The night air lingered on Kai's skin as he stepped away from the rooftop ledge, the tension from Anastasia's words still simmering beneath his calm exterior. Her touch had been calculated—sharp, cold, and daring. But it wasn't what she said that echoed in his mind. It was what she didn't.
She was trying to rattle him.
And for a brief second, she almost did.
But as he descended the winding stairs of Albrecht's east tower, a different presence was already waiting for him.
"Going somewhere?" Evelyn's voice floated through the corridor like smoke. She leaned against a polished stone pillar near the music wing, moonlight brushing her golden-brown hair as if painting her in silver.
Kai raised a brow. "Were you following me?"
"I was waiting." She stepped forward, her glasses glinting. "I have something to show you."
Her tone wasn't flirtatious, not overtly—but there was an undercurrent. Something soft, calculated, just beneath the surface.
She didn't wait for a response. She turned and walked down the hall, her hips swaying with slow confidence. Kai followed.
They entered a private practice room—small, soundproof, warm-toned with velvet curtains and mahogany floors. A grand piano stood in the corner, keys dusted with perfection.
Evelyn shut the door softly behind them.
"What is this?" Kai asked, his voice low.
She turned to face him slowly. "A place without eyes or ears. No rumors. No watchful crowd."
Her heels clicked against the floor as she stepped closer. The room was silent save for her breathing—and his steady, unreadable calm.
"You made an impression today," she whispered.
Kai tilted his head slightly. "Wasn't trying to."
"That's what made it work." Her fingers brushed the edge of the piano. "But Anastasia doesn't play fair. She doesn't like to share."
A pause.
"Share what?" Kai asked.
Evelyn's eyes locked onto his, searching. Her hand left the piano and moved—light as silk—to rest briefly on his forearm. Not a grip. Just contact.
"You," she said.
The word was soft. Vulnerable, even.
Kai didn't move. Didn't blink. But the room was starting to feel warmer.
"She always wins," Evelyn continued. "She manipulates. Threatens. Breaks people until they fall in line. But not you. You didn't even blink when she tested you. That's rare."
"And that intrigued you?" Kai asked.
Her lips curved slightly. "It shook me."
She stepped closer, only inches between them now. Her fingers slipped to the first button of his collar—not unbuttoning, just… hovering.
"I wonder how much it would take to shake you."
Her touch was feather-light as she brushed the collar of his shirt, her breath ghosting near his throat. Her eyes never left his.
"Don't you ever get tired of pretending nothing affects you?"
Kai didn't step back. But his jaw tightened, just faintly.
"Do you always test people this way?" he asked, voice calm, but edged.
"Only the ones I can't read," she murmured.
She was so close now that the air between them felt charged. Her hand slid from his collar to the center of his chest—then lingered.
Kai could feel her heartbeat just barely through the gap between them. She was nervous. Curious. Determined.
And then—click.
The door swung open behind them.
"I thought I smelled something desperate."
Anastasia.
She stood in the doorway, arms folded, expression like a glacier cracking.
Evelyn didn't flinch. She let her hand slide away from Kai's chest slowly, like she had nothing to hide. But her tone dropped a degree.
"Didn't realize you followed me."
"You're not as discreet as you think." Anastasia stepped in, heels echoing against the wood. "I was hoping to catch a rat. Instead, I found a snake."
Kai stepped slightly back, putting space between them all. Not out of discomfort—but to regain full control.
"I see I'm becoming popular," he said evenly.
Anastasia's eyes flicked to him. "You were always a prize. Some just took longer to notice."
Evelyn's smirk returned. "Interesting, coming from someone who doesn't share."
"I don't," Anastasia said flatly. "Especially not what's mine."
The air snapped taut.
Evelyn stepped forward, standing just to Kai's side. "You're claiming him already? I didn't think you needed someone else to carry your name."
Kai's eyes narrowed faintly. But he said nothing.
Anastasia's gaze didn't budge. "I don't. But I don't like anyone else touching what interests me."
Silence. The kind that hangs in the throat like smoke.
Evelyn turned to Kai, voice low. "She's territorial. Like a wolf."
"And you?" he asked.
"I bite quieter," she whispered, stepping back and smoothing her skirt.
She looked at Anastasia one last time. "Enjoy your illusion of control."
Then she left.
Anastasia lingered. The candlelight from the piano glinted off her eyes as she turned toward Kai. "You didn't stop her."
"You didn't stop me," he replied.
A flicker of a smile. "I should have."
She took one step forward—then stopped herself, as if catching fire too quickly.
"I'll be watching you, Kai," she said, softer this time. "And not just because you're dangerous. You're… interesting."
Then she turned and vanished.
Meanwhile… Back at Kai's original school
Rain streaked down the glass panels of the academy hallway. Celeste sat near the window, head resting against the cool surface. Her phone screen glowed with a message thread still unanswered.
Kai hasn't replied in two weeks.
Amaya paced behind her. "He left without saying anything. Did he transfer? Is he even okay?"
Elena stared blankly at the group chat. Mira, too, sat quietly—arms folded, lips tight, eyes distant.
None of them had been able to find him.
None of them knew where he went.
And the silence was loud.
Celeste closed her eyes. "We all… treated him like he was beneath us. And now he's just—gone."
Mira didn't speak. Her nails dug into her sleeve.
They had each wanted something from him—but always assumed he'd be there. Always thought he'd wait. Be patient. Accept their pride. Their silence.
Now?
Now they were the ones left in the dark.
Elena broke the silence. "What if he found someone better?"
The thought stung all of them.
But somewhere in another part of the city, Kai was being pulled into the web of the elite—tempted, tested, and watched by girls who saw him not as a shadow, but as the center of the storm.
And none of them were ready for what he would become next.