The last bell echoed like a gunshot.
Students spilled into the courtyard, laughing, flirting, gossiping. The elite entered their luxury cars. Section E took the bus. Sera? She walked. No driver. No guards. Just shadows and silence.
Exactly how she wanted it.
She stopped at the bakery two streets down. Bought one plain pandesal. Paid in coins. The vendor smiled like she was a regular.
She was.
Every afternoon, Sera Velasquez walked the same route. Ate the same bread. Blended in with the same crowd.
And every night…
She returned to a **penthouse that touched the clouds.**
"Welcome home, Ms. Seraphina," the guard greeted with a bow.
She nodded once. Silent.
The elevator recognized her fingerprint. Her private floor smelled like marble and lavender. A glass wall overlooked the city — and far in the distance, the glowing towers of Aurora High.
She threw her bag on the couch and finally dropped the act.
No hoodie. No silence. No mask.
Just **Seraphina M. Velasquez.**
Daughter of **Magnus Velasquez**, founder and silent owner of Aurora High. Heiress to the Velasquez estate. Billionaire blood, born from scandal and secrets.
She tied her hair up, walked barefoot to her piano, and played something haunting. Her fingers moved like they were trying to forget.
**"He called me the heiress of nothing,"** she muttered.
A dry laugh escaped her lips.
*If only he knew I could buy this school. Burn it. Rebuild it. And still have change left over.*
But that wasn't the plan.
Not yet.
---
Meanwhile - Kairo's POV
"Who the hell is she?"
Kairo paced the rooftop of the Aegis Lounge, shirt half-buttoned, eyes unfocused.
Theo raised a brow. "You're still thinking about that girl from Section E?"
"She didn't flinch," Kairo muttered. "Not once. Like she wanted me to come closer."
"She's not scared of you," Miles said, chewing gum.
"That's not normal," Kairo snapped.
Jax smirked from his corner. "Or maybe you're just not used to hearing 'no.'"
Kairo looked out at the city. His fingers twitched like they needed to hold something — or someone.
Sera Velasquez.
He didn't even know her name hours ago.
Now she was inside his head, **rent-free and breaking things**.
"She's hiding something," he said quietly.
And he was going to find out what.