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ARKs POV
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The cafeteria noise was a dull echo in the distance, barely reaching the quiet of my classroom. I stayed in my seat, scarf tucked snugly, notebook open but untouched. My pen rested in my fingers, more of a prop than a tool. I didn't feel like going out today, and I definitely didn't feel like dealing with the eyes that followed me when I walked through the hallway.
The room smelled faintly of chalk and floor polish. A breeze from the cracked window lifted the corner of my page. It was peaceful- exactly what I wanted.
Until it wasn't.
Somewhere down the hall, whispers started. Not the usual low chatter of students wandering back to class early- these were sharp, urgent. A ripple of sound rolled past the door. A muffled oh my god reached me, followed by a short, startled laugh. Then came the louder voices. Not yelling-yet-but raised enough to make the walls feel thinner.
I kept my eyes on my notebook. Probably some stupid hallway drama. Someone probably said the wrong thing to the wrong person. People lived for that kind of chaos here.
Or someone confused to someone.
Then the noise spiked. Not a fight exactly- more like people scattering out of the way.
The door slammed open.
I jerked my head up.
Jade.
He came in fast, shoulders tense, breath heavy, hoodie hanging loose but pulled slightly forward as if someone had grabbed it recently. His hair was a little messy- not the styled, casual mess he liked, but the real thing, the kind that said he'd been moving too quickly. His eyes flicked toward me and for a second, I thought he was going to say something.
That second didn't last.
Another figure filled the doorway.
My breath caught- not because I recognized him, but because I didn't need to. He looked like Jade. An older, sharper-edged Jade. Taller. Broader. The same eyes, but colder, the same jawline, but tighter. His suit jacket was open over a dark shirt, one hand at his side, the other curled casually around the doorway like he owned the space.
And then he spoke.
"Boy."
Just that. Low. Controlled. But the sound of it cut through the room, echoing off the walls like a blade on glass.
Jade didn't flinch. "And now what?" His tone was calm, but I saw the tiny twitch in his jaw.
The man stepped in fully, closing the door behind him without looking away from Jade. "You think I wouldn't find out?"
"Find out what?" Jade's voice was flat, careful.
"You're spending my money like you're drinking water."
I froze.
Jade gave a tiny, humorless laugh. "You came all the way here for that?"
"Don't get smart with me." The man took a step closer, his shadow falling across Jade. "You think my accounts are your playground? My money is not yours to burn."
"You mean your money," Jade said evenly, "or the money you get to flash around to keep yourself relevant?"
Something flickered in the man's eyes. His voice stayed calm, but it sharpened. "Don't start this again."
"I didn't start it," Jade murmured. "You did. Few years ago."
The man's lips tightened. "Careful."
Jade's expression didn't change, but his voice cracked- barely, but enough to carry a heat I hadn't heard from him before. "Careful? Why? Afraid someone might find out that you only care when it's your bank account on the line?"
"Watch your mouth."
Jade's jaw worked once. "If it was about those mistresses of yours, you wouldn't even blink. You wouldn't say a word."
The man stilled.
I hadn't meant to listen. I hadn't meant to hear any of this. But they both turned in the same moment, and suddenly I was there-caught- sitting like some kind of creeper in the corner.
Their eyes met mine.
Oh no.
I wanted to disappear. I wanted to be anywhere else. But I was frozen, scarf hot against my skin, pulse climbing. The silence in the room was heavier than the argument had been.
The man didn't say a word to me. He just straightened his jacket, gave Jade one last look, and walked out. The door clicked shut behind him.
Only then did I breathe.
Jade didn't see me. Then why did it look like he was approaching me. Why do I have this bad luck of being invisible when people are in a heated conversation.
That… was his father. It had to be. And whatever that was between them- it wasn't good. It wasn't just the usual father-son tension. There was something jagged in it, something that felt like it had been rotting for years.
Did he cheat on Jade's mother? Was there a divorce? Did the mistresses come after she died? My mind spun with questions I couldn't possibly ask.
I didn't say anything.
Neither did he.
The rest of lunch ticked by in silence, both of us pretending the other wasn't there.
The afternoon dragged. Jade didn't look at me, not once, and when the final bell rang, he was the first to stand, the scrape of his chair loud in the quiet room. He walked out without glancing back.
I packed my things slower than usual, the argument still playing in my head like a song I couldn't shut off. His father's voice- calm, cutting. Jade's replies- controlled but burning. That one moment when his voice had cracked… and the line about mistresses. It was too sharp to be random.
By the time I stepped outside, the late sun was streaking the pavement in gold. Students were scattering toward the gates, voices bouncing in the open air.
I saw him immediately.
Leaning against the wall by the gates, hands in his hoodie pocket, talking lazily with Max and Callum. His head tilted toward them, but his eyes… for a second, they flicked to me.
Just a second.
Max noticed before he could hide it, a smirk twisting his mouth as he followed Jade's glance.
I looked away, adjusting my bag strap. My mind was still pulling apart what I'd seen, threading possibilities together. Was he embarrassed that I'd seen him like that? Angry? Did he even care?
The logical part of me told me to keep walking.
The other part- the part that still felt his voice from last night in my chest- told me he'd noticed I was watching, even when I wasn't.
I walked past without stopping.
But the burn of his gaze stayed long after I was gone.
I wasn't suppose to see that. Is that the reason why Jade is like this. Cold and mysterious. Maybe murderous even.