible, right in front of everyone."

"They call it 'taming the prey.' Whoever makes their prey cry the hardest during the breakup wins."

Liam gripped my arm tightly.

"Last semester, a senior from our department got picked. That rich girl sweet-talked him, made him think it was true love."

"But when she got bored, she not only publicly humiliated him, she also spread rumors that he was a pervert trying to extort money."

"The senior couldn't defend himself, got disciplined by the school, and then the rich girl's fiancé broke his leg."

"He couldn't cope, fell into severe depression, and ended up dropping out!"

"So, Asher, you're so good-looking, you absolutely have to be careful not to get targeted!"

I raised a hand and patted Liam's tense shoulder.

"Don't worry. I just want to focus on my studies."

I offered him a reassuring smile.

Liam looked into my eyes and inexplicably shivered.

That same evening, at a private club.

Bailey Reed playfully shook a box.

"Lucy, it's your turn to draw! Let's see which lucky guy gets to bask in your favor?"

Lucy Vance lounged on the sofa, sipping red wine, looking effortlessly chic and bored.

She glanced at the box, completely uninterested.

Bailey, not giving up, practically shoved the box in her face, smiling obsequiously.

"Come on, Lucy, just draw one! I put a real gem in there this time!"

"A scholarship student from the Arts department, Asher Stone. He's drop-dead gorgeous, almost otherworldly. Chasing him down and then dumping him will be an ultimate thrill!"

At that, Lucy reached out and drew a card from the box.

Asher was emblazoned on the card.

Lucy stared at the card, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

"Alright," she said.

"Then this month, I'll play with him."