LOGINThe iron door creaked open.
The sound sliced through the darkness, unusually sharp in the dead silence of the detention center.
Briella heard it and slowly looked up, her deep eyes laced with cold detachment.
Her pupils shifted slightly.
Her expression remained blank.
"I came to keep you company. What, not happy to see me?"
Diego curled his lips into a faint smile as he stepped inside. A small box hung from his left hand, and he shut the iron door behind him with his right.
One hand stuffed into his pocket, he walked over to Briella and crouched down in front of her.
“Next time you’re going to start a fight or smash up a place, take me with you. Okay?”
As he spoke, he didn’t look into her eyes. Instead, his gaze fell on the hand she kept hidden inside her coat sleeve.
His eyes trailed upward to the long hair draping down over her face, her bangs covering most of her pale cheek.
Briel
Meanwhile, Briella had no idea what had happened in the two hours she’d been away.After instructing the twins to stay home, she drove straight to Iron Blade and the team.The location: a secluded villa in the middle of nowhere—just the way they liked it.“Briella,” Iron Blade stood at the door, already waiting.Briella parked, casually grabbed her laptop with one hand, and got out.“Why are you guarding the door? It’s not like I don’t know where to go. By the way, is Red Rose back yet?”“I figured I’d get some air while waiting. And yeah, she’s back—arrived this morning and passed out from jet lag.”Iron Blade opened the door, letting her walk in first.They climbed to the second floor, where a wide training room had replaced what used to be a living room and guest bedroom—renovated for daily operations.As Iron Blade pushed open the door, t
Briella woke up to the shrill ringing of her phone.Groggily sitting up and fumbling for it, she finally picked up. Her voice was still husky with sleep. “Hello?”“Teacher, I’m sorry to bother you so early, but there’s a flood of nasty posts about you online right now. I wouldn’t have called if it were just typical hate comments, but these...”Still half-asleep, Briella leaned lazily against the headboard, her brows furrowed with irritation. “Oh? They’re dragging me online? I’m curious—what are they saying? How are they slandering me this time?”“Teacher, you have to see for yourself. The posts go into a lot of personal stuff, things only someone who knows your past could’ve written. It looks like someone from your past is taking advantage of your recent popularity to get attention.”Her identity had been exposed during the finals just days ago, and since then
Diego’s eyes were dark and unreadable, like a lake sealed beneath layers of winter ice.He lounged lazily in a carved high-backed chair, but his relaxed posture did nothing to soften the oppressive power he exuded.His hand rested elegantly on the armrest—slender, pale, and precise, like it had been carved from marble.He looked down, unmoved, at the line of people forced to kneel before him.One glance was all it took.That emotionless gaze, as calm as still water, contained no rage, no pity—yet no one in the room dared to breathe loudly under it.The pressure was suffocating, as if even time had been frozen.None of the kneeling men dared speak.This was him—the terrifying ruler of Avenlith. Diego.He tilted his head slightly, his tone flat and indifferent, like death and life meant nothing to him.“This is the last group?”Behind him, Nash and Abel stood tall and aler
Prison.Silence returned.Briella pushed the iron door open and closed it behind her.Outside, Zedd was anxiously waiting. It had been so long—why wasn’t she out yet?At the sound of the door, he quickly stepped forward. “Teacher!”“She doesn’t need to leave this place ever again,” Briella said calmly, her eyes void of emotion, touched only by the faint shadow of weariness.No hatred. No relief.Just pure reason—cold and detached.Zedd suppressed the unease stirring in his chest. “Don’t worry, Teacher.”Briella nodded slightly, handed him the key, and walked away.The corridor was long, dimly lit from above. Her slender figure stretched into the distance under the pale glow, casting an aura of quiet desolation.In that moment, Zedd suddenly felt the overwhelming loneliness surrounding her, a sense of detachment that made her
“Ria! Get on your knees!”Dutton’s voice boomed through the grand hall, his face twisted in a fury unlike anything the household had seen before.Without saying a word, Ria pressed her lips together and knelt down.“Dad,” Ryan stepped forward, his suit crisp, his tone calm but worried. “I know she joined the competition behind our backs, but she did well—remarkably well. Isn’t that worth something?”Dutton waved his hand sharply, silencing him. “Ryan, stay out of this. Go upstairs and deal with company matters. I’ll handle this myself.”He turned back to his daughter, voice sharp as a blade. “Do you realize what you did wrong?”Ria kept her head down, silent.His tone softened just a touch. “Ria… didn’t you promise your father you wouldn’t touch music again? Can you do that for me?”She finally loo
"Of course I deserve it! I, Paige Sawyer, was enrolled in the top music conservatory of Solandra! I've had a natural talent for piano since I was a child! In my senior year of high school, I won the grand prize in the national music competition and was admitted without even needing to apply! Everyone acknowledged my talent!"Paige lay sprawled on the ground, using all her strength to crawl forward, hands scraping against the floor.She gasped for breath.Why does she get to stand above us all? Why is she adored and praised? She should be just like us—no, even more pitiful and pathetic than us!"Grand prize? Admitted without applying? Top conservatory? Heh. You just stole my music. And now you're acting like it was rightfully yours? I've always wondered—how did you manage to pull that off?"Briella stood still, watching Paige crawl toward her inch by inch.After a beat, she added coldly:"Oh, by the way, you’re no lon







