LOGINThe decision is made the moment Albert walks out of that bar.It's not written, but sealed somewhere deep in the cold, calculated part of him that no longer hesitates when it comes to getting what he wants.And because he doesn't rush or act on impulse, he plans every move, every action, every second.It takes him three days to actually carry out his plan.Three days of silence.Three days of watching Marcella laugh with Lucas.Three days of his jaw tightening every single time.~~~~The bell rings loudly across the school hallway.Students spill out of classrooms in waves….laughing, arguing, dragging bags behind them, completely unaware that something dangerous is already unfolding among them.Albert stands at the far end of the corridor, still, silent and watching.One hand tucked into his pocket. The other resting loosely by his side, but the slight flex of his fingers gives him away. He’s not calm. He’s controlledHis eyes move slowly, calculating… scanning faces until he sees
Albert sees the car approaching him, but it's too late to avoid, and too deliberate to ignore.His instincts kick in instantly.He slams his brakes hard, and the tires screech slightly against the road.Silence follows….a dangerous kind, and for a second, nothing moves.Then, Albert’s car door swings open hard.He steps out, and the air around him shifts instantly.It's dark, heavy and explosive.His jaw is tight, and his eyes are burning.His footsteps are measured as he walks toward Xavier, but every step carries weight….like he's already decided how this ends.“Who the hell do you think you are?” Albert’s voice is low, but laced with fury.He doesn’t wait for an answer.He grabs Xavier by the collar fast and violently, pulling him forward.“Blocking my path like that….are you looking to die?”But Xavier doesn't react. He doesn't even flinch.Not even a flicker.Instead, he chuckles low, soft and amused.And that…That is what snaps something in Albert.His grip tightens instantly, h
~LUCAS~The classroom never really returns to normal after everything that happened, even though it tries to.Voices rise again, chairs scrape, someone even laughs a little too loudly as if forcing life back into the room….but something has shifted. Something unseen, heavy, lingers in the air like a storm that hasn’t decided when to break.And I feel it.Even as Marcella’s fingers remain laced with mine, even as she stands close enough for me to still feel the warmth of her body… there’s a tension crawling under my skin.Not from her.From everything else.From the way the room had gone quiet earlier.From the way those men had listened to her.From the way Albert had looked…My jaw tightens slightly.I hadn't missed it.Not the door opening. Not the figure standing there. Not the silence that followed.I glance briefly toward the entrance now, but Albert is gone.Still… the echo of his presence remains.I exhale slowly, then look back down at Marcella.She’
Across campus, outside the main building, Albert doesn’t stop walking.His steps are sharp, precise, controlled, but the tension in his body is anything but controlled.His jaw is still locked, and his fist still clenched.Students pass him, some greeting him cautiously, some stepping out of his way entirely.No one is stupid enough to stop him right now.Because there’s something in his expression that makes it very clear he's not in the mood…at all.He reaches his car.The sleek black Lamborghini sits under the sun, polished and untouchable… just like him.For a moment, he just stands there breathing…. once, twice.Then suddenly, his fist slams against the roof of the car.A sharp, controlled hit.Not loud enough to draw attention, but hard enough to release something.“Damn it.”The word slips out low, rough, filled with restrained fury.His hand drags through his hair as he exhales sharply.That image….Marcella in Lucas’ arms.Marcella looking at Lucas like that.Marcella… choosin
The air between them is still warm from the embrace.Marcella’s fingers remain curled into Lucas’ shirt, like she’s afraid if she lets go, something will break again. Lucas doesn’t move either. His chin rests lightly against her hair, his breathing slowly evening out, but his mind… his mind is far from calm.Around them, the classroom is no longer silent.There are whispers, low murmurs, eyes watching and judging.And one pair of eyes in particular…burning.Albert Morrison is standing at the door.He had come back.No one notices at first, not properly. The attention in the room is locked on the couple in the center…..the emotional reunion, the confession, the drama.But Albert sees everything, every detail.The way Marcella clings to Lucas.The way Lucas holds her like she belongs to him.The way she looks at him… like he’s her whole world.Something dark flickers across Albert’s face.His jaw tightens slowly… dangerously.His hand curls into a fist at his side, knuckles whitenin
~LUCAS~I'm walking angrily back to the classroom, instead of attending my other lecture.By the time I reach the classroom door, I’m not thinking straight.My chest is tight.My jaw aches from how hard I’ve been clenching it.Coward.The word keeps echoing in my head.But it’s not just that.It’s her.It's Marcella at Xavier's house, putting herself in danger for me, and not telling me.I push the door open harder than necessary.It slams lightly against the stopper.A few heads turn, but I don’t care.My eyes find her instantly.She’s sitting there, exactly where I left her.But something is different.She looks… shaken.Like something already happened.My steps are heavy as I walk toward her….fat, purposeful, and dangerously controlled.“Marcella.”My voice cuts through the air.She looks up immediately, and the moment our eyes meet…she freezes.“Lucas…?”There’s hesitation in her voice, and that alone sets me off.“Stand up,” I tell her.Her brows knit s
~LUCAS~“I can't accept this,” I say quietly. “I'm returning this back.”Albert grabs my hand. “Guy, are you okay? What are you doing?”“This is too much,” I repeat, still packing the gifts into the box.My movements are rushed, clumsy. Like if I do it fast enough, I wo
~MARCELLA~I can't stop thinking about what happened during the day.By nightfall, I have exhausted all my usual coping mechanisms.My first mechanism is food.I order enough takeout to feed a small family…rice, chicken, fries, cake, because if heartbreak won’t kill me, ch
~LUCAS~I leave campus with my jaw clenched so tight it aches.I walk straight home to change my clothes so that I can go to the coffee shop to begin my shift. This clothes I'm putting on is one of the decent clothes I have. I can't afford to wear it to work.And I woul
~MARCELLA~I’ve never been good at standing still after humiliation.Scratch that! I have never been humiliated before.And I really do not like how humiliation feels.It clings. It crawls under my skin. It makes my palms itch and my throat burn and my eyes sting in a way I a







