Zyron's Pov
As I descended below the city's surface into a universe veiled behind steel and glass, the muted, repeating hum of the elevator filled the area.
The Black Dragon.
To outsiders, our high-rise offices simply resembled yet another example of contemporary design. Behind its sleek glass panels and stone façade, though, was the core of an empire my family had created: a technology firm entwined with secrets and shadows. Blood was not something we traded in. We traded power information, influence, silence.
And tonight I found precisely quiet to be what I required.
ding.
The doors led to the floor for private intelligence. I headed out onto polished marble, the air crisp and calm. My footsteps boomed down the vacant hallway till I arrived at a door protected by biometric lock. It examined my eyeball. Click.
Inside was a sterilized, soundproofed, sparsely lighted, safe briefing room. Jonas Valdoza was sitting and restrained but uninjured opposite a sleek glass table in the center.
He looked different now, not the arrogant man who treated hearts like they were throwaway. No, this Jonas seemed exhausted. Worried. He was asked here, not forced. However, this area's weight was sufficient to cause anyone to feel little.
Behind him was Blood, arms folded. Her existence resembled a shadow—small yet intense.
"Mr. Z, the subject is ready. No physical damage done. Just surveillance briefing. "
I remarked as I entered the room, "Thank you."
Jonas turned his head, low light squinting his eyes.
Zyron? Where am I? What's this? "
I did not react right away. On the table I set a black folder. The Black Dragon insignia flashed gold.
Tapping the folder, I questioned, "Do you know what this is? "
Head shaking he was.
Slowly I opened it. Inside there were photographs, printout messages, timestamps, and stills. A few culled from security feeds. Still others from our digital archive. They showed Jonas. The genuine Jonas.
Changing.
Lying.
Using Trixy.
He became pale.
"How did you come across all of this? "
I gazed him in the eye. "We know everything. "
He gulped heavily. "Zyron, I I never intended to harm her. I was trying to get Scarlett back. Trixy should never have been"
"Care? I finished for him, voice calm. She was never supposed to care? Or get hurt?
He turned away.
I went on, "You made her believe you saw something real in her, then you dragged her into your orbit and dumped her once Scarlett came back. "
"I didnt intend for it to go so far."
I got closer, my voice now quieter. "You wounded her. And as you were distracted pursuing your ex, you missed that some people really loved her and would do anything to defend her.
Startled, he glanced up.
I responded, "So here's what's going to happen: you are going to apologize. " She stood before her. really. If necessary, openly. You'll then vanish from Austen University. Quietly. Not much conflict. No justifications whatsoever.
His brows twitched. "You can't force me to do that. "
I reached for my phone and tapped the screen. Jonas was at a party in a wordless video carrying something he shouldnt. A hazy figure passed him what appeared to be a capsule. One more scene: him showing off to a group chat about "fooling the innocent one."
He turned pale. "Where did you find this? "
"You're not in a place to inquire that. "
He stood up suddenly, but Blood rested her palm on his shoulder, cool and measured. He sank back down.
I set the phone down in front of him. "If this gets to the university board, your scholarship is gone. If it gets to your father, I can only speculate about the fallout. "
He fixed his eyes on the screen. Nothing.
Then his voice broke. "I will do it. I will apologize. I will leave. Just. . . don't ruin me."
I nodded once. "Smart choice. "
I started to go, but stopped at the doorway.
"And Jonas? Should you ever find yourself close to her again, we won't need a file to kill you. "
I stepped outside; blood followed and he gave me one last look.
The air outside felt heavier than it had previously. I rested against the wall of the corridor, slowly exhaling.
That wasn't vengeance.
It was a red flag. A boundary.
A promise.
Trixy would never know what happened down here. She wouldnt need to. From her perspective, Jonas just decided to move.
And that was enough.
For now.
Later That Night
I returned to the upper floor where the city lights stretched out beyond the glass like stars scattered across velvet. It was simple from here to act as though the planet were quiet. Safe.
Inside myself, though, the storm had not subsided.
I sat at my desk, poring over the security replay from Jonas's confession day with Scarlett. Trixy was right behind the library stacks, acting like she couldn't hear, but she wasn't in the frame. Pretending not to give a damn.
But I noticed her shoulders sag.
I watched her break.
I clenched my fists.
I vowed back then not to meddle unless things deteriorated. I didnt want to cross the boundary between aggressor and protector. I knew, though, I had waited too long now.
She had suffered injury already.
I loathed myself for allowing it to occur.
Buzz went my door.
Blood was once more the culprit. Update: Jonas has forwarded the resignation request to Austen University's registrar. Effective starting right now. There is also a manuscript apologizing. Have it brought secretly via the student newspaper.
I nodded and said, "Good. "
Before continuing, she paused. "Permission to speak freely? "
"Always".
"Why not simply share with her what you did for her? Why remain in the shadows? "
I stared at her.
Quietly I replied, "because I dont want her to see me like this, as someone who threatens and manipulates. " As someone who manages stuff this way.
"Still, she ought to know she's guarded. "
I faced the glass. Shell know, but not like this. Not like me at all.
Blood never complained. She got it.
Trixys story did not feature me as the hero. I could never be.
But I could be the shield she never requested.
The one that guaranteed she could smile naturally. Sing fearlessly. Fall in love without wondering whether someone would wound her once more.
Though perhaps not with me.
Particularly if it wasnt with me.
Morning After Next
Normal campus life started again. Birds chirped, kids chuckled, and Jonas Valdoza was really gone. Nobody challenged it. Naturally, stories circulated, but no one dared face the reality.
Trixy smiled again, too.
Her eyes were lighter than they had been in days as she chuckled with her bandmates. Our eyes met briefly as I walked past the quad.
She inclined her head.
I offered her a little smile.
She grinned back.
All I wanted was that.
I carried on walking.
I carried the storm behind me.
She walked in the sunlight ahead of me, though.
She was right where she belonged.