The Black Card.

Kim's bare feet pounded up the stairs, towel still tightly gripped around her chest, water dripping from her hair onto the marbled floor. Every step fueled her rage.

At the top, lounging like royalty, they waited.

Castillo, seated at the center like a god on his throne, legs parted, her clothes dangling loosely in his hand. Ivy sat cross-legged beside him, amused. Amelia, sprawled on the armrest, smug. Kyle and Tavi leaned into the couch, chuckling under their breath.

"Give it back!" Kim barked, eyes locked on Castillo.

He blinked once. Then slowly, that twisted grin curled on his lips.

"I don't want to."

Her nostrils flared. "You're taking this too far, Castillo. Enough with this stupid, childish prank."

"Stupid?" he echoed, rising from the couch with a slow, calculated movement. "You think I do this for fun? You think I enjoy your annoying little voice ringing in my ears every time you breathe the same air as me?"

She lunged forward, hand out to grab the clothes, but in one swift move, he lifted them higher.

Her towel slipped slightly.

"Shit!" she gasped, clutching the edge tight just before it dropped.

"Careful, girl," Kyle chuckled lazily, eyes raking her body, "I'm not in the mood for a live porn show, but hey... I wouldn't mind the trailer."

Tavi let out a low whistle. "MIA's got hotter this semester."

Castillo didn't move. He just watched her, head tilted, eyes cold, predatory.

Then Amelia stood, grabbing the torn clothes from Castillo's hand and waving them mockingly.

"Look at the poor little bitch at our mercy," she sneered, walking toward Kim. "You just stepped into the lion's den. Welcome to hell, darling."

And with that, she shoved the fabric right into Kim's face.

Kim caught it, fingers gripping desperately only to realize...

It was shredded. Torn at the seams. Useless.

A sob burned her throat. Her knuckles turned white as she held the tattered pieces. Her face was pale, eyes wide, every breath shaky. She was trying not to cry. Not in front of them. Not like this.

But the weight of humiliation was suffocating. Castillo sat back down slowly, that smirk still ghosting his lips cold, evil, victorious.

The whole room echoed with laughter.

Kim just stood there. Barefoot. Wrapped in a towel. Clutching the ruined pieces of her dignity.

Kim flinched as something warm fell over her shoulders. A jacket. She turned, breath still trembling, Trudy.

Eyes wide with concern, Trudy didn't say a word. She just placed a protective arm around Kim, shielding her from the eyes and phones still aimed at her. Together, they walked away, slow, careful, every step echoing the weight of shame.

Behind them, laughter erupted again.

Castillo bumped fists with Tavi, high-fived Kyle, and then with a smug grin, held his hand up for Ivy and Amelia who gladly slapped it.

"Let's see how long she lasts here," Castillo said, stretching lazily as he dropped back onto the couch.

At that moment, Rhea came skipping over, her glossy ponytail bouncing. "What did I miss, guys?"

They all groaned.

"Everything, basically," Ivy rolled her eyes.

Rhea pouted. "Aww, man. I wanted to watch."

"Rhea." Castillo called out coolly.

She looked up.

"Yeah?"

He stood and walked toward her, digging into his pocket. Then he pulled out a small black card- sleek, matte, ominous and placed it in her palm.

She blinked, turning it over between her fingers. 

"Now who's getting the Black Card?"

The whole squad fell silent, like a ritual had just begun. Castillo leaned in slightly, voice low and deliberate.

"Kimberly Romero Virelli."

 Rhea's smile froze.

The Black Card.

There was only one rule behind it:

Once it's given, the crew won't stop until you leave Maxwell International Academy.

And no one had ever survived it.

Not without breaking.

Not without begging.

Not without bleeding.

~ROMERO AUTOMOBILES – DANTE'S OFFICE – AFTERNOON~

The soft hum of the air conditioning filled the sleek, minimalistic office. Dante sat behind his polished black desk, typing steadily on his laptop. The tension in his shoulders was subtle, but the intensity in his eyes betrayed the storm brewing beneath his calm exterior.

A knock on the door broke the silence.

"Come in," Dante said without glancing up.

His secretary peeked in, clipboard in hand.

"Sir, your visitor has arrived."

Dante closed his laptop with a click. "Send him in."

Moments later, a tall, sharply dressed man walked in. Grey suit. Clean-cut. Cold eyes.

The kind of man who didn't need to introduce himself.

"Mr. Romero." the man greeted, offering a firm handshake.

"Nico." Dante stood, returning it. "Thanks for coming."

"The message sounded urgent."

Dante gestured for him to sit. "It is. I need you to dig into someone. A family, actually."

He slid a manila file across the desk.

"Gael and Georgia Virelli. Their daughter—Kimberly Romero Virelli. I want everything. Background. History. Where they live. Who they associate with. Most importantly, I want to know what kind of life Kimberly has."

Nico nodded without opening the file. "And how discreet are we talking?"

"Top-level confidential. No one can know you're watching them. Not the mother. Not the husband. Especially not the girl."

"And what's the objective?"

Dante leaned back, eyes cold.

"I want to be a part of my daughter's life. But her mother's doing everything to stop me. If I can't walk through the front door…"

He gave a thin smile.

"…then I'll find another way in."

Nico tucked the file into his briefcase. "You'll have my first report in 72 hours."

They shook hands again, firm and wordless. Nico exited, leaving Dante alone.

As the door shut behind him, Dante stared at the window across from his desk, his reflection darkened by the late afternoon sun.

"You leave me no choice, Georgia," he muttered under his breath.

"I will be a part of my daughter's life—with or without your approval."

His jaw clenched.

"She's my daughter. And you won't stop me."

~VIRELLI MANSION – KIM'S BEDROOM – NIGHT~

Kim sat curled on her bed, her knees drawn to her chest as the soft glow of her bedside lamp highlighted the tear streaks on her cheeks. Her phone lay beside her, buzzing every few seconds with new notifications—laughing emojis, edited screenshots, cruel captions.

The video of her wrapped in just a towel was everywhere.

She sniffled hard, wiping her cheeks roughly with the back of her hand. "Bastard... that smug-faced piece of shit..." Her fingers clenched tightly around the edge of her blanket. "You think this is over, Castillo? You've started a war."

Bzzz Bzzz.

Her phone vibrated again.

She turned it over expecting another post but paused.

Incoming Video Call – Unknown Number

She frowned, debating whether to ignore it. But something nudged her gut, and she tapped accept.

The screen lit up and Lorenzo's face filled the frame, his brows creased with concern.

"Hey."

Kim blinked, startled. "Lorenzo? How did you even get my number?"

He scratched his neck sheepishly, the edges of his lips curling. "Trudy. It's sad, isn't it? We're friends and I didn't even have your contact saved."

Kim exhaled softly, her voice quieter now. "Well, now you do."

He tilted his head. "I saw what happened. I'm really sorry, Kim."

She glanced away, eyes clouding again.

"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."

She looked back at the screen, her voice trembling with restrained anger. "But he did. Castillo... Ivy... Amelia. All of them. They think I'm weak. They think they can humiliate me and I'll run away?"

Lorenzo stayed quiet, just listening.

Kim wiped another tear and looked into the camera, fierceness returning to her gaze.

"I'm not leaving MIA. Not until I crush him. Until I ruin him the way he tried to ruin me."

"You're so stubborn. But honestly, are you okay?."

"Yeah… I'm okay."

She forced a little smile.

"I'll just have to avoid them. They're chaotic, but… as long as they leave me alone, I don't care."

Lorenzo gave a small nod of approval.

"Good. That's the right call."

She chuckled under her breath. "Since when did you start sounding like a therapist?"

He smirked.

"Since I started worrying about you."

She rolled her eyes. "You're really something, you know."

"No, really." He leaned in a little toward the screen.

"You should smile more often. It suits you."

Kim raised a brow, biting back a grin.

"Stop flattering me, Enzo."

"I'm not. You're really beautiful, Kim."

Her cheeks heated a little, and she glanced away.

"Thanks."

An awkward silence evolved immediately.

"I'll hang up now. It's late."

"Yeah. Bye… See you tomorrow?"

"Sure."

She ended the call and stared at the dark screen for a second before tossing her phone beside her on the bed. She fell back on the pillow, groaning into it.

"Ugh… he's so corny."

But for the first time that night… she smiled.

~SKYHIGH SUITES – APARTMENT 404 – NIGHT~

The apartment was sleek and modern, a high-rise bachelor pad with ambient lights glowing above a polished marble floor. Loud cheers and curses echoed as Tavi and Kyle battled each other on the massive flatscreen, their controllers gripped tight, bodies leaning in with boyish intensity.

"Die! Die! DIE!"

"Bro, move! You're trash!"

The doorbell chimed.

DING-DONG.

Castillo, lounging on the leather couch with a bottle of flavored water in hand, stood lazily and strolled over to open the door. The delivery guy handed him a bag of food.

"Finally." Castillo muttered, handing him cash before slamming the door shut.

Back at the couch, he tossed the bag to the center table.

Kyle grinned, wiping his sweaty palms on his shorts.

"Yo, speaking of that delivery, nothing beats watching that scene at school again. The way she screamed your name in just a towel- iconic."

Tavi laughed.

"That girl's got fire though. Most of them would've dropped to their knees the moment you raised your voice."

Castillo unwrapped his food, smirking smugly.

"She's just another arrogant brat. I'm just getting started with her."

"Nah, man, she's different." Tavi leaned back, tossing his controller.

"Like seriously bro, if you ask me, you've met your match. She's the first girl who looks at you like you're something she needs to crush under her boot."

Kyle nodded.

"Yeah, she's not even impressed by the great Castillo. It's lowkey driving you crazy, isn't it?"

Castillo's eyes darkened, but the smirk on his lips remained cold.

"Don't you guys know me?" He stood and cracked his neck slowly, voice growing deeper.

"I'm not called Castillo for nothing."

He looked toward the dark glass window overlooking the city.

"I'm the rule… and I'm the law, and Kimberly Romero Virelli?"

He turned back to them.

"She'll get what's coming to her."