Shadows, Blackmail, and a New Player
**Chapter 5: Shadows, Blackmail, and a New Player**
The halls of Blackwood Academy were always buzzing with power, secrets, and whispered betrayals.
But today—**something shifted.**
A **new presence.**
Something darker.
Sienna **felt it the moment she stepped onto campus.** The way the students moved differently. The way even the bullies—Celeste and her crew—**seemed on edge.**
And then she saw him.
**Killian Voss.**
The name alone carried weight.
A transfer student from **an elite academy overseas,** Killian was **wealthy, powerful, and dangerous.** Rumor had it his family controlled **the underground business world.**
He wasn't just rich. **He was feared.**
And now, he was here.
At Blackwood.
Why?
No one knew.
But the moment he walked through the halls, **everyone went silent.**
And when his icy blue eyes **landed on Sienna…**
Her stomach **twisted.**
Because the way he looked at her—**like he knew her. Like he had been waiting for her.**
---
**A Threat in the Dark**
The warning in Sienna's locker still **haunted her.**
YOU DON'T BELONG HERE. LEAVE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.
Who left it? Celeste? One of her followers?
Or someone **far worse?**
By nightfall, she found out.
Because when she left the library, **heading toward the dorms,** a shadow moved.
She **wasn't alone.**
The streetlights flickered. Footsteps echoed behind her.
She picked up her pace.
So did they.
Her heart **pounded.**
Then—**a hand clamped over her mouth.**
She **struggled.** Fought. Bit down hard.
The grip loosened, and she stumbled forward, gasping.
She spun around—**ready to fight.**
But the figure was already **gone.**
Only one thing remained.
A small **black card** on the ground.
She picked it up, hands shaking.
One word was written in blood-red ink:
**RUN.**
--**Professor Hayes's Desperate Mistake**
Professor Callum Hayes sat in his dark office, fingers clenched around his phone.
**An anonymous message had just arrived.**
A picture.
Of him.
With **her.**
Sienna.
Nothing scandalous—just the two of them, captured in a moment of **unspoken tension.**
But in a school like this, **perception was everything.**
And then, a message:
**How much is your career worth?**
His blood ran cold.
Someone was **watching him.**
Someone **knew.**
And they were going to **destroy him.**
**
Celeste sat in her family's penthouse, legs crossed, a glass of wine in hand.
"Killian is here," Vanessa said from across the room.
Celeste smirked.
"I know."
Vanessa hesitated. "Aren't you worried?"
Celeste turned, **her smile sharp as a knife.**
"Worried?" she echoed. "I've been waiting for this."
Because Celeste wasn't just a **high school queen.**
She was the daughter of **Blackwood's most powerful family.**
And Killian Voss?
**He was the only one who had ever challenged them.**
This wasn't a game.
**This was war.**
And Sienna?
She was about to be caught in the middle.
---
**Damien's Warning**
Sienna didn't expect **Damien to show up at her dorm that night.**
But when she unlocked her door—**he was already there.**
Sitting on her desk, twirling a pen between his fingers.
"You're getting yourself into deep shit, princess," he said smoothly.
She crossed her arms. **Unshaken.**
"I don't remember asking for your opinion."
Damien's gray eyes **darkened.**
"Someone followed you tonight."
Her breath caught.
His jaw tightened. **He knew.**
"You think you're untouchable, but you're not," he murmured. "Not here. Not in this school."
He stood, stepping closer. **Too close.**
"Leave, Sienna."
She met his gaze, **defiant.**
"No."
Damien exhaled, slow and deep.
Then—**he did something unexpected.**
He reached out.
Tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
His touch sent a shiver down her spine.
Then—his voice dropped, low and dangerous.
"If you won't leave," he murmured, "then you better learn how to survive."
And just like that—**he was gone.**
Leaving her heart pounding.
And her mind full of **a thousand questions.**
**End of Chapter 5**
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