pretending nothing happened

I quickly said goodbye to Kael and rushed out of the kael's house .

Somewhere deep down, a flicker of panic was rising—because if my damn father found out I wasn't at the office, I'd be in serious trouble.

Real trouble.

I rushed to the office as fast as I could, nearly tripping over my own feet on the stairs.

Outside my office the manager is standing , he was already standing, arms folded, a nervous look on his face.

The moment he saw me, he gave me a subtle hand gesture—a clear warning. I was doomed.

I swallowed hard and pushed open the door.

And there he was.

My dad.

Sitting in my chair like he owned the entire planet—and well, technically, he did own this office.

He looked at me with a glare sharp enough to slice through my soul.

"Where were you?" he asked, his voice calm, too calm.

That was worse than shouting.

I stood there for a second, heart pounding, mind scrambling for an excuse that wouldn't get me fired from my own family's company—or worse, get me disowned.

"I-I was at the police station," I said, stammering a little.

My dad's eyes narrowed immediately, sharp and unreadable. "And why exactly were you at the police station?"

I cleared my throat and forced myself to sound convincing. "There was this drunk guy causing a scene. He was harassing a staff member, so I took him to the station."

He didn't respond right away. Just kept staring at me like he could see right through every word I spoke.

Then, without looking away, he pressed the intercom. "Call the manager in."

Crap.

Seconds later, the manager walked in, looking like he'd aged five years in five seconds.

Dad gestured toward him. "Tell me what happened."

The manager nodded nervously. "There was an incident earlier. A man got aggressive with one of the staff members. Mr. Leo thought it best to involve the police. That's why he went to the station."

I let out a quiet breath of relief.

Good thing I had prepped him beforehand on exactly what to say. That little heads-up had just saved my ass.

Dad's eyes flicked between us, but finally, he leaned back slightly and said, "Hmm."

He still didn't look completely convinced, but at least he wasn't yelling yet .

Then he told me that he is going out side of country so don't be careless and from tomorrow my uncle would come back then he leaved .

I take breath in relief. Finally im safe now.

Kaels pov ;

I don't know why, but when he was on that phone call… he looked so serious. Like really serious.

Then, just like that, he hung up and walked away after saying a quick "bye."

I stood there, stunned.

What the hell?

You don't just drop a bomb of intensity like that and then walk off like nothing happened. What was that?

Still trying to make sense of it, I walked into the washroom.

That's when I saw it—his jacket, lying carelessly on the counter next to the basin.

I picked it up.

It felt heavy. Too heavy for just a jacket.

Curious, I slipped my hand into the pocket... and froze.

My blood ran cold. My fingers brushed against something cold and metallic.

No.

This had to be a joke.

I pulled it out—and my heart nearly stopped.

A gun.

I stared at it, eyes wide, mouth slightly open in shock.

What the hell is this doing here?

And then it hit me—that sound.

The one I heard in the alley… just before I lost consciousness.

That gunshot.

It wasn't my imagination.

And now the pieces were starting to fall into place, one by one.

I checked it carefully… and holy hell—it was real.

A real, loaded gun.

"Oh my god ! "

I staggered back a little, nearly dropping it.

What the actual hell was Leo doing with a gun?!

This wasn't some toy or fake prop—this was legit. Heavy. Cold. Dangerous.

I placed it back on the basin counter like it was on fire, my heart racing like a freaking drumline in a parade.

This couldn't be normal.

Was he in trouble?

Was he dangerous?

Definitely he used while saving me!...

My head was spinning. One second Leo was just an annoying, arrogant guy I couldn't stand, and now… now he was some mystery guy with a literal gun in his pocket .

What the hell was I supposed to believe?

Monday morning

Like every day, I came to school with Jace.

But today… the whole school looked like it had been possessed by textbooks.

Everyone had their heads buried in books—because exams were starting next week.

Except us, of course.

None of us even pretended to study. Not a single book in sight.

Still, somehow, we always ended up getting better grades than half of them.

Magic? Maybe.

Talent? Obviously.

Luck? Most definitely.

Or maybe… we were just built different.

I saw Leo—and I don't even know why, but a small, warm smile crept onto my lips.

Just like that. Out of nowhere.

My ears started to feel hot, and I knew they must've turned red.

Of course, Zim noticed immediately.

Nothing ever escaped that girl.

She leaned toward me with a teasing smirk and said,

"Well, well... what's with the big smile today? Someone's glowing."

I quickly looked away, trying to hide my face.

"Shut up," I muttered, but my smile wouldn't go away.

And that made everyone laugh even harder.

Just then, Aven jumped in, "Oh right! He was acting like this the other day too!"

He crossed his arms and added with a dramatic tone, "And guess what? He even said 'No, I didn't hide anything from anyone.'"

Everyone slowly turned to look at me.

Their expressions changed—from amused to suspicious real quick.

Now all eyes were on me. Judging. Questioning.

Like I was the main suspect in a drama plot twist.

I blinked. "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

But nope—no one answered.

They just kept staring like I had hidden a body in my locker.

But just then, Leo walked past us.

The moment everyone saw him, their expressions twisted like they'd just bitten into a lemon.

Wrinkled noses, rolled eyes, exaggerated groans—the whole package.

"Ugh, him again," Aven muttered under his breath.

Zim gave him a dramatic side-eye. "Why does he always walk around like he owns the place?"

"He probably thinks we're his loyal fanclub," Nova added with a scoff.

I didn't say anything.

Because the second I saw him… my stupid face automatically lit up with a smile.

Which, unfortunately, did not go unnoticed.

Zim leaned closer, squinting at me like a detective catching someone in a lie. "Why do you look happy to see him?"

"I don't!" I said too fast.

Nova raised a brow. "Then why are your ears turning red, hmm?"

I immediately covered them. "Shut up."

But damn it.

Leo hadn't even looked at me—just casually walked by like we didn't exist… and yet somehow, he still managed to mess with my entire mood.

That arrogant bastard.

But then Leo walked past us.

And just like that, everyone went quiet.

His gaze didn't waver, not even for a second. He didn't look left or right, just straight ahead like we were invisible.

Still, I could feel that stupid tension in the air the moment he came close—like static before a storm.

Zim muttered under his breath, "Ugh, there goes His Arrogance."

Nova rolled her eyes. "Seriously, how does someone walk like he owns the place?"

Aven scoffed. "Probably practices in the mirror every morning."

I stayed quiet.

But my eyes?

Yeah, they totally betrayed me.

They followed him as he passed. Just a quick glance, but apparently that was enough.

Zim caught it.

"Wait a second…" she said slowly, his eyes narrowing like a detective. "You didn't just look at him."

"I looked at everyone," I lied flatly.

"You stared at him."

"No, I didn't."

Nova leaned in suspiciously. "Are you hiding something?"

"Why would I hide anything about that smug-faced cockroach?"

"Good question," Aven grinned. "Why would you?"

I groaned. "You guys seriously need new hobbies."

But my heart?

It wasn't playing along with the denial.

Because I knew something they didn't.

I knew what it felt like to be held by him.

Even if we were still pretending to be enemies…

Even if we were both pretending like nothing ever happened…

Something had changed.

And it was getting harder to ignore.