CHAPTER 4: Crossed Lines

“It meant nothing.”

Mr. Ashford didn’t look up from his papers. They had been back for twenty minutes. The car ride had been completely silent.

Kai stood in the office doorway. The skin on his face still felt warm where Mr. Ashford’s breath had touched him.

“I know,” Kai said.

“It was an act. To make Victoria back off.” The pen in Mr. Ashford’s hand scratched across the page. “Do not misunderstand.”

“I don’t.”

“Good.” Finally, his cold eyes lifted. “Go to bed. We have work tomorrow.”

Dismissed. Again.

Kai turned to leave.

“And Kai?” Mr. Ashford’s voice stopped him. “You did well tonight. Better than I expected.”

The praise was small. But it settled, warm, in Kai’s chest.

He hated that it mattered.

Sleep wouldn’t come. Kai lay in his new, expensive bed and replayed the moment. Each time felt different.

The way Mr. Ashford had pulled him close. The firm grip on his hip. The heat of his body. The closeness that stole Kai’s breath.

An act.

Sure.

Then why did his heart race every time he thought about it?

The next two weeks fell into a strange new routine.

Five AM was for training. Push-ups. Running. “A strong body is a strong mind,” Mr. Ashford would say as Kai lay on the floor, gasping. “Weakness invites predators.”

Mornings were for strategy. Mr. Ashford’s hand would rest near Kai’s on the desk. Their fingers almost touching.

Afternoons were for class. Walking the halls with Mr. Ashford changed everything. Students moved out of their way. Marcus never made eye contact.

The power was a drug.

Evenings were for studying. Mr. Ashford would sit close, pointing at the text, explaining until Kai understood.

“You are not stupid,” Mr. Ashford said one night. “You were just never taught.”

Kai held onto those words for days.

Even Margaret began to soften. She started saying “good morning.” Once, when Kai organized Mr. Ashford’s schedule perfectly, she almost smiled.

“You are adapting,” she said. “That is rare.”

“What happened to the others?” Kai asked without thinking.

Her smile faded. “They could not handle him.”

Late one Thursday, Kai found Mr. Ashford outside on the terrace, standing alone in the dark.

“Sir?”

“Go inside.” But his voice lacked its usual command.

Kai should have listened. He didn’t. He stepped closer.

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t pay you for personal questions.”

“You’re not paying me right now. It’s after midnight.”

Mr. Ashford’s jaw tightened. Kai thought he had gone too far. Then, something shifted.

Mr. Ashford let out a short, quiet laugh. It was real.

“You’re growing a spine,” he said. “Good.”

They stood in silence, looking at the city lights below.

“Victoria was my fiancée,” Mr. Ashford said suddenly. “Three years ago. Before I came here.”

Kai froze. Mr. Ashford never talked about himself.

“What happened?”

“She wanted someone… softer. I am not a soft man.” His hands gripped the railing. “She has been making my life difficult ever since.”

“Why?”

“Because I ended it. She does not handle rejection well.” He turned his head slightly. “Neither do I.”

The air between them felt charged. Like a storm about to break.

Kai took a step back. “I should go to bed.”

“Yes. You should.”

Neither of them moved.

On Friday, Victoria found Kai alone in the hall.

“He will break you,” she said, her voice sweet. “Like he breaks everything he touches.”

“I don’t know what you’re—”

“James doesn’t care about you. You are a toy. A project.” Her smile was poison. “When he gets bored, he will throw you out. I have seen it before.”

Just as Kai started to speak, a hand closed around his wrist.

Mr. Ashford.

He looked furious.

“Leave, Victoria.” His voice was colder than ice. “Now.”

“Still so possessive.” Her eyes glittered. “Some things never change.”

She walked away, but her words hung in the air.

Mr. Ashford’s grip was tight on Kai’s wrist. It was almost painful.

“With me.”

He pulled Kai into an empty classroom and locked the door. He turned, his face dark.

“What did she say to you?”

“Nothing. It doesn’t matter.”

“It does.” Mr. Ashford stepped closer. “Tell me.”

“She said you’ll get bored of me. That I’m just a project to you.”

A shadow crossed Mr. Ashford’s face. Just for a second.

“And you believe her?”

“I don’t know what to believe.”

The space between them disappeared. Mr. Ashford lifted his hand, his fingers gently brushing Kai’s jaw. The touch sent a shock through Kai’s whole body.

“You are not a project,” Mr. Ashford whispered, his eyes searching Kai’s face. “You are—”

Footsteps sounded in the hall. Voices grew louder.

Mr. Ashford pulled back as if burned. The mask was back.

“We’re leaving. Now.”

But his hand was shaking.

Kai had never seen that before.

That night, Kai’s phone buzzed with a call from a blocked number.

A voice, low and threatening, spoke.

“Stay away from James Ashford. This is your only warning.”

Kai froze.