Author's Note:
Hey, just a little warning—this chapter has a few rough moments, including some light violence and the mention of a gun. Nothing too graphic, but if that kind of thing makes you uncomfortable, please read with care.
*****
They all were—those who loved Ice and those who hated him—united by the same goal: to break her.
How did I forget how famous Ice is?
Not just in a good way—also in a bad one.
That's why Oriel told me not to be friends with him.
But she understands the feeling—
When people avoid you just because you're famous.
She knows that all too well.
And that place… it wasn't happy.
It was empty. Lonely.
That's why she never gave up because of it.
Ice has to deal with this on a daily basis? She thought.
She gasped for air, trying to hold back the sting across her cheeks and scalp. The grass beneath her pressed uncomfortably, rough against her skin. The scratches scattered on her arms barely registered—what stayed with her was the steady, simmering heat of anger. Not much, maybe. Or maybe more than she wanted to admit.
"You done, Sia?" Fire finally spoke. She remembered her now—clear as day. The same girl Ice had rejected on her very first day. Realization settled heavy in her chest.
The name stunned them. She wasn't supposed to know.
Sia masked her surprise with another slap. "Shut up!"
"You can hit me all you want," Fire said, voice firm, "but he's never going to like you."
Sia's face twisted in rage.
"Hold her!"
The girls gripped her tighter.
Sia turned to the boys. "Give me the bat!"
"Hey, that's not what we agreed—"
"Yeah, the bat's for Ice, not the girl," one of them muttered.
Fire's stomach dropped.
They're planning to hurt him too.
I need to break free… warn Ice…
"I said give it!" Sia screamed. "Or I'll tell everyone this was all your idea!"
The boy cursed but handed her the bat—a solid metal one, deep blue.
Sia turned back toward Fire, now crumpled on the ground. Hair mangled, cheeks red, body bruised—but her eyes still dry.
That wasn't what Sia wanted.
She wanted her broken.
Screaming, Sia raised the bat—
And it landed on her shoulder.
Fire held it in, trying her best not to let out a sound.
The frustration on Sia's face grew louder, angrier.
She pulled the bat out, with more force this time. Then—
Bang.
A heavy knock echoed across the greenhouse.
The bat was stopped mid-air.
"Open the fucking door!"
All the girls flinched at the sudden yell—even Fire.
Ice? She thought she heard his voice, but she wasn't sure. It was too angry, too loud, too unlike him to recognize.
The boys near the door rushed toward the group, panicked. "What should we do?"
"Don't open it," Sia snapped.
But Fire knew that voice. The authority. The rage. The sheer power behind it.
She paled. No. Don't come in. They want this. They want an excuse to hurt you…
Unwanted images flickered through her mind, and she hated it.
But that only made her heart sink further.
If he showed up now, things would only get worse. Just imagining him being tossed around like a ragdoll hurt more than the sting in her bruised hands.
But she forgot one thing.
Ice had all the keys.
He was SSC.
The click of the lock stopped everyone's breath.
The door swung open—
She took advantage of their shock and turned around, ready to warn Ice not to come any closer.
To tell him to get help—these people would turn on him too.
They were dangerous.
But the scene that met her eyes was nothing she—or anyone else watching—could have ever expected.
And Ice stepped in.
Sleeves rolled up. Gaze lowered. Every step slow, deliberate. A dark aura cloaked him like smoke, suffocating the room.
He didn't look like someone walking into a trap.
He looked like vengeance—steady, unshakable. Come to end whatever dared to start this.
As he closed the distance, his piercing death glare began to torment them all; cold, merciless, and impossible to look away from.
The boys froze, stiff like statues. One swallowed loudly.
The girls stepped back.
Even the guilty one was trembling.
Fire had seen Ice angry a million times—different versions of it.
Sometimes lighthearted, triggered by her clumsy mistakes.
Other times, so terrifying that she swore his cold, monstrous stare could eat her alive.
But this?
This wasn't anger.
This was ice-cold wrath.
His blank eyes didn't just look at you—they cut through you.
And when his glare locked onto the two girls holding her, they released Fire instantly and shrank away.
Ice felt like a ticking time bomb; one wrong move, and he'd explode.
Then their eyes met.
His expression didn't change.He just looked at her, eyes scanning her from head to toe.
And for a moment, Fire felt guilty—like she'd done something wrong, too.
That's how terrifying his fury was.
One boy tried to rally.
"There's five of us. We can take him!"
But no one dared to move.
"Ice—" Sia stammered.
His death glare silenced her.
Then one boy lunged, grabbing Ice's collar.
"You're not untouchable!" he snarled. "Maybe I should—"
Click.
Silence.
Everyone gasped.
A gun.
In Ice's hand.
Pointed high. Calm. Steady.
His face, blank. Unreadable.
Even Fire was stunned. He has a gun?!
Whispers followed.
"So it's true…"
"They said President Ice carries one…"
"I thought it was just rumors..."
"Get out," Ice's anger echoed again, making everyone flinch—including Fire.
No one moved. The command was too terrifying to ignore, but they were also too scared to act.
"I said—GET OUT."
And just like that, the entire group scattered.