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CHAPTER TWENTY – Kiss Me, Hate Me
It began in fire.
The Crestwood archives burned at 3:17 a.m.
Centuries of secrets, documents, ledgers — gone.
No one claimed responsibility. But everyone knew.
It was Emily Hale.
And standing beside her in the flames?
Luke Bennett.
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The Wolves were finished.
The elite lost their power. Professors resigned. Students vanished. The Circle was scattered to the wind.
And Emily?
She didn't run.
She walked into the ashes like a goddamn queen — lips painted crimson, scars hidden beneath silk, and war in her eyes.
The fire hadn't destroyed her.
It had reborn her.
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Three Days Later...
Emily stood in the center of the old Wolf Hall. Alone.
The place was condemned, silent, half-burnt.
Like her.
Luke entered quietly.
She didn't turn around.
"You should hate me," she said softly.
"I did," he answered. "Once."
"And now?"
Luke moved closer. "Now I think I hate the way I still want you."
Emily turned.
"I used you," she whispered. "All of it. Omega. The Circle. The plan. I..."
He cut her off. "I let you."
Their silence stretched between them like a wound.
Bleeding.
Raw.
Then Luke said something that shattered her.
> "I don't want love if it doesn't hurt."
Emily blinked. "Then you'll love me forever."
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They kissed like they'd been starving.
It wasn't soft.
It wasn't sweet.
It was rough. Furious. Desperate. Two enemies who had destroyed everything and now only had each other left.
She pushed him against the wall. He pulled her closer. Their breaths tangled. Her nails scratched down his chest. He bit her lip. She gasped.
This wasn't romance.
It was revenge wrapped in affection.
And when they collapsed on the dusty floor, skin against skin, there was no more pretending.
No more lies.
No more war.
Only them.
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After, Emily stared at the cracked ceiling.
"Where do we go now?" she asked.
Luke lit a cigarette. "Anywhere we want. They can't control us anymore."
"They'll come for us."
"Let them."
She smiled. "You're insane."
"And you're dangerous."
They both laughed.
Because it was true.
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Weeks Later...
Crestwood fell under federal investigation.
Half the board was arrested. The school rebranded.
They tried to erase the story.
But somewhere, on hidden drives and encrypted files, Project Omega still existed.
Because Emily let it.
Because she never planned to let them forget.
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And Luke?
He vanished from the spotlight. No interviews. No politics. Just ghosted.
Some say they ran away together.
Others say they were hunted.
Most think they died.
But a photo leaked six months later — blurry and grainy.
Two figures.
A beach in Morocco.
One man. One woman.
Wrapped around each other.
Smiling like they'd won.
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EPILOGUE
A letter was left on the Chancellor's desk.
No name. No signature. Just six words:
> "Kiss me. Hate me. We won."
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THE END