LOGINKael’s POVThe first thing you learn when you're living at Virelade is that privacy is a myth and the second thingis control is everything.Which is why the sight that greeted me when I stepped out of the bathroom made me stop dead in my tracks.He was already in the room...my room, Seth?,my new roommate,he was the unwanted addition to my otherwise perfect arrangement.It was almost laughable out off all the people they could’ve paired me with, they picked him? A kid who looked like he belonged in pet store playing with puppies not here, in the most elite academy in the country. He was standing there with that wide eyed look, dragging in his bag with him. I didn’t bother hiding my disapproval, because when I hate something I show it not trying to hide like a coward.Theo,loud and irritating as always was lingering in the doorway. “I’m so sorry, bro,” he said to Seth, “Text me if you survive.”Dramatic as hell!. But I didn't blame him at all, I have that kind of impression on people
Sera’s POVThree Months Later The bells of St. Jude’s Academy rang out, signaling the official end of the term. The air was filled with the scent of blooming jacarandas and the frantic energy of students ready for the long holiday.I was walking across the manicured lawn with Maya and Chloe, my two closest friends at my new school. This time, I wasn't hunched over. I wasn't hiding behind a binder or a fake name. My hair was tied back, my uniform skirt fluttered in the breeze, and I was laughing at a joke Chloe had just told about our physics teacher."Oh. My. God," Maya suddenly whispered, her hand gripping my arm so hard it bruised. "Sera, look. Who are they?"I followed her gaze toward the main gates and time seemed to stop.Parked at the curb were two sleek, black cars that looked like they belonged in a fashion motorcade. Leaning against them were four boys who looked like they had stepped straight off a high-fashion runway.Alexander was leaning against the lead car, loo
Sera’s POVThree months.That was how long it had been since the iron gates of Virelade slammed shut behind me. Three months of scrubbing floors, avoid the neighbors' whispers, and watching the bruise on my soul and my cheek—slowly fade. My mother and I lived in a strained, fragile silence, a truce built on the fact that I was now working two jobs just to keep us afloat.The summer heat was thick as I knelt on the kitchen floor, wringing out a grey rag. The soap stung the small cuts on my hands. I wasn't Sera the student anymore. I was Sera the ghost.Ding-dong.I froze. We never had visitors. The only people who rang our bell were bill collectors or the occasional stray salesman."Sera! The door!" my mother called from the back room, her voice weary.I wiped my hands on my apron, pushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear, and pulled open the heavy wooden door.The breath left my lungs so fast I stumbled back against the wall.Standing on our humble porch, looking entirely
Kael’s POVThe speedometer on the dash of my Porsche was climbing toward numbers that should have been impossible on these winding mountain roads, but I didn’t care. My lungs felt like they were full of broken glass. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Sera, standing in that locker room, looking like a shattered ghost.I didn't stop until I reached the iron-wrought gates of the Presidential Estate. I didn't wait for the guards to open them; I honked until they scrambled out of their booths, looking terrified.I burst into my father’s study without knocking. The room smelled of expensive cigars and old, dusty power. My father, the President, didn't even look up from his desk."You're late for the evening briefing, Kael," he said, his voice a smooth, terrifying calm. "And you smell like a common street racer.""You did it," I spat, my hands trembling as I gripped the back of a leather chair. "You called the Headmaster. You authorized the expulsion. You knew, didn't you? Juliette t
Sera’s POVThe heavy oak doors of Headmaster Miller’s office didn’t just close behind Kael; they seemed to shatter.When he stormed out, his face was a mask of such lethal, quiet fury that the security guards actually stepped back. He didn’t look at me or say a word. He just moved like a possessed man, his footsteps echoing like a countdown until I heard the distant, violent roar of an engine. The screech of tires on the gravel driveway signaled his departure. He was gone. The one person whose hand had been holding mine through the dark had simply vanished into the night.I stood there, trembling in the oversized blazer that felt like a iron weight, as Headmaster Miller adjusted his spectacles."Since Mr. Ashbourne has decided to abdicate his responsibilities," Miller said, his voice dripping with icy disdain, "we shall proceed with the public dissolution of your tenure here. Guards, escort her to the courtyard."The walk to the center of the academy felt like a march to the ex
Sera’s POVThe next period was P.E. The gym smelled of sweat a scent that usually made me feel like I was suffocating but today, it felt like a death trap."Seth! Stop spacing out and get to the bench!" River called out, giving me a playful shove. I forced a grin, but my skin felt tight.After an hour of drills, the coach finally whistled for the end of class. The rush toward the locker rooms was a chaotic blur of shouting boys and slamming metal. I waited, as I always did, hanging back until the main crowd had thinned. My chest was aching; I had worn the binder for gym because I couldn't risk the movement, but now I could barely draw a full breath.I slipped into the far corner of the changing room—a small, dimly lit space used for storage. I thought I was alone.I peeled off the sweat-soaked jersey. Then, with shaking fingers, I reached for the hooks of the binder. When it finally snapped open, I let out a jagged, painful sob of relief, my hands resting against the cool tile
Sera povKael’s grip was tight dragging me through the corridors like I was a notorious criminal being marched to execution. My heart hammered against my ribs, not just from his fury but from the eyes I felt on us as we passed. There were too many eyes. If anyone looked too closely if anyone saw
Sera povThe whole crowd had gone completely silent, the whispers and murmurs were fading as everyone’s attention was on us.Luca’s lips had barely left mine, but the audacity of the moment hung heavy in the air. He grinned like a boy who knew he’d just caused chaos.Kael didn’t move immediately. H
Sera povI whipped around so fast that my heart nearly stopped.Alexander.He stood just a few feet away, his posture was casual, but his eyes were sharp, unblinking.My stomach dropped thinking of possibilities of how much had he heard?“A–Alexander.” My voice cracked. “I was just...”He tilted hi
Chapter 24 – Sera“Is that…?”The voice came from somewhere in the crowd, but honestly, it could’ve been anyone. Everyone was whispering and staring.Because at the front gates of Virelade there was a car so polished, so sleek, so ridiculously expensive that half the boys were practically drooling.







