Good morning, Dad!” Harriet said as she slid into a chair beside her father at the dining table.

“guess who decided to join us for breakfast ” Lucas, her brother said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes at him, choosing to ignore his teasing while she served herself breakfast.

“So, have you proposed to her yet?” Mr. Blackwood, Harriet’s father asked, looking expectantly at Lucas.

“Not yet, Dad but soon,” Lucas replied, chewing his food.

“You should do that fast! I don’t know what’s keeping you. Do you want other hungry wolves to steal her from you?” he said.

“No, Dad, I’m just taking my time. I don’t want her to feel rushed,” Lucas replied, rolling his eyes.

“I don’t care if she feels rushed but son, we need this alliance for the betterment of the company.”

“I know, Dad. I'm working on it,” Lucas said, a hint of frustration in his voice.

“I think I lost my appetite. See you guys later,” Harriet said, standing up and leaving the table.

And this is the kind of family I’m born into—where you marry for business, not love. It’s Lucas’s turn now; in a few years, it will be mine. Only God knows who my dad will try to marry me off to next. It all depends on what kind of power he wants at that moment. Dad is just unbelievable, she thought to herself as she rode to school.

***********************************

“Harriet isn’t here yet,” Georgina said, approaching Alex.

“There she is!” Alex pointed at the approaching girl.

“Morning, guys!” Harriet greeted them, a little out of breath.

“Morning! And why does your face look like that of a woman who lost her husband?” Alex joked.

She playfully hit him on the shoulder. “That would have even been better! Lucas is getting married,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Who is Lucas?” Georgina asked, intrigued.

“Oh, that’s her brother,” Alex explained.

“And why are you not happy about it?” she queried.

“It’s an arranged marriage. In my family, you don’t marry for love but whoever the family chooses for you,” she replied, her voice heavy with resignation. “Seeing my brother get married to a woman he barely knows is a constant reminder that I could soon be forced into something like that, too.”

“That’s true,” Alex agreed, nodding sympathetically.

Suddenly, there was noise and shouting as a few students rushed forward, laughing and pushing one another.

“What’s going on?” Georgina asked, curiously peering toward the commotion.

They looked in the direction of the noise and saw three flashy Ferraris pull up. The doors of all three cars opened almost simultaneously.

Out stepped three boys, each more handsome than the last, causing screams from girls to ring out around them.

“Who are they, and why are they allowed to drive into the school compound?” Georgina inquired, watching the spectacle with wide eyes.

“They’re the BB boys—B for Bold and B for Beautiful,” Alex replied in a sarcastic tone.

“I gotta go, guys,” Harriet said, brushing past them.

“Come on, Harriet! Wait for us!” Alex called after her.

“What’s up with her?” Georgina asked, confused.

“Oh, you see that guy over there, the one standing close to the black Ferrari? That’s Ethan, her ex. He’s signed with Marvel Records. Don’t you know him? He’s one of the fastest rising musicians in Atlanta,” Alex explained, glancing at the young man with his shirt buttons undone, showcasing his fair skin.

“Why did they break up?” Georgina wondered aloud as they walked away from the crowd toward class.

“Don’t mind him. The only thing he’s good at is making music. He cheated on her, and she found out,” Alex said, his anger simmering.

“Hm, that’s his loss. I’ve only been in this school for three weeks and have gotten close to Harriet and I can tell she’s a pure soul,” Georgina remarked thoughtfully.

“Can you believe this guy has the nerve to tell the whole school that he dumped Harriet?” Alex said, the frustration evident on his face.

“But he actually did,” Claria chimed in as she walked by, brushing past them with a smirk.

“I swear I’m going to kill her someday,” Alex muttered under his breath as they entered the classroom.

Mr. Rogers walked into the class. “Keep it down, guys,” he instructed.

Georgina wrote a note on a piece of paper and handed it to Harriet. Harriet glanced at it and smiled. “Don’t frown that pretty face of yours because of that duck head!” she read aloud, looking up to Georgina and whispering a grateful "thank you."

“Guess who finally decided to come to school?” Mr. Rogers said while eyeing Ethan and his crew, who settled in at the back.

“It’s not my fault I’m a celebrity and travel the world,” Ethan replied with a chuckle, eliciting laughter from those around him.

“Mr. Celebrity, welcome to class,” Mr. Rogers retorted, rolling his eyes.

“Listen up, class! This is an official bulletin: the pre-summer camp will commence in two weeks,” he announced.

Cheers erupted from everyone.

“What’s pre-summer camp?” Georgina asked Alex, who was sitting behind her.

“It’s a camp for only the finalists. It’s one of the biggest events of the school year, and students always look forward to it,” he explained, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

“Registration will begin immediately at the bursar's office,” Mr. Rogers continued.

“First instructions of the camp, pair Yourself to the person sitting next to you”.

“Wanna be my partner?” Georgina asked Harriet.

She nodded enthusiastically. Mr. Rogers placed an egg in front of each pair.

“These eggs are your 'children,’” he said, and the class erupted into laughter.

“

“You think I'm joking? You are to co-parent this egg with your partner from now until the pre-summer camp is over. This is your criteria to go to the camp! So if you misplace your child, just forget about going to pre-camp, and if it breaks, don’t bother showing up at all,”

Mr. Rogers announced sternly. “If you look closely, you’ll see these are not ordinary eggs. If you think you can replace it when it’s broken, think again; all eggs have a serial number attached to them.”

The class was in awe, surprised at what Mr. Rogers was saying.

“Finally, proper co-parenting and care of your child automatically gives you 50 percent of the total mark for the summer camp, which means the remaining 50 percent will be based on whatever activities you'll engage in at the camp,” he said

“For those of you with low grades who might not graduate this year, this is an opportunity,” he concluded before walking out of the class.