---
The moment I opened my locker the next morning, I knew something was off.
Tucked between my books was a red envelope. Again. But this time, no emblem. No instructions.
Just a single black card inside.
> "Want answers, pretty boy? Midnight. The mirror room. Come alone."
No name. No threats. Just… flirtation?
Who even writes like this?
---
I shouldn't go. Everything about it screamed trap.
But traps give away more information than silence.
So I went.
At midnight, I slipped through the East Wing. Silent corridors. Security drones deactivated—probably hacked by someone inside.
The mirror room was an old training hall. All walls—mirrored. All angles—visible.
Except the center.
That's where he stood.
Xavier Caelum.
The university's second prince.
Long black trench, obsidian rings, and a mischievous smirk that could make boys and girls forget their names.
"Glad you came, Vane," he purred.
I folded my arms. "I expected a dagger, not flirty notes."
He stepped closer, eyes gleaming. "Flirting is deadlier."
---
Xavier circled me like a panther, hands in pockets. "Tell me, why does Professor Vale track your every move?"
I blinked. "You brought me here to interrogate me?"
"No," he said, stopping behind me. "I brought you here to warn you."
He pressed something cold against my neck—a collar. Sleek, metallic, glowing faintly.
"What the hell—?"
"It's a tracker-jammer," he said. "Blocks Vale's private feed. For the next five minutes, we're invisible."
Now that was terrifying.
"You made this?" I asked.
He winked. "I'm more than pretty threats, sweetheart."
I rolled my eyes, even though my heart skipped.
---
"I don't trust anyone here," he said, voice low. "Especially not Vale. But you—you're different. You're hiding something. I don't know what. But I do know…"
He turned me to face him.
"You're not the enemy."
I searched his face, unsure what to say. The silence between us stretched long… too long.
Then Xavier leaned in.
Too close.
My back hit the mirror behind me. His hands caged me in.
"What are you doing?" I whispered.
He smiled.
"I want to see what it takes to make you crack, pretty spy."
And then he kissed me.
---
It was brief. Reckless. Infuriating.
And my first kiss since I entered this damn school.
I shoved him back. "What the hell, Xavier?!"
He chuckled. "Relax. No cameras, no audience. Just wanted to see if you'd punch me."
I did.
Straight in the ribs.
He coughed. "Worth it."
---
But his face changed in the next second.
"No one knows what Vale is planning," he muttered, serious now. "But I saw the files. He's been creating dossiers… on future heirs. All of us."
"Heirs?" I asked.
"Yeah. You, me, Liam, Mikhail—he's tracking the future criminal empire holders. Gathering weaknesses. Even blackmail."
"And what about me?" I asked. "I'm not royalty."
He stared at me long.
"You're his wild card. And that makes you the most dangerous piece on the board."
---
Before I could process that, the door banged open.
"Freeze!" shouted a deep voice.
I turned—
Professor Vale stood there, eyes glowing with cold fury.
And I realized the jammer had expired.
He'd caught us red-handed.
---
"Mr. Vane," he said, "my office. Now."
No room for refusal.
And as I followed him into the night, Xavier behind me laughing softly, I realized something worse than being caught—
I didn't regret the kiss.
Even if it was part of Xavier's game.
Even if it put a target on my back.
---
Because for the first time, someone had warned me.
Not for an assignment. Not for power.
Just… to protect me.
Even if he was still an arrogant flirt.
---
End of Chapter 16
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