Mama's Warning

Leo's Pov

The second I unlocked our apartment door, I practically threw myself inside. I slammed my heavy canvas backpack onto the kitchen table, collapsed into a chair, and yanked out my phone. 

My heart was still pounding from everything that had happened, and my hands were literally shaking because I was just so incredibly pissed off. I couldn’t hold it in for another second.

I hit call, and Maya picked up on the very first dial.

"Leo! Oh my god, finally," her voice blasted through the speaker. "I’ve been checking my phone like every five seconds. Are you alive? Did you survive the rich wolves? Tell me you didn't punch a billionaire."

"Worse," I groaned, running a hand through my messy hair. "I got a job."

"A job? On day one?" Maya paused, sounding completely thrown off. "Wait, I thought the whole plan was to be an invisible ghost this year? Did you accidentally join the library squad or something?"

​"No, I didn't join anything," I said, my voice dropping into a bitter hiss. "I got blackmailed. Remember how you warned me about the weirdos and their rules? Well, I sat in a reserved seat during the morning—”

​"Huh? Wait," Maya cut me off, her voice dropping instantly. "Don't tell me it was Damien's seat? Leo, please tell me you didn't piss off Damien Sterling on your literal first hour there."

​"Oh, I did," I grumbled, rolling my eyes. "The guy decided to make a massive public example out of me. He dragged me up to his office after the final bell and basically told me that if I didn't sign a contract to be his personal Student Council slave, he’d have the board review my scholarship."

​"He did what?" Maya gasped, sounding instantly furious on my behalf. "Who does this guy think he is? A literal dictator? Leo, you can't let him bully you like that! Is he actually insane?"

"He's completely detached from reality," I whispered, the exhaustion finally catching up to me. "He looked at me like I was something dirt cheap he bought at a thrift store. He was completely ice-cold, Maya. Just a total monster."

"Ugh, what a literal villain!" Maya snapped over the line. "Seriously, who behaves like that? Is he trying to act like a prince in some cliché drama? People like him think they can step on anyone who doesn't have a black card. Like, what is his actual problem? Did he really say all that with a straight face?"

"Yeah, he just stood there scowling like a statue while threatening my entire life," I sighed, rubbing my eyes. "Honestly, if it weren't for his brother, I probably would have lost my mind before lunch. The Vice President—Sebastian- actually seems normal. He walked me to the gates and apologised for how crazy Damien is. If it weren't for him, I'd be losing it right now."

"Well, thank God there’s at least one human being in that family," Maya sighed, though her tone remained worried. "But Leo, seriously, be careful. Just keep your head down, do the stupid paperwork, get the money, and don't let him get under your skin, okay? Just a week until I’m there to back you up."

"Yeah, I know. I have to go, Maya. I'll text you later."

I hung up the phone and let out a long, ragged breath, staring blankly at the ink smudges on my fingers.

"Leo."

I froze. My mom was standing in the narrow doorway of the kitchen. She was still wearing her faded healthcare assistant uniform, her coat half-unbuttoned, and she was clutching her purse so tight her knuckles were white. 

She must have walked in quietly while I was ranting, her keys silent in her hand. But it wasn't her sudden appearance that made my stomach drop. It was her face.

She looked completely pale, her face tight with a sudden, raw panic I had never seen before. Her warm eyes, which were usually so calm and strong, were wide and completely fixed on me.

"Mom?" I asked cautiously, my defensive walls instantly slamming up. "Are you okay? Did something happen at work?"

She didn't answer my question, she took a slow, heavy step into the kitchen, her boots clicking against the cracked tile. 

"That boy," she said, her voice shaking slightly, catching on the words like they hurt to say. "The one you were just talking about. The President."

I blinked, totally confused by how intense she was being. "Damien? Yeah, he's just some arrogant rich kid who thinks he runs the world because his family owns the school. Honestly, don't worry about it, Mom. I can handle him, I just—"

"What is his last name, Leo?" The kitchen went completely still. The hum of the old refrigerator suddenly felt incredibly loud. My mom hadn't moved an inch, her gaze locking onto mine with an urgency that made my chest tighten.

 She was tapping her hand twice against the side of her leg—a nervous habit she only did when something was seriously wrong.

"Sterling," I said slowly, watching her face closely. "His name is Damien Sterling. His grandfather founded the academy."

The second the name left my lips, my mom didn't just flinch—she looked like she had been struck. A visible shudder passed through her shoulders, and she dropped her purse onto the counter, the keys clattering loudly against the surface. She closed her eyes for a brief second, her breathing suddenly coming in short, uneven patterns.

"Mom, what's wrong?" I stood up from the table, my heart beginning to hammer against my ribs. I reached out to touch her arm, but she gently stepped back, her hands gripping the edge of the kitchen counter so hard the wood groaned.

"Leo," she whispered, turning her face away from me, staring intensely at the cracked tile floor. "Listen to me very carefully."

"Okay?..."

"You are going to do your work," she said, her voice gaining a desperate, rigid strength that didn't sound like her at all. "You are going to keep your head down. You will do exactly what they ask of you, but you will not! You will not get close to them. Do you hear me?"

"Mom, I hate the guy, I'm not trying to be his friend—"

"I am serious, Leo!" She suddenly turned back to face me, her eyes shining with a mixture of buried pain and absolute panic. She reached out, her hands gripping my shoulders tightly. "Don't tell them anything about your brother, don't tell them anything about our lives. Don't tell anyone in that building too much about yourself. If that boy speaks to you, you answer him with respect, but you do not let him look into your life."

I stared at her, completely bewildered. "Mom, you're scaring me. It's just a wealthy family. Why are you acting like they're dangerous?"

Her grip on my shoulders tightened for a fraction of a second before she slowly let go, her hands dropping to her sides. The fierce emotion on her face instantly masked itself behind a wall of quiet, exhausted grief.

"Because people with that kind of power don't care who they break to keep it," she whispered softly, turning back toward the stove, ending the conversation before it could go any deeper. "Go wash your hands for dinner, Leo. And scrub that ink off your fingers."

I stood in the centre of the kitchen, watching her back as she began moving pots around, pretending to be busy. The silence between us felt heavier than it ever had before.

She knew something; she knew that name. And as I walked to the bathroom to scrub the stubborn black ink from my skin, a cold, uneasy realisation settled deep into my bones.

Sterling Academy wasn't just a school, and Damien wasn't just a bully. I was already tangled in something much bigger than a dispute over a chair, and the secrets were already starting to bleed into my home.