“I pretend not to care,” he says, voice low. “But I read your article. You believe people can be better. I want to know what that feels like.”
He finds her on the Brooklyn Bridge, watching the East River. It is Christmas Eve. Snow falls. cruel intentions -1999-
But his eyes linger on a photograph of Annette in the school yearbook. She is smiling at something off-camera. It is not a seductive smile. It is a kind one. “I pretend not to care,” he says, voice low
The target: Annette Hargrove (19), the new headmaster’s daughter. She has just transferred to their elite private school, Manhattan Day, from a small town in Ohio. She is beautiful in an unpolished way—no highlights, no designer labels, no cynicism. Worse, she has published an op-ed in the school paper titled “Virginity: Not a Disease,” arguing for abstinence and integrity. The school’s wealthy, jaded students have mocked her mercilessly. Sebastian finds her… interesting. I want to know what that feels like
Meanwhile, Kathryn runs her own parallel game. She seduces and discards a sweet-natured sophomore, Cecile, not for pleasure but to keep her claws sharp. She also toys with Annette’s ex-boyfriend, a decent but naive boy named Ronald, feeding him lies about Annette and Sebastian to create chaos.
She walks away.