The bell rang sharply across St. Aurelius College, slicing through the low hum of morning chatter. Students flooded the corridors, laughter echoing off whitewashed walls, lockers slamming, shoes squeaking across polished floors.
Adrian De Silva walked through it all like a ghost.
A hoodie hung loosely from his broad shoulders, hiding the hours of disciplined training beneath. A backpack was slung casually over one shoulder. His black-rimmed glasses sat perfectly on his face, framing eyes that missed nothing. To everyone else, he was just Adrian—the quiet scholarship kid, the one who always sat by the window, the one teachers trusted, the one students barely noticed.
And that was exactly how he wanted it.
He took his usual seat at the back of the classroom before most students arrived. From here, he could observe without being observed. Old habit. Survival instinct. Something his father's world had carved into him long before he had words for it.
Across the room, laughter rang out.
Zara Virelle had arrived.
She always arrived with noise—heels clicking, bracelets chiming, friends orbiting her like planets around the sun. Her hair was glossy and perfectly styled, her smile practiced but powerful. Heads turned when she entered, boys straightened in their seats, girls whispered behind hands.
Adrian's eyes lifted briefly from his notebook.
There she was.
The girl he'd fallen for without meaning to.
Zara wasn't cruel. Not openly. She was warm when it benefited her, charming when she wanted something, distant when she didn't. And Adrian… Adrian always noticed the way her eyes sparkled when he surprised her with little gifts. A new phone cover. Her favorite iced coffee waiting on her desk. Rare books she once casually mentioned.
She slid into the seat two rows ahead and turned slightly, flashing him that familiar smile.
"Morning, Adrian."
"Morning," he replied softly.
That one word from her was enough to carry him through the day.
"Such a simp," someone muttered behind him.
He pretended not to hear. He always did.
At the opposite end of the hallway, laughter of a different kind echoed—louder, sharper, more chaotic.
"That's not how you shoot, bro! You look like you're dancing ballet!"
Kai Fernando dodged a flying paper ball with dramatic flair, spinning on his heel and bowing exaggeratedly. His friends burst into laughter.
Kai was everything Adrian wasn't—loud, fearless, unpredictable. His messy curls were always untamed, his uniform never properly tucked, his mouth always getting him into trouble. Teachers called him a nuisance. Students called him entertainment.
Adrian called him… friend.
One of the very few.
Kai dropped into the seat beside Adrian without invitation. "Morning, mystery man."
"You're late," Adrian said, not looking up from his book.
Kai grinned. "Fashionably."
"You were at the basketball court again."
"Obviously. Unlike some people, I don't spend my mornings flirting with textbooks."
Adrian's pen paused briefly.
Kai noticed everything.
He leaned closer. "You know, one day you're going to realize you're way too interesting to keep pretending you're invisible."
Adrian glanced at him. "And one day you're going to realize talking too much is dangerous."
Kai smirked. "Good thing I like danger."
If only he knew how real that danger actually was.
The final bell rang in the afternoon, releasing students into freedom. Adrian packed his bag slowly, deliberately waiting for the hallways to clear. Attention was risk. Crowds were unpredictable.
"Adrian!" Zara's voice called out.
He looked up immediately.
She stood by his desk, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "You're free this weekend, right?"
His heartbeat picked up. "I think so."
"Good." She smiled sweetly. "There's this new café near the mall. Kind of expensive, but the aesthetic is perfect. You could take me."
Not we could go.
You could take me.
Adrian hesitated for just a fraction of a second. Long enough to notice. Short enough to ignore.
"Okay," he said. "I'll book a table."
Her smile widened. Victory. "You're the best."
Then she walked away, already pulling out her phone, already forgetting him.
Kai, who had witnessed the entire exchange from the doorway, slowly approached.
"You're in deep," he said quietly.
Adrian zipped his bag. "You don't understand."
Kai crossed his arms. "Then help me understand. Because from where I'm standing, she only shows up when she wants something."
Adrian didn't answer.
Because the truth hurt too much.
Across the city, in a high-rise penthouse overlooking the glowing skyline, another man stood in silence.
Rafael De Silva.
The name alone made powerful men tremble.
He stood with his back to the room, hands clasped behind him, posture rigid. Expensive tailored suit. Silver threading his dark hair. A presence so heavy it suffocated the air.
Behind him, two men knelt.
"We failed to locate him, sir," one said carefully.
Rafael didn't turn. "You mean my son continues to hide in plain sight."
"Yes, sir."
A pause. Dangerous. Calculated.
"He thinks he can escape blood by pretending to be normal," Rafael said calmly. Too calmly. "But the world will find him eventually."
One of the men swallowed. "Should we… bring him back?"
Rafael finally turned.
His eyes were the same shade as Adrian's. Cold. Intelligent. Burdened.
"Not yet," he said. "Let him have his illusion of freedom a little longer."
He walked to the window, gazing at the city below.
"Every heir must face their inheritance eventually."
Back in his small, rented apartment, Adrian stood under the shower longer than necessary, letting the hot water drown out thoughts he didn't want to face.
He stared at himself in the fogged mirror afterward.
The glasses. The hoodie. The carefully constructed mask.
He pushed up his sleeves and studied the muscle underneath. The result of years of training. Discipline drilled into him by bodyguards and trainers he no longer spoke to. A body shaped by a life he claimed to reject.
"Who are you really?" he murmured.
The boy who wanted a simple life?
Or the son of a mafia boss who could never truly escape?
His phone buzzed.
A message from Zara.
Don't forget about Saturday. And maybe bring that black card again 😘
Adrian stared at the screen.
Something inside him shifted. Not anger. Not yet.
But awareness.
And sometimes, awareness was the beginning of everything changing.
Outside, the city lights flickered like distant warnings.
The story had only just begun.