The snapping of bones had left the air charged, and the look in their eyes afterward was like lightning waiting to strike. Warren's gaze bore into the veiled girl's with raw fury, every muscle taut, every vein alive with hatred. How dare she defend that impostor?
Serena, however, only smiled faintly. Elsa was useful. Even if Warren suspected something, he'd never imagine the truth—that the masked girl was the real Ixora. As long as the veil stayed on, her deception would never crumble.
"I'll kill you," Warren growled, voice low and sharp. "And that shoulder? It'll be the last thing you'll ever break."
Elsa's voice was like ice. "Kill me? That's comedy, Creed. Don't quit your day job—you'd flop."
Warren shoved her aside and lunged for Serena, but Romeo intercepted him, blocking his path. "Don't touch her," Romeo hissed, though Warren nearly tore him in half before restraining himself.
"They never should've let you out of rehab," Romeo went on coldly. "You're unstable. She comes back after a year, framed and jailed because of you, and the first thing you do is hurt her? You don't want to test the Horsemen. We'll ruin you, and your pieces will never be found."
Warren's fists twitched, itching to spill his heart across the floor, but Capri held him back, while Ashton snapped his shoulder into place with a sickening crack. Warren clenched his teeth through the pain.
"To hell with you, Warren Creed!" Serena shouted, shaking with rage.
He only smirked as he left with his brothers. Use her face, will you? I'll tear it apart. I'll uncover who you really are.
Chicago slithered from the crowd, trailing after him with a grin. Romeo, meanwhile, was elated. Ixora despises Warren now. That's victory enough. At least she's mine in this lifetime.
He turned to Serena, smiling. She wore her mask of sweetness well. When he leaned in to kiss her forehead, she dodged."I need to get to class.""Fine. Lunch, then," he said. She nodded with feigned warmth, then rolled her eyes at Elsa. "Stay nearby. The guards can follow me." And with her escort, she swept off.
Mykel's eyes lingered on her until she glanced back. She smiled, but his expression was unreadable, forcing her gaze forward again. Romeo left with his brothers, students dispersed, and gossip spread like fire.
Elsa stood alone for a while, scanning the campus behind her veil before slipping quietly into a silent building. She found herself in what looked like a private music room. Her shoulder ached—she reset it with a muffled groan, whispering to herself, "Damn it. He hasn't changed." Then her eyes fell on a black guitar. She picked it up, strummed, and before she realized, music poured from her fingers.
At the same time, in the Horsemen's lair, Warren gripped his bow, firing arrow after arrow into the wall until his palms bled and every shaft quivered in the target. For twenty minutes he didn't stop, while Capri drank coffee and Ashton glared.
"She comes back after a year," Ashton said finally. "And you're saying it's not her?"
"I said it's not her!" Warren roared, hurling a table into the wall, shattering it. Blood dripped from his knuckles as he slammed the concrete.
"Because of the black hair?" Capri asked."No.""Because she hates you now?" Ashton pressed."Hell no—I want her to hate me.""Then what? She smells the same.""She does.""Signs of surgery?""None."
"Then why not her?" Capri barked.
"Because she just isn't!" Warren exploded, seizing Capri by the throat. His eyes blazed, veins standing out in his neck. "Even in my sleep, I'd know Ixora. She may wear her face, but she's not her. I could close my eyes in a crowd of millions and still find her!"
Capri choked but didn't fight. "Fine—it's not her," he gasped, until Ashton pried Warren off.
Warren stormed to a locker, grabbed a vial of ecstasy pills, but Ashton slapped them away and punched him hard across the face. Warren staggered, blood trickling.
"You want to destroy yourself again? You just crawled out of rehab after a year. Keep this up and the psych ward will claim you!"
"I said it's not her!" Warren bellowed, slamming his head into a glass table until it shattered, blood painting his teeth. Capri grabbed him, begging him to stop, but Warren tore free and stormed out.
Chicago leaned against the door, smirking. "Her face is enough. Whether she's real or not, she's bound to your wrath—and tonight's concert will mark her beginning."
Warren shoved her aside, and she stumbled, laughing. "God, he's even hotter covered in blood."
"Deal with this psycho," Ashton muttered, leaving Capri behind.
"Hey, Capri Benson," Chicago teased."Hey, Carina Benson," he spat, shooting her in the back.
She only laughed through the blood. "I'm like a parasite. You can't kill me. I'm Warren's shadow, Romeo's curse, your disease. Until I end you, you'll never escape me!"
Meanwhile, at Imperial Levels College, Serena sat proudly at the front of her class, surrounded by guards but shunned by students whispering venom.
"Why is she back?""Murderer in our midst.""Shameless—just like her mother."
From the back, Tina glared. "Why'd she have to come back? If Romeo keeps worshiping her, I'll snap.""Let it go," Monty urged, but Tina shook her head. "It's not a crush. I love him."
Serena faked indifference, fiddling with her phone until a girl with bangs slid beside her."Hi, I'm Winter. New here. Want to be friends?"
Serena smiled. Perfect. Evelyn reborn as Winter. No one will ever know."Of course," she said warmly.
Soon Bethel joined them, sharing news of her father's death. Serena pretended surprise but slipped, bragging about her parents' wealth—words Ixora would never say. Bethel's eyes narrowed.
"Anyway, it's my brother's concert tonight," Bethel pressed."Concert?" Serena gasped."Of course. You'll come?""Sure," Serena smiled falsely. Not for Romeo—for Mykel.
The three girls embraced, while Tina sneered, "Ixora, Bethel, and a newbie? Trash trio."
At the window, Warren's shadow lingered, fists tight.
That evening, in the amphitheater, the Horsemen rehearsed. Romeo's voice roared filth into the mic while Mykel's guitar cut through the air—until a string snapped. Bronx cursed, and Mykel left for a spare. Clover sneered about their "fake" purpose, but Romeo only grinned. "You'll see. Ixora's return is enough."
In Mykel's private room, he froze when he heard music. The masked girl was there, strumming his guitar like she was born to it. He watched silently, heart pounding with recognition.
"You don't own this room, do you?" she said coolly."I do," he answered.
She moved to leave, but he stopped her gently. "I'm not angry. Just surprised. You play exactly like the girl I met years ago at the mill."
She scoffed. "Touching story.""Dramatic, jewel eyes," he said softly."Jewel eyes?" she repeated."Yeah. Your eyes are… beautiful."
She turned away. "I don't know how I learned. I just can." Then she slipped out, leaving him staring after her.
That's not Ixora. Who is she?
Meanwhile, Warren smashed laptop after laptop in the Heirs' hideout, cameras refusing to connect to Ixora's feed. Konstantin was absent, Ashton furious. Warren tore the room apart in blood and rage.
At the commissioner's office, Stonia demanded her daughter's freedom, even offering to serve her sentence. Rafael calmed her, though later he pocketed strands of Serena's hair in secret.
At Crescent Hospital, Serena gushed to Dr. Fat about her victories—Stonia's kisses, new friends, the concert, and Mykel. Dr. Fat assured her the surgery was flawless. No one could prove she wasn't Ixora.
When Serena left, Elsa entered quietly. Alone with Dr. Fat, she lifted the veil, revealing blonde hair and the true face beneath. She gazed at her reflection, whispering, "Fifteen minutes to breathe again."
Dr. Fat smiled faintly. Young Miss had played her role well.