"You just had to spoil the mood, you bitch," the boy who had come ninth snapped. "Do you think Sophia is like you, where her entire world revolves around a man?"
Several students around the table began murmuring among themselves.
Sophia opened her mouth to respond.
Before she could say anything, Jordan who had been quiet suddenly grabbed his pen.
Thud!
He drove it down against the boy's hand, pinning it to the table.
The boy screamed.
"If anyone here dares to speak badly about Jane again, I'll rip your tongue out."
Jordan's voice was frighteningly calm.
"If I hear another bad comment, this country will become your family's problem and your burial ground. Try me."
"Jordan, are you crazy?!" Sophia yelled.
"Ahhh." Jordan tilted his head. "Use your inner voice. Screaming makes you look mad."
He used her own words against her.
"That's different!" Sophia snapped. "They were just joking. They didn't mean anything. You think acting like this is protecting Jane? What happens when she's alone?"
"And what if I'm alone?"
Jane crossed her arms.
"I'm not like you. I don't need to use people like puppets."
She glared at Sophia.
"I'll beat them black and blue myself, starting with you, so keep your threats to yourself."
Jordan looked at Sophia as if she had just asked the most ridiculous question.
"Why can't I protect her?"
He pointed toward Jane.
"My future fiancée. My future wife. Should I protect you instead?"
His expression hardened.
"Jane has a soft, delicate heart. She doesn't need your brainless followers attacking her. If you have supporters, do you think Jane doesn't?"
He leaned back.
"The Fox family is hers to control, so obviously I have to keep her happy."
Jordan gestured toward the table.
"So sit down or leave if you hate it."
He sat back down as though nothing had happened patting Jane head as if she had suffered injustice.
Sophia glanced toward Aiden.
She had expected him to stand up for her.
Instead, he was simply watching the entire scene with a mocking smile on his lips.
As for the boy who had come ninth, he quickly pulled his hand away, removed the pen, and hurried toward the school clinic to get treated.
Sophia quietly sat back down.
Everyone around the table suddenly became very interested in their books.
No one said another word.
They acted as though the entire incident had never happened.
They had just witnessed firsthand how terrifying Jordan's love for Jane could become.
The hall was enormous, easily large enough to accommodate around two hundred and fifty students without making the room feel cramped.
Rows of large wooden tables stretched across the floor, with ten comfortable chairs arranged around each table.
Small glass shelves stood between the tables, reaching roughly the same height as the chairs.
They acted as low partitions, separating each group without completely blocking the view of the hall.
Around every table was a subtle arrangement of glass panels and wooden frames, creating the feeling of individual study sections. Small doors marked the entrances to each section, allowing students to move between them while still giving every group a sense of privacy.
Tall bookshelves lined the walls, reaching almost to the ceiling. Books of different sizes and colors filled them, while warm golden lights were built into the shelves, casting a soft glow across the room.
Hanging lamps shaped like glowing glass orbs floated above some of the tables, making the ceiling look like a night sky scattered with tiny stars.
The polished wooden floor reflected the warm lighting, while climbing greenery and small decorative plants had been incorporated between some of the shelves.
Large arched windows overlooked the school grounds, allowing natural light to spill into the hall during the day.
Everyone had gone silent, absorbed in their books after the boy who had come ninth rushed to the clinic to have the pen Jordan had stabbed into his hand removed.
Matthew acted as though he had nothing to do with the topic and simply focused on writing the questions.
Philip continued setting questions because Aiden, whom he had been paired with, was too lazy to do it himself.
Jordan returned to writing questions based on the topic he and Jane had studied while keeping her comfortably hugged against his chest.
Felix, who had been paired with the boy who came ninth, pouted. Now he was the only one left who had to explain their topic and set the questions.
The fuck, Felix thought as he roughly rubbed both hands through his hair.
"I've already set the questions. Sophia, are you going to explain the topic or not? If not, let me know. We'll stop there after I explain and everyone answers the questions. Then we can end it here and come back later, or not," Matthew said.
"This matter is about you. How can you not care?" the girl who had come seventh asked.
Matthew glanced at her.
"Just because you guys gave your opinions about my private life doesn't mean I have to react to them now. Let's not be childish. If you can't focus on the lesson, go to the school clinic and get your bruises treated before they get worse," Matthew said calmly.
He immediately began explaining the topic, effectively shutting down any further comments.
The girl who had come seventh immediately rushed out to get her face treated.
Despite everything that had happened, once Matthew started explaining, everyone listened carefully.
He went deeper into the topic, explaining different methods of answering the questions and giving examples. Even the students sitting near their table, who had previously acted as though they had disappeared after witnessing Jordan's behavior, quietly paid attention to Matthew's explanation.
Felix gave Matthew a thumbs-up.
Matthew responded by giving him two questions to solve to test whether he had actually understood the topic.
Philip covered his mouth to stop himself from bursting out laughing.
"Wow. Betrayer," Felix mumbled as he began solving the questions.
Another hour passed before everyone finally finished.
Matthew was the first to leave.
Philip stayed behind to make sure Felix completed the questions he had struggled with.
The girl who had come thirteenth was the second to leave, followed closely by Jordan and Jane.
"Baby, I want to go shopping," Jane said as she catwalked out of the hall, leaving Jordan to carry her phone and bag.
"Didn't you go shopping yesterday in Eldoria City? Today you want to go shopping again?" Jordan asked as he followed her out.
Aiden got up and walked out next with Sophia following him.Just as his hand hovered over the elevator's call button, she reached out, her fingers locking around his wrist.
"To my private room," Sophia said, keeping her voice to a smooth, confidential murmur.
Aiden didn't look at her, nor did he pull away. He just let his arm hang entirely relaxed in her grip, a lazily smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
"To do what? Have sex?"His tone was low as if anticipating her answer he knew she would reject it he just wanted to end the conversation that have not started already finding the prospects of just standing and talking boring.
Sophia instantly let her hand drop, her face a flawless mask as she took a subtle, calculated step back.
She liked stringing him along, but she had absolutely no intention of actually dating a madman. "What? Can't you have a normal conversation without mentioning sex "
"No I'm a hot bothered young adult all it think is sex so yes or no sex answer"Aiden said with a shrug.
"I want to talk to you onlyin my private room."Sophia said as she took a deep breath to control herself.
"Hmmm no I don't go to a girl's private room just to talk." Aiden finally turned, leaning his back against the marble wall next to the elevator.
He pressed the button with a slow, casual click of his thumb, looking at her with sheer boredom. "If you want to talk call me or not talking is what phones are for? If you're done, I'm leaving."
"Are you angry at me?" Sophia asked as she held his hand to stop him from leaving. her tone was probing . She was checking Aiden not supporting her was a error in her game .
A slow, highly amused smile spread across his face. He knew she didn't actually care about his feelings; she was just fishing to see if she still held his attention.
A soft chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Oh, oh. You're here to check on me because I didn't stand up for you as usual?" He tilted his head, his dark eyes locked onto hers with a lazy, unblinking intensity.
"Well, I find it boring to always do that. It was actually interesting watching you shut up, looking weak and pitiful while waiting for me to come to your rescue." His lips curved into a soft, genuine smile. "It was enchanting."
A faint flash of irritation crossed Sophia's face. she snapped, "You're crazy." His madness was acting up again she thought.
Aiden's grin only widened. He could see right through her attempt to deflect, and watching her get irritated was the most fun he'd had all day."I'm the one who's crazy?"
Aiden leaned his head back against the marble, listing off her traits with a slow, rhythmic cadence, deliberately pushing her buttons. "Not you, who's obsessed with attention? Not you, who's constantly going after powerful people just to keep them by your side? Not you, who manipulates and gaslights your friends, turning them into puppets that act according to what you want without you ever having to give them direct instructions, all so you can maintain your saintly image?"He extended a single finger, gently tracing the line of her jaw. His touch was completely light, almost affectionate.
"Not you, who schemes against your own blood?"
He let out a lazy, drawn-out sigh. "Sophia, everyone knows I'm crazy. Though I must say, I'm quite a gentleman. But that's the truth about crazy people—they don't always know they're crazy. No wonder Ava dislikes your guts."
Hearing Ava's name hit a nerve and she knows Aiden did it on purpose. Sophia's jaw tightened in genuine annoyance—she absolutely loathed being compared to her and being called a crazy person for trying to better herself was a low blow
"I'm not like Ava, and I'm not like what you think," she said, her voice dropping a fraction. "Think whatever you want. You can't understand me."
"Isn't that exactly why I find you interesting?" Aiden's finger dropped, and his smile widened, . "If I understood you completely, you'd have been dead a long time ago, babe."
The elevator chimed, the doors sliding open to cast a bright square of light over them.Aiden didn't step inside.
His expression remained relaxed, but his voice dropped an octave, the lazy warmth draining from it completely. "But if you continue like this, you'll end up dead anyway. I don't share what I believe belongs to me."
His eyes narrowed slightly, glittering with a sudden, dark excitement. "Your interest in Matthew is starting to annoy me." A soft, thoughtful hum escaped him, as if he were already daydreaming about the best way to punish her or completely ruin Matthew.
The mere idea looked highly entertaining to him. "But watching you get embarrassed makes it more fun."He reached out, his fingers winding loosely around a strand of her hair, pulling it just taut enough that she had to keep her head still.
"I didn't say anything when you strung along other guys. But this one..." He chuckled softly, a sound of pure, quiet mockery.
"I don't like him. And before Ava even gets the chance to do anything to you, I don't know what I'll do first."
Sophia stared at him silently, her body perfectly rigid.
"But don't worry," Aiden whispered. He gently released her hair, smoothing the strand back into place. His tone suddenly shifted, becoming incredibly soft, tender, and genuinely comforting—as if he were soothing a child.
"If you were to die, I'd put you in an ice coffin and keep you exactly like this, just so I could admire you forever."He smiled, a wide, bright expression that showed he found the thought of her in an ice box completely beautiful.
"Or maybe I'll drag you straight to the hell you're so desperate to avoid." Suddenly, his voice laced with genuine irritation, a bored sigh escaping him.
"But those pesky Quinns would stand up for you, so I can't do that yet." He rolled his eyes slightly at the thought. Dealing with her family would mean way too much boring, tedious work if he actually killed her right now.
He finally stepped away from the wall, breaking the proximity. He sauntered backward into the waiting elevator, his lazy, sleepy eyes fixed on her face, bright with dark anticipation."I can't wait for the day your over-smartness finally ruins your family's bond," he said, a slow, eager smile spreading across his face as the doors began to slide shut.
"Then you'll be all mine."He gave her a lazy, two-finger wave off his forehead. The doors slid shut with a smooth, mechanical thud, cutting off his smile.
Sophia stood completely still, staring at the closed elevator doors until the mechanical indicator light showed the car had safely descended.
Only when she was absolutely certain he was gone did her expression finally crack."Fuck you! Fuck everyone! Fuck!" she hissed, the words cutting through the quiet hallway.
She slammed her heel into the heavy metal elevator door, a sharp, frustrated thud echoing off the walls. The jarring pain in her foot brought her back to reality instantly. She stopped herself, clamping her jaw shut.Calm down.
Taking a slow, deep breath, Sophia forced her composure back into place. She reached up and meticulously fixed the hair he had been playing with. She adjusted her sleeves, flattened the wrinkles in her uniform, and carefully rebuilt her expression piece by piece until the rage vanished completely
.She didn't care if Aiden thought he understood her, or if they all thought she was crazy. She would never let them see her lose control.
Within seconds, her face settled back into the same gentle, flawless smile everyone expected from her.Aiden's threats were real, but it didn't change anything.
She had already set her goal. She would separate Matthew and Ava by any means necessary. If she couldn't bring Matthew to her side, she would simply remove him from the picture.
As for Aiden... Sophia knew exactly what kind of monster he was. He was a dangerous piece to place on a chessboard—lazy, unpredictable, and far too amused by other people's suffering.But she had still chosen him.
Because he was useful.She knew how to play around his madness well enough to keep him under control. If she didn't, she would have been dead a long time ago.
That was precisely why he was still interested in her; she was the only toy that knew how to survive his game.Sophia smiled faintly, a cold, sharp glint in her eyes.
He thinks he's the one playing with me.She turned toward the second set of elevators. Let him keep thinking that who is playing who is for fate to decide.
A soft chime signaled the arrival of the car, and Sophia stepped inside. She needed to find her friend the one that got seven postion the girl who got hit by the textbook Jane throw at her and exposed her crush on Aiden.
That girl was only a minor, disposable piece. If necessary, Sophia would replace her in a heartbeat.But she couldn't suddenly become cold toward her now.
That would damage the perfect, saintly image she had spent long years building.The elevator doors closed smoothly,