Baited by Love

I happened to reach the doorway when I heard Caleb's voice. I froze mid-step, and my ears perked up instantly.

"Are you serious?" Asher raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

"Valerie's back, so I'm not going to keep dragging things out with Sabrina. Besides, it was never serious," Caleb said with a sneer.

Asher leaned back lazily. "You don't know Sabrina. She's super clingy. Getting away from her won't be easy."

"That's why I need your help." Caleb lifted his gaze and went on, "Go flirt with her. Let her be the one to break up with me."

At that, Asher shot upright. "What? You want us to do it? No way. I can't stand women like her. She's pathetic and desperate. Just the sight of her irritates me."

He scowled as he spoke, disgust written all over his face.

Then, Caleb turned to the quiet one. "What about you, Marcus?"

"I'm not interested," Marcus answered, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses.

Even so, Caleb remained calm. He slowly pulled out his phone and said, "Once it's done, the Dodge Tomahawk is yours. As for your photos… I'll delete them."

Marcus' expression changed instantly. His grip on the pen tightened until veins bulged. "What photos?"

"The ones from elementary school. You know, when you danced in a skirt at the New Year's recital. The kind the whole class passed around," Caleb replied with a gentle smile.

The room went silent for a moment.

Then, Asher cursed, "What the hell? You really know how to get people where it hurts. Fine! We're in. Forget about her. I could even make a rock fall in love with me if I wanted to!"

"If you post those photos, I'll kill you!" Marcus warned through gritted teeth.

Caleb's lips curled into a smirk. "Relax. She's easy to manipulate. One spark, and she'll light right up."

Outside the door, I heard every word. I slapped a hand over my mouth, barely holding in a laugh. This was a gift from above!

Sure, Caleb was a dangerously handsome jerk, but the other two weren't too shabby either.

Marcus had a striking face. He wore a white shirt and gold-rimmed glasses, radiating cool, fragile elegance. The mole at the corner of his eye seemed perfectly placed to make him utterly captivating.

As for Asher, he was on another level entirely. Towering at six feet two inches, he was lean and tanned. His gaze was sharp, but when he smiled, it was enough to make any woman's heart race uncontrollably.

When I got close to Caleb, it wasn't just because of his looks. Staying near him was the perfect cover and the shortest path to winning both Asher and Marcus over.

At first, my plan was to take them one at a time. I just hadn't expected them to come at me together.

Well, if they were offering themselves, I had no choice but to accept.

…

Back in class, I sat down, grinning like a fool. Waiting for Asher and Marcus to make the first move felt sweeter than Christmas morning.

I couldn't stop smiling when I saw Caleb walking down the hall.

"Thank you for sending me these perfect guys! You're an absolute saint!" I exclaimed inwardly.

"Are you really this happy to see me?" Caleb asked with a frown, clearly disgusted.

I nodded eagerly. "I love you most, Caleb! You're the best!"

"Pathetic," he muttered, but the corner of his mouth twitched.

After that, he lowered his head and sent a message in the group chat. He wrote, "She might not be that easy to win over."

…

That night, I tossed and turned in bed, wondering who would make the first move.

By all logic, it should've been Asher. He had no limits and was the kind of guy who could flip the principal's desk without blinking.

But the next morning, the moment I arrived at school, I spotted Marcus standing at the corner of the stairs.

He stopped me. His face was tense, as if he had just flunked a test.

"Sabrina, do you… want to study together?" he asked in a strained voice.

I froze, stunned at how direct Marcus was. He wasn't even trying to hide it.

I had thought he was the quiet type. But to my surprise, he was a straight-up, no-filter kind of guy.

I didn't say a word and just stared at Marcus. I was doing it on purpose. I wanted to see how he'd play it next.