As soon as we stepped into the dorm room, Leo closed the door behind us and pulled me against him. I had wanted to stop, to catch my breath, but it was too late—our intentions had already collided in a storm of uncontrolled impulses.
I shut my eyes, surrendering to the moment. My mind blurred, unable to process clearly what was happening. I just moved with him, even as his hands ripped off the last remnants of my top in a swift, decisive motion. My heartbeat thundered in my chest—not entirely from fear, but from anticipation I refused to name.
The room was dark, but I could feel him: broad shoulders pressing against my palms, his heat radiating against my skin. Each piece of clothing removed brought a rush of adrenaline and shame, and yet I let him guide me backward, until the bed caught us.
He pushed me down gently and straddled me, just for a moment lingering, watching me in the faint half-light. Then his lips brushed mine in a shallow, taunting kiss. "You can never avoid me again… starting tonight, babe," he murmured.
Conor hit the wall hard, then crumpled to the floor, wincing. I swept my hair back angrily, every fiber of me wanting to strike him, to crush him where he stood. I approached, but he laughed, rising and stretching his back as if nothing had happened.
"What was that for, Xena?" he taunted, fanning the flames of my rage.
I clenched my fists, remembering our earlier encounter in the hallway. I had no intention of explaining the messy, revolting scene from that morning.
"It's my love language, Conor," I snapped, driving a hard kick into his stomach.
He staggered, but I followed with a punch. He dodged, scowling, still grinning in a way that made my blood boil.
"Love language?"
I growled and kicked him again, this time striking the side of his head. He fell, but I grabbed him by the collar, eyes blazing, and punched him hard enough for his lip to split, pressing him against the wall.
"Damn! You hit like a girl with a vendetta," he laughed through the blood.
I didn't flinch. I stopped a few inches from him, staring into his eyes. I couldn't afford to spill this fight here, not at school—one misstep, and I could be expelled—or worse.
"Listen, Conor," I began, voice sharp as a blade. "Coming near me was a huge mistake—"
"Because you're a Fontanilla?" he interrupted with that infuriating laugh, dismissing everything.
I forced a small, bitter smile. "Listen carefully, because I'll say this only once. When I told you I would kill you if you didn't leave me alone, I meant it. Last night, I went out with you, not because I was naive, but because I needed an excuse to leave. You think you had any control over me at the Hideout? You were wrong."
"Right. I knew you'd notice. Different breed…" he smirked, making my blood boil even more. "I'm curious… what happened after the drug hit? Did you—"
"Shut up," I snapped, my restraint fraying. "Do you really think you know me enough to mock me, huh?"
His brow furrowed. "What are you saying? I'm not scared of your name, or your family—"
"It's not the Fontanilla name you should fear, Conor…"
A tense silence fell. I could tell he was starting to take my anger seriously; my face left no room for doubt. I let a faint, demon-like smile slip.
"Do you know why you know nothing about Damian's fourth child until I showed up? Because I'm not a Fontanilla. I'm an assassin, masquerading as one. You know Governor De Guzman? I killed his child."
"What the—"
I cut him off, drawing a butterfly knife and pressing the blade against his neck. The edge traced a shallow line across his skin, making him freeze, trembling under my gaze.
"Assassin?" he whispered, eyes wide.
"If you don't follow Ferdinand because of your cousin's meddling, you'd better take advantage while I still have patience. One wrong move, and I won't hesitate. Nothing would be lost if I killed you," I said coldly, pressing the knife nearer to his ear.
He gasped, and as I pushed the blade into the wall, cracking it slightly, half of the knife fell at his feet. I stepped back, leaving him with one sharp, meaningful look before walking away, tears stinging at the edges of my vision.
I wasn't proud of calling myself an assassin, but this act was necessary—these people forced me to play a role that protected me from being exploited or killed.
I wiped my tears roughly and froze when I saw Leo standing a short distance away, watching. His gaze lingered on me, sharp and assessing, after glancing at Conor. I recalled last night—the chaos, the manipulations—and my head spun with regret.
"Xena," he called gently, but I ignored him, walking past and colliding briefly with his shoulder.
I headed straight for the parking lot to grab my motorbike. If I couldn't keep distance from Leo, I had no choice but to return to my old life as an assassin.
I pulled out my keys, but before I could start the bike, Leo appeared, breathing hard.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
I looked at him coldly, brushing his hand off and replying, "To hell. I'm an assassin. I shouldn't stay here. My job is to kill my enemies."
I roared down the road, heart hammering, taking a path toward Damian's fortress, the place I had evaded for nearly a month. I needed action. Kiel's shock was clear when I arrived, and Sebastian's surprise delayed him briefly. Damian's men were unprepared.
"We'll talk later," Kiel said to Sebastian, who merely nodded before turning away.
My chest pounded as Kiel tried to intercept me, leading toward the assassin-training grounds.
"Kiel…" I hesitated, making him stop and glare.
"What are you doing here?"
"I need answers. I can't sit at Oxemburge, waiting. Why is Leo handling my operations? I need to know!"
Kiel's brow furrowed. "The situation isn't good, you know that. I've done everything to keep you away from Damian's eyes—"
"Kiel, tell me the truth! I'm losing my mind over Leo!"
I raised my voice unintentionally, desperate for clarity.
"Why? What did Leo do to you?" Kiel asked sharply.
I exhaled, realizing honesty was unavoidable. "Leo… he's… it's getting impossible to avoid him. He's trying to be another Ace, and I can't hold it. I've tried to keep my distance, but I think I can't."
"Kill him," Kiel said bluntly. "If he's a threat, eliminate him before he becomes an obstacle."
My throat tightened, and I could only groan softly. "Kiel… can I just leave? I can't take this anymore—"
"Is it a problem, Sheii? I'm not forcing you, but Leo is different from the Fontanilla. You kill. You don't need second thoughts," he said firmly.
I swallowed, tears brimming again. "Kiel… after Ace's death—"
"Do you have feelings for Leo?"
"No!" I barked. "No relationship! But he's impossible to ignore! I… I want to leave! I don't know what will happen if I stay. I'm scared, Kiel. I want to kill him, but—"
I trailed off, unable to continue. Kiel stared, waiting for words I couldn't say.
"Are you saying you like him?" he asked seriously.
I shook my head, yanking at my hair. "I… don't know!"
Tears streamed freely. I grasped Kiel's hand. "Please… get me out of here…"
He closed his eyes, exhaled, then pulled me into a tight embrace. I sobbed into his chest like a child punished by a parent.
"Shh," he whispered, stroking my hair. "I knew this would happen. I'm sorry. I didn't intervene sooner because I thought you wouldn't fall. My fault."
I pulled back slightly, confused.
He looked at me apologetically. "I know Leo has feelings for you, so I used him to protect you. I told him to keep you in Oxemburge, away from Damian. I was waiting for the right time to get you out safely. I'm sorry I couldn't pay attention to you before."
He smiled gently, brushing my cheek. "I'll fix everything. I'll get you out. Just a little longer."
Before I could relax, Sebastian appeared.
"Kiel, Damian wants Xena," he called.
The wind whipped my tears dry, blurring and sharpening my vision at once. My teeth clenched, knuckles white as I gripped the throttle. My motorbike roared toward the night.
Damian—beast. Pure beast.
"You came at the perfect time," Damian said, handing me a red invitation for a masquerade party for the twenty-first birthday of the daughter of of the Alvarez mafia . "You want freedom? You'll attend, and there, you will kill Artemis."
My mind spun. I wanted to shoot him where he stood, but I knew Kiel's safety depended on restraint.
I drove away, rage and fear fueling my escape, but I could not abandon Kiel. Darkness fell, and eventually, I stopped. Tears ran freely down my numb cheeks as I surveyed the cliff-edge view below.
A deep chasm yawned four meters beneath me. Beyond the road, darkness swallowed the forest.
I dismounted, walking toward the edge, stopping two feet from the precipice. And then I screamed, voice raw with fury:
"I will kill you, Damian! I swear it! I will destroy your empire! You monster!"
I collapsed, gasping for air, nails digging into my palms. Fear and rage mingled, threatening to crush me.
I fell to the ground, sobbing, laughing in madness.
"I tricked you," I whispered, "I lied about my memories, Damian. I fooled you, and now I will kill you too!"
Exhausted, I sank completely, tears flowing unchecked.
"Dad…" I murmured to the wind, broken.
And then I realized—I wasn't alone.
"Did you trick us?" Leo's voice was steady, gun trained on me, disbelief flashing across his face. "You did this to Ace? To me? Am I next, Xena?"
Tears streamed down both our faces. I couldn't answer.
"Answer me, Xena!"
"Yes!" I yelled. He froze, stunned. He had expected death, not confession.
"You caught me… damn it," I muttered, gripping my weapon.
I attacked, tears blinding me, fighting for control. Leo blocked, dodged, and I grabbed his gun, pressing it against him. He did not flinch—just looked at me, disappointment and pain in his eyes.
"You shouldn't have heard that, Leo," I whispered, fighting my sobs.
"Xena," he said quietly, "Pull the trigger."
I bit my lip. Rage burned in his eyes.
"One has to die, right? Pull the trigger. Or you'll regret not killing me later."
I knew. I knew he would kill me if he could—but my hands refused.
There was only one option left.
"I know you won't believe me, but Kiel doesn't know. I fooled everyone, made him think I was a helpless girl. Kiel matters to me. If he is hurt, I will erase all of you from the memories of everyone who remembers your family."
I turned, sprinting across the empty road into the dark forest. Madness, desperation, survival—the only path left was forward.
"Xena!" Leo's shout cut through the night.