Chapter 5

"Oh no," Lucia whispered, then snapped out of her daze. Why had she suddenly imagined that? Wait, had she imagined Alisha too? She looked up to see Alisha standing there, a worried frown on her face.

"Lucia," Alisha called again, for what felt like the tenth time. Lucia finally snapped out of it, looking at Alisha.

"I've been calling you for minutes. Your watch beeped, and your face just went blank," Alisha explained. Lucia glanced at her watch. It was just an alarm

But what was that vivid imagination that had just consumed her? Was she alright? It was probably just the lingering fear from that psychotic killer.

"Let's go, we've missed three classes already," Alisha said, taking Lucia's hand and tugging her forward

Lucia looked down at their interlocked hands, a rush of mixed emotions washing over her. A friend… finally.

They walked out, but someone brushed past them, separating their hands. Alisha looked up, ready to snap, but her words caught in her throat. It was her crush, the youngest professor in the school

Lucia watched Alisha's expression transform from anger to dreamy in seconds.

"Sorry, girls, I was in a rush and didn't see you there," Professor Liam apologized. In this school, normal professors were hired, but they had to swear an oath of silence, as the outside world believed this was an ordinary school, and they were called "professors" even though it was a high school.

"No problem, Prof. Liam," Alisha said, smiling shyly. The professor smiled back and continued on his way.

"He's so dreamy," Alisha sighed after staring after him for a full five minutes, her eyes sparkling, a wide smile on her lips.

"You know that's our teacher?" Lucia asked, just to make sure Alisha was aware.

"Who cares? He's only six years older!" Alisha said, hugging Lucia.

"Six years? Wait, he's 25?!" Lucia hadn't known this, as she rarely stayed for entire classes.

"Yeah, 25 and soon to be mine," Alisha added. Lucia looked at her as if she were crazy. Then the bell rang

Alisha stiffened, and Lucia wondered why, but she understood immediately as students began pouring out of classrooms

Alisha stared at someone with horror in her eyes: Debra, the school bully. Her father was Top 2, and it had completely gone to her head. No one wanted to get on her bad side; she was truly dangerous and the heir to her father's Mafia clan. She was also the one who had dumped paint on Lucia earlier.

"Leash, Leash, where are you?" Debra called out, her eyes spotting Alisha. She smirked, but the smirk faded as she saw who was beside her.

"What are you doing with that thing?" she sneered at Lucia before looking at Alisha with disgust.

"Bring her. I'll take care of her for you. She'll learn that Grade A doesn't hang around with Grade D," Debra said, stepping closer, but Lucia moved Alisha behind her.

"She's with me," Lucia glared. Debra gulped, taking a step back. No one knew Lucia couldn't hurt a fly, but due to her father's status, they assumed she was dangerous.

"Okay, whatever you say, Moreno," Debra muttered, shooting Alisha a venomous look before walking away. Everyone was watching.

"She's moving around with Lucia, oh my god!"

"She definitely wants to get killed like the other Grade Ds!"

"At least if Alisha is the next target, I'll be safe for now!"

"Thank you," Alisha whispered. Lucia patted her head.

"You're safe with me," Lucia said, and Alisha smiled, hugging her. Lucia shifted uncomfortably.

"Thought you said you weren't a hugger," Lucia teased.

"Yeah, but you deserve it," Alisha said, and Lucia hugged her back.

"Okay, enough of the sappy stuff. Tell me all about your crush on Professor Liam," Lucia said, and Alisha's eyes lit up. She began talking excitedly as they walked. Lucia looked at her.

*A friend… at last,* Alisha thought to herself.

Mob Ground

"*We are at a recent murder crime scene where a renowned businessman was recently found headless in a bar downtown. Police are on the search for the person behind this murder, but most importantly, where is his head?*" a news reporter said as the Mobsters watched the news. Sin suddenly burst out laughing, and all eyes turned to him.

"What?! She was funny! How is his head more important?!" Sin roared with laughter again, but no one else found it amusing. He awkwardly looked away.

"News… more like trash. This happened two days ago, why are they broadcasting this now?" Vivian scoffed.

"It's not my fault you're this dumb. Haven't you heard of investigation and even finding out about the crime?" Falcon retorted. Vivian fumed, taking a threatening step towards him.

"Act mature, guys," Sin said. They continued watching the news.

"Has the reward for the bounty been sent?" Vivian asked, rolling her eyes. Falcon smirked.

"100 million dollars sent," Falcon announced. Vivian smirked.

"But how did this mysterious person know where to send it? We never gave any account details," Sin wondered aloud. All the mobsters began to ponder this

Marino was in her corner when she spotted Russo walking out. She followed him until he reached a dark alley within the clan compound.

He turned, raising an eyebrow, his face stoic.

"Hi," Marino waved, but not a muscle in his face twitched. She awkwardly lowered her hand

She watched him pull out his phone and begin typing. Moments later, her phone pinged. She pulled it out.

*If you have any sort of feelings for me, kill it, bury it, and stop behaving like a creep around me.* She read the message, then looked up, expecting him to have walked away, but he was still there, staring at her. Marino smiled sadly, looking back at the blank screen of her phone.

"You should have at least allowed me to confess before you rejected me," she said, her voice tinged with sorrow.

"I like you. I've liked you for two years now. I don't know why or how it happened, but you caught my attention the moment you became part of us. But now that I know you feel nothing, I can let go of it," Marino continued. Russo merely stared blankly

Marino stepped closer, and Russo shifted back slightly. She leaned in and pecked his cheek. His eyes widened.

"Thank you for keeping my heart, but I guess I'll take it back now," Marino said sadly. This was the first time she had expressed an emotion other than anger, and the first time she appeared vulnerable.

"Bye," she whispered, turning away. A single tear slipped from her eye, but she quickly wiped it away, her face resuming its usual expressionless facade as if nothing had happened. Russo stared at her retreating figure before turning and walking away.

Unknown Location

"Have you sent the money?" the mysterious person asked. The man on his right side nodded.

"Good."

"When are you going to reveal yourself?" the right-hand man inquired. The person smirked.

"Not anytime soon. Let the drama unveil itself, and I'll decide that soon," the person chuckled, staring down at the pictures spread before him.

"Or maybe soon," the person added. The right-hand man nodded, then bowed and walked out.

Poseidon High School

School was over. Lucia found herself once again waiting for that asshole—sorry, I mean Sebastian. He was even later than before. She spotted his car in the distance and rolled her eyes, ready to scold him, but she was shocked when the car drove right past her.

"Huh? What just happened?" she asked herself, confused. She heard a honk and saw he had reversed and was now in front of her.

"Why did you drive past me?" she demanded, opening the door and about to get in when Sebastian drove forward slightly. She rushed to the car, but he just drove forward again. Lucia pulled out her phone and called his number, knowing he wouldn't hear her if she screamed.

"Are you playing with me?!" Lucia shrieked into the phone, already frustrated. His chuckle was audible.

"What's wrong, Princess? Can't keep up?" Sebastian replied, smirking. He watched her in the rearview mirror, seeing her run a frustrated hand through her hair.

"Get back here!" she spat into the phone. Sebastian chuckled again.

"Just come to the car, and let's go. You're no fun," Sebastian said. Lucia began walking towards the car, and just as she was about to reach it, he reversed back to where she had stood earlier.

"Ahhh!" Lucia screamed, stomping her foot on the ground like a child.

"You know, for a 19-year-old, you behave like a child," Sebastian commented, watching her through the windshield.

"You know, for a 25-year-old, you're really immature!" Lucia retorted, cutting the call. She walked back to the car. This time, Sebastian stayed put until she got in. She glared at him, her nostrils flaring.

"You're no fun," he said, and Lucia gasped, offended.

"What do you mean? I *am* fun! I've done a lot of fun things!" she said stubbornly and proudly, crossing her arms.

"Really? Like what?" Sebastian prompted. She looked at him.

"Huh?" she asked.

"What fun things have you done?" Sebastian repeated. She fell silent, racking her brain, but nothing came to mind.

"That time when I pranked…" She was cut off by Sebastian.

"You only did that to get rid of your former bodyguards," he pointed out. Lucia glared at him for interrupting her.

"See? No fun," Sebastian concluded. Lucia raised her hand to smack his head, but he caught it and pulled her closer. Lucia gasped.

"You really like smacking my head," Sebastian whispered. It was then that he noticed how close they were. His eyes searched hers, then dropped to her lips, lingering there. Lucia wondered why he was looking at her like he wanted to jump her.

"Let's go," Sebastian said, moving away from her. Lucia looked at him and scoffed.

Things were quiet for a while, but it was surprisingly comfortable. Then Lucia whispered, "I made a friend today," looking down at her hand. She didn't hear him say anything, but the next moment, she felt a hand on her head.

"That's good, Princess. I'm proud of you," Sebastian said. Lucia didn't know why his words made her heart flutter, but she quickly shook off the feeling before it could linger.

"Thanks," she whispered, looking out the window.

Sebastian stared at her from the corner of his eyes, his face subtly studying her features

There was no doubt Lucia's beauty was ethereal. If she was this beautiful as a teen, he couldn't imagine how she would look as an adult

God, even thinking about it aroused him, He knew he didn't hate her like he used to, but he didn't like her either.

He just didn't know that things would change, and he would come to hate her even more than before.

The Mansion

Lucia entered the mansion in a much happier mood than when she had left. She spotted Matteo on the couch, as he often was, always working—if not in his office, then on this particular black couch.

She didn't bother greeting him as she walked past, but he stopped her.

"Lucia," he called. Lucia looked back at him with a cold expression. He smiled warmly at her and patted the space beside him

Lucia grudgingly walked over, arms crossed, and sat down. Silence stretched between them for a while.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Lucia. I'm sorry for being such a terrible father, for not being there for you, for making you feel lonely. Maybe if your mom was here, she would treat you right. Maybe she would care and be more attentive. I'm sorry, but I can't let you join the Clan. I have so many enemies. I barely sleep a wink knowing I have you to protect from them. I get scared knowing one day something would happen, and I might not be there to protect you. You're my only child. I can't bear to lose you like I lost your mom, so please try to understand," Matteo said, covering his face with his hand

Lucia bit her bottom lip, trying to stop her tears. Her dad must have loved her mom so deeply, and here she was, never having met her. Her dad must be terrified of losing her, and she had acted selfishly.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry for being such a selfish daughter. I'm sorry for not understanding you. You're not a horrible dad; you're the best, and even more than I could ever wish for. I love you, Dad. I'll always love you. You'll never lose me," Lucia said, hugging her dad and crying. Matteo hugged her back, his gaze fixed on a framed photo of his deceased wife.

*She's just like you. I wish I could tell her, but I can't. I'll take that secret to my grave,* Matteo thought, hugging Lucia tighter. They broke the hug and began talking cheerfully.

Sebastian, as always, watched from the shadows. He had never had a family, so he felt nothing as he observed them. At least she was happy now. But he didn't know he wasn't the only one watching. From another corner, another pair of eyes watched the happy family.

Next Day: Poseidon High School

The school was eerily peaceful today, which was strange. No one killed, no one bullied. It almost felt like a dream.

Lucia was walking towards the back of the school, near the small garden, when she spotted Alisha, who called out to her. She began walking towards her

Suddenly, something fell from the rooftop and crashed loudly onto the ground right in front of her. Lucia screamed, and many heard, beginning to gather.

Lucia looked down to see a broken vase. She looked up and spotted a hand disappearing from view. She looked back at the vase, her hands shaking, her eyes bloodshot red, her mouth open in shock, about to release a loud cry

A look of horror was etched on her face as she remembered the killer and what she had seen. Were they trying to kill her?

"Oh my God, that was scary!"

"That didn't look accidental at all!"

"I thought only Grade Ds were targeted, but Moreno is a Grade A!"

"This school is getting scarier by the moment!"

No one was looking, but in another corner of the school, another crash was heard. Everyone gathered there

A girl lay on a student's car, bleeding from her head, her gut cut open, her hand no longer attached to her body.

"Ahhhh!"

"She looks dead!"

"Blood everywhere!"

"It's a writing! Someone wrote this with blood!"

Lucia's hands flew to her mouth as she read what was written on the ground:

YOU'RE NEXT