Chapter 427: The Devil in Silk Gloves

Morning sunlight struck the domes of Moonlight Valley University, but peace was nowhere to be found.

After the chaos at the Winter Prom, campus was buzzing like a shaken hive. Screens replayed Ochieng's confession. Students gossiped over breakfast, unions went into emergency meetings, and across social media, a hashtag burned bright: #TheFallOfTheCircle.

But inside the elite glass-walled conference room of Orion Tech HQ, things were even messier.

Ochieng sat at the head of the table, his custom white shirt folded neatly to his forearms, revealing a black dragon tattoo curling up his left wrist. Around him were board members, all under 30, all silent—except one.

Sasha Derick, 24, co-founder, strikingly beautiful with jet-black curly hair and ocean-blue eyes, slammed a folder on the table. "You're dragging the company into your personal vendettas, Ochie. This isn't high school—"

"No," Ochieng interrupted. "It's war. And the battlefield has just shifted."

He turned to the screen behind him. A live feed showed the Circle of Light's secret bank transfers. Someone—either Elsa or Tesslyn—had exposed everything: bribes, faculty blackmail, even staged scandals to destroy rival unions.

"They wanted me out of the picture," he said, voice calm, "Now we expose them in the business world too."

Sasha leaned in. "I admire the fire… but don't forget—devils wear silk gloves in this game. You move too fast, they smile and slit your throat."

"Let them try," he replied coolly.

Meanwhile, at Velvet Ivy University—Moonlight's rival school in the next city—new drama brewed.

Enter Celestine Mwangi, 22, daughter of a low-profile trillionaire, known as The Mirage. Curvy, caramel-skinned, with emerald eyes and a body that made silence fall when she walked, she was transferring in... to Moonlight Valley.

Reason?

"Revenge," she said sweetly to her assistant, adjusting her designer heels. "My cousin Bianca needs to learn not to betray blood."

Elsewhere, in the student hostels…

Tesslyn sat at her laptop, heart racing. She'd just received an anonymous email: You're next. Delete the files or bury yourself.

She looked up to see Nevan Asher standing in her doorway.

"You opened Pandora's box, love," he said with a lopsided smirk.

She reached for her pepper spray, but Nevan only raised his hands.

"Relax. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here… to help."

"Why?"

He walked in and whispered: "Because you just declared war on the same people who destroyed my mother."

Tesslyn froze.

Back on campus…

A poster went up. A new event.

"Midnight Union Games: House vs House."

A deadly competition involving business pitches, tech innovations, street dance battles, fashion shows, and secrets to be revealed under black lights.

Winner takes full university funding for the next academic year. Losers? Expulsion.

And guess who signed up as Team Leaders?

Ochieng — representing the House of Shadows, with Elsa and Denzel backing him.

Bianca Asher — for the Royal Sparks, bringing in Celestine unexpectedly as her rival.

Tesslyn — forming her own dark horse team from the underground clubs.

Even faculty were being dragged in. Rumors flew of a forbidden affair between Professor Malcolm—the dashing literature lecturer with a secret addiction—and student Zara, the temptress with a body that made rumors burn.

Jealousy. Lies. Secret marriages. Deals in luxury hotels.

As Ochieng stepped out of his office later that evening, his phone buzzed.

A message from someone he thought dead:

> "You've finally started playing the real game, son. But are you ready to lose everything to win?"

He looked up, eyes hard.

"I'm not here to play."