"Sorry, I had to take a call from work," Selena said as she slipped inside the SBO office. Everyone was already seated, everyone except her.
"It's fine," Evadne responded. "Take your seat so we can start the meeting."
Selena nodded and moved toward the only vacant chair, at the far end of the table, directly to the right of Hades.
Evadne didn't know why she noticed it.
She'd trained herself to stop listening to people's thoughts unless absolutely necessary, yet something about the way Selena moved caught her attention.
There was a stiffness in her walk. A slight wince when she sat. Too subtle for most to notice.
But not her.
Her brows furrowed slightly, and just as she looked up, her gaze locked with Hades.
He was already watching her, with that smirk. The new one.
Lazy. Arrogant. Knowing.
And then, he winked.
Evadne rolled her eyes and looked away, her suspicions confirmed without the need to read his mind.
Hades Falcon was playing the same game the rest of them had once played on him. Only now… he was the one holding the pieces.
"For this week, we'll be finalizing everything related to the upcoming community immersion," Evadne announced, her voice calm and focused as she addressed the table. "But before we go over the task assignments, we'll hear first from our Vice President regarding his proposal."
She looked around, making sure everyone was attentive.
"Let him speak without interruption. We'll open the floor for questions afterward."
When everyone nodded, she turned her gaze back to Hades.
"The table is yours, Mr. Vice President."
"Thank you, wife," Hades said with a grin.
The room collectively stilled.
Even Evadne paused.
"Mother fu-" Casadin muttered under his breath.
"What?" Hades replied innocently, clearly enjoying himself. "That's just how we saved our contacts. Husband and wife. Vee even set it herself."
And to prove his point, Hades casually lifted his phone and showed the contact screen.
Sure enough, "Wife."
The photo? A selfie of Evadne smiling beside him, camera angled from her hand.
She looked too radiant to deny it.
"Hades," Evadne said flatly, one brow raised. Her voice remained calm, but the warning beneath it was sharp. "Your proposal? Or should we move on to the next topic?"
"Okay, okay. I was just teasing, wife." He winked again.
Evadne exhaled and turned her head, squeezing Casadin's hand beneath the table.
Casadin, jaw tight, did not squeeze back.
With the drama momentarily diffused, Hades sent the file to their group's Discord server, allowing everyone to access the proposal from their devices.
Then he stood and began to speak, seriously, confidently.
Professional.
And more importantly, genuinely.
His voice carried with conviction, outlining detailed objectives, logistical considerations, and contingency plans. He made eye contact with everyone, especially Evadne, who had begun reading his proposal line by line.
Every word was measured.
Every point, well thought out.
This wasn't a ploy.
This was Hades showing her, and everyone else, that he wasn't here to sabotage her cause.
He was here to support it.
"So in summary," Hades concluded, "since only a limited number of us will be attending the immersion, let's not just visit and forget. Let's build something lasting. Something real. Something that doesn't fade after we leave."
He paused, then added with sincerity, "If this immersion is a success, maybe we can do more. Extend our reach. Create real change, one community at a time."
He sat down with a rare, content smile on his face, eyes lingering on Evadne.
She was still reading, but from the subtle tilt of her lips, he knew she wasn't displeased.
She didn't hate it.
In fact, she looked… impressed.
"Any questions regarding the VP's proposal?" Evadne asked the room.
Silence.
Everyone looked around, half-expecting her to be the first to speak.
Because if anyone would challenge Hades, it would be her.
Evadne didn't disappoint.
"What kind of permanent project are you suggesting?" she asked, finally looking up. "And how do you plan to fund it?"
Hades smiled wider.
Because that was the exact question he wanted her to ask.
"Since the exact location for the community immersion hasn't been released yet, I can't be too specific," Hades began, eyes locked with Evadne, his tone collected, confident. "But I'm leaning toward building a multi-use learning center. Something simple, cost-effective, but scalable. Solar-powered, if possible. It could function as a library, a meeting space, or even serve as a temporary shelter during typhoons."
He looked around the room, sweeping every gaze before returning to hers.
"And for funding," he continued, "since the purpose of our immersion is to carry the NYE name into communities, I propose student contribution. It doesn't have to be monetary. There are over two thousand students in this academy. The project won't happen overnight, our initial stay in the community is just two weeks. So, once we've surveyed their actual needs, we can hold a fundraising dinner during Clubs War week. Include an auction. Have every club submit something unique to showcase their craft."
There were murmurs of curiosity around the table.
"Let's be honest," Hades went on smoothly, "eighty percent of the students here own things they no longer use, not because they're broken, but because they're not the latest. Instead of letting those items collect dust or get thrown away, why not repurpose them for communities who can actually use them?"
Amanda raised her hand. "So what you're suggesting is… we go back to the community again after the immersion? Won't that require even more resources?"
"I admit we'd have to invest again," Hades answered, not flinching. "But not as much. We can build most of it here. Then deliver and assemble it there."
Vivienne Lorette tilted her head, skeptical. "You're talking about a learning center. And you want to build it here?"
"Yes," Hades replied. "Ravenhurst Residences already pioneered a similar concept, prefabricated modular homes, mostly from container units. We can do something like that. Construct it here, ship it in parts, and assemble on-site. Add a basic solar system, not to power up the entire village, but something that gives them a head start, especially for education. If even one child finds inspiration inside that space, it'll be worth every coin."
Evadne observed the room closely. Several faces still looked unsure.
And while Hades spoke with confidence, his idea was ambitious, and the elite rarely invested in things they couldn't show off.
But her eyes narrowed slightly, impressed despite herself.
"As I understand your proposal," she said carefully, "this won't happen during the immersion. We'll first survey the community and identify their real needs. Yes?"
"Yes… wife," Hades said with that signature smirk.
Casadin's jaw flexed beside her.
"But seriously," Hades continued, straightening, his voice firm, "I think it would be disrespectful to offer them something they don't need. We're not going there to throw shiny gifts for good press. We're there to understand. And when we leave, we shouldn't vanish. We should leave behind something that will last. That's how NYE creates a legacy, not through fleeting acts, but through purpose-driven actions. That's what this can be."
For a moment, there was silence. No one moved. Even the most critical voices in the room seemed caught in thought.
And then,
"If your idea is so noble, Vice President…" Casadin's voice cut through the quiet, laced with sarcasm, "why didn't you propose this when you were the president? Why now, only after Evadne lined up the entire year's plan?"
Hades didn't hesitate.
"I have no excuse," he said. Calm. Honest. Still not looking at Casadin, but directly at Evadne. "Except for the fact that I was an asshole."
The room held its breath.
"And yes," he continued, voice dropping with quiet conviction. "I admit, all my projects when I was president revolved around status. Around feeding our identity as high society members. Because that's what I knew. That's what I thought mattered."
He paused.
"But I was short-sighted."
His gaze remained locked on Evadne. And something in his tone shifted.
"I don't care about being called a good leader anymore," he said softly. "I just want to be a better person."
"Here is a counter-proposal," Evadne finally said, her voice calm, authoritative. "Since almost everything for the immersion has already been finalized, and I'm currently just waiting on a formal correspondence from the community chief, which I was promised would arrive by tomorrow, we can safely say that the preparations should be complete by Friday."
Her gaze swept across the table, catching the tension and hesitation lingering in the room.
"And I understand that everyone is still skeptical," she continued. "Like Amanda pointed out, this new proposal will require additional resources. So I'm suggesting that we set this aside, for now. Let's revisit the idea after we've spent time in the community. After all, once we live their life, even for just a week, I believe many of us will have a different perspective than we do right now. Only then can we fairly weigh the value of this proposal."
A few students nodded, the room easing into agreement.
"Is that okay with you?" she asked, turning to Hades directly.
"That's more than okay," Hades replied with a smile that was far too relaxed for Casadin's liking.
"Just a heads-up to everyone," Evadne added with a half-smile, "if this proposal does move forward and gets majority approval, that means all of us SBO members are working our asses off double time."
The others chuckled and nodded, relieved, maybe even motivated, that she wasn't shutting down the idea but simply delaying judgment.
The meeting continued from there, strangely smooth. Unlike their usual gatherings filled with tension and verbal sparring between Hades and Evadne, this one was… efficient. Cooperative. Even civil.
Almost.
Because while Hades refrained from his usual jabs or sarcastic barbs, he had developed a new habit that gnawed at Casadin's nerves, calling Evadne his wife. Not in jest. Not like how Evadne used to mock him by calling him hubby. No, his tone was different. Gentle. Possessive. As if he was reclaiming something.
And Evadne noticed it too. Every time the word left Hades' mouth, it sent a subtle ripple through the room. Especially to the boy beside her.
But more than that, it told her something else, something disturbing.
Earlier, she had tried reading Hades' thoughts. A force of habit. But what she found, or rather, didn't find, made her heart skip.
Nothing.
A complete blank.
At first, she brushed it off. Maybe he was just zoning out. But even an empty mind had residual thoughts, fragments, emotions, static.
He had none.
She tested again, when he spoke, when she asked questions. Still nothing. The silence in his mind wasn't natural. It was intentional.
So she tried everyone else.
She read through Amanda's nerves, Delvin's boredom, even Selena's guilt, and in that moment, she realized Hades was making Selena do something. She didn't read further. She already knew what it was.
She even held Casadin's hand beside her, hoping the grounding might help her narrow her focus and read Hades again.
Still blank.
Gone.
She was sure… she had still been able to read him yesterday. She had heard the quiet rage in him, the silent plotting against those who used him, the cold satisfaction of revenge.
But today, it was like someone had turned a switch off.
Or worse, locked her out.
"I think that's all for today," she finally declared, shaking off her unease. "Let's reconvene tomorrow, same time."
One by one, the members stood, gathering their things and filing out of the room.
"Wife," came Hades' voice again, too close, too smooth.
Evadne was zipping up her bag when he appeared at her side, smiling as if the word was the most natural thing in the world.
Although he drove her to school every morning, she had let Casadin take her home lately.
"What do you want, Japanese or Italian?" he asked casually.
"Huh?" She blinked, caught off guard.
"For our dinner date this Friday," he said with a grin. "What would you prefer? Japanese or Italian?"
Evadne stared at him.
"We have a date?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes. Did you forget?" Hades smiled softly, but there was something knowing behind it. "Weren't you the one who said we should eat out for dinner every Friday… and schedule a full-day date once every two months?"
Evadne stared at him.
She couldn't believe he was bringing that up now.
Sure, she had said that, when she made that deal with him almost a month ago. But back then, it was just a strategy. An arrangement to keep the peace. She never expected him to take it seriously. And he never brought it up since… until now.
"Or…" Hades continued, his voice taking on a faint, guilt-tinged note, "do you want to cancel?"
He shrugged with casual grace, but his eyes were watching her closely.
"That's fine, too. Although… I already informed Dad that I won't be attending any training sessions on Fridays moving forward, just for that. But I can understand."
The smile never left his lips.
But she felt the blade behind it.
A subtle reminder. That he had changed things in his life. Adjusted his schedule. That even if she forgot… he didn't.
"No, it's okay," Evadne said quickly, voice steady. "We can do that."
She didn't want to shut down the effort, not when he was actually making one. And after all… it was her idea. Her rules.
Even if she now regretted offering them.
"Good," Hades said, smile stretching wider again.
"So, Japanese or Italian?"
"I'm fine with anything," she replied, trying to keep it neutral. "You choose."
"Great." Hades nodded. "I'll pick you up. Seven p.m. sharp."
Then he turned and walked toward the door.
But not before casting a brief glance over his shoulder, just to see if she was still looking.
She was.
And unfortunately, she wasn't the only one.
Evadne caught the sharp flicker in Cieryl's eyes just as she walked past, trailing behind Hades. A flash of resentment, just long enough to register before Cieryl masked it with a forced smile as she followed him out the door.
Evadne exhaled slowly.
She didn't want to deal with that right now.
Not Cieryl. Not her passive-aggressive stares.
Because at this very moment, she could feel Casadin.
Burning.
Seething.
Still seated beside her, but his attention wasn't on her. It was locked on Hades. On the way he spoke to her. On the subtle dominance in his tone. The way he smiled like she already belonged to him.
Casadin's jaw was clenched so tightly, the vein on his temple was visible.
His eyes tracked Hades and his group like a predator sizing up its rival.
And Evadne… felt it.
That quiet rage.
The storm building behind the silence.
She didn't move. Didn't speak.
But she knew.
Something between those two was about to snap.