The initial conversation quickly forgotten as they devoured the junk food found in Jane's car "You know," Laura said, her mouth full of potato chips, "you're a freak of nature. You eat all this stuff and you're still a size two." She gestured to the empty chip bags and candy wrappers littering the car's interior.
Jane chuckled, taking a long swig of soda. "Hey, it's not all fun and games. My workout routine is insane. And with a famous contortionist for a mom and an actor for a dad, I've got to stay in shape if I want to keep up. As long as I don't skip a day of practice, I'm golden."
"Still, you should be careful," Megara warned, picking a lone piece of candy from her lap. "All this stuff has carcinogens. It's not good for you in the long run."
Before Jane could reply, a sleek black Porsche roared past them and screeched to a halt right in front of them. Jane swerved instinctively, her car lurching to the side, and her head slammed against the steering wheel.
"What the...?!" Jane cursed, rubbing her forehead.
As the dust settled, Zack's unmistakable figure emerged. He leaned against the front of his car, radiating an infuriating blend of arrogance and ease. His black T-shirt sleeves were folded, his well-ironed trousers were sharp, and a Rolex watch adorned with rubies gleamed on his wrist. His smile, though wide, held a cold, menacing aura. He waved at the stunned girls, then pointed at Megara, gesturing for her to get out.
"Oh my god," Jane whispered, her eyes wide with a mix of panic and disbelief. "Zack. The fuckboy. The menace. How is he here?"
"Did he... hear us?" Laura asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Is he going to attack us?"
"Calm down," Megara said, her tone firm and steady. "Leave it to me." She pushed open her door and walked toward him, her gaze unwavering.
Zack watched her approach, a flicker of genuine surprise in his eyes. He'd expected her to flinch, to act like all the other girls who got nervous and giggly around him. But she didn't. She met his stare head-on.
It's no wonder they both liked her, he thought to himself. She's not like the others.
"What's your problem?" Megara demanded, stopping a few feet from him.
Zack didn't answer. Instead, he reached out, intending to take her hand and kiss the back of it. Megara instinctively snatched her hand away, and he arched a brow in amusement.
"Move your car," she said, gesturing to the traffic that was starting to build up behind them. "You're blocking the road."
Zack just laughed, a low, dismissive sound. "Don't worry about it. I already took care of it with some chicken change."
Megara's jaw tightened. "Do you have any idea how many families are trying to get home right now? Because of your selfish stunt, they're all going to be late!"
"Listen, don't criticize me, listen," Zack said, his voice dropping to a low purr. "I told you we'd meet again, and that it wouldn't be a friendly chat."
"I must have a bad memory," Megara retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I don't take empty threats seriously. Your words are irrelevant."
Zack's laugh was sharp. "You've got audacity."
Megara smiled, a cold, hard line. "And you had the audacity to try and cause me harm first."
"Don't get ahead of yourself because of the silver tongue you think you have," he said, taking a step closer.
"I'm not trying to," she replied, her smile unwavering. "I'm already a step ahead of all the Z3's childish antics."
His smile faded, replaced by a steely look. "I suggest you quit Royal Von High. I'll give you twenty percent of my shares in the Z3 and some of my inheritance."
Megara frowned. "You think you can get me to quit with a little chicken change?"
"Chicken change?" he scoffed. "I can make the money back, but this is a huge amount. Three percent of my shares is twenty million pounds. With what I'm offering, you could be one of the youngest billionaires on Forbes UK."
Megara laughed in his face, a short, bitter sound. "Fuck off. I have a lot to handle."
"Quit school. Leave Uriel and Hugo," Zack said, his expression serious. "Two best friends are tearing themselves apart because of you."
Megara's composure faltered for a second, but she quickly recovered. "I have no interest in either of them. You should keep them in check and stop bothering me."
"I would if I could," he said, a coldness in his eyes. "But it's impossible. Hugo seems more obsessed with you than you know." His eyes scanned her, a sneer spreading across his face. "Besides, you're unattractive, and soon enough, this 'gust' will get rid of you. You'll only ruin your reputation and your life. You're just a poor nobody who hangs like a stigma around the rich."
Megara bit her inner cheek so hard she tasted blood. She stared at him, a ferocity he hadn't seen before burning in her eyes. "Watch your mouth. If what you're saying is true, then this 'poor girl' has managed to get two rich heirs to fall for her—something even rich heiresses couldn't do."
"Is that so?" he asked, a menacing glint in his eye.
"Yes, it is," she replied, her voice low. "I'm not a gold digger, but if you dare to talk down on my background again, I won't hesitate to use such methods."
"Aren't you afraid I'll tell my friends you recorded this?" he challenged.
A cynical smirk played on her lips. "Go on, try it. See if they'll believe it and still chase me unconditionally."
He chuckled, a hint of respect in the sound. "You're a strong opponent. But don't mess with me. I'm as deadly as I am playful."
"And I'm as cunning as I am straightforward," she shot back. "I'm not interested in any of you, so there's no reason to feel insecure." She turned and walked away, not hesitating to flip him a defiant middle finger over her shoulder.
Megara slammed the car door shut. "Drive," she said to Jane, her voice tight.
Jane didn't press for details, just put the car in gear and pulled away. She and Laura exchanged a worried glance. They knew Megara hadn't been met with a friendly speech, but a typhoon-sized confrontation from one of the kings of Royal Von High.
Dr. Kelvin smiled faintly as the last patient left, the sound of the door clicking shut a welcome relief. He slipped out of his white coat, the fabric still warm from the day's stress, and hung it on the rack. The silence of the room was a fragile, fleeting thing.
It shattered when Uriel walked in.
He moved like a shadow, a silhouette in a black hoodie and sweats, his Adidas sneakers silent on the polished floor. He closed the door behind him with an unnerving gentleness, then sauntered over to the visitor's area. With a sigh that sounded more like a dare, he plopped onto the couch, propping his sandy shoes on the sleek glass coffee table.
Kelvin's jaw tightened. "Get your feet off my table," he said, his voice low and strained as he moved to pry the offending sneakers away. "It's unhygienic, Uriel. And you can't just barge in here like you own the place."
Uriel didn't move. He simply shot a languid glare from under his hood, then slowly pulled it down, revealing emerald eyes that seemed to hold a galaxy of secrets. He took a deep, shuddering breath and pulled off his face mask. "Shh," he whispered, pressing his hands to his ears. "So loud. Just like her. Why is everyone so fucking noisy today?"
Kelvin froze. The word "her" hung in the air, a drop of poison in the still room. He let go of Uriel's leg, the table momentarily forgotten, and sank onto the couch opposite him. "Her? Are you seeing someone?" he asked, his voice softer, laced with an unfamiliar intrigue. "Care to talk about it?"
Uriel didn't reply. He just closed his eyes, a silent wall.
"No need to be shy," Kelvin continued, leaning forward. "Or, at the very least, tell me why you're here. We can start there."
"You're my psychiatrist, not my love doctor," Uriel said, his voice a low rumble.
Kelvin clicked his tongue in agreement. "Fair enough. Let's start with your last visit. Tell me how you've been feeling. I need the details, Uriel. The small ones. Every little piece."
Uriel's eyes fluttered open. He slowly lowered his feet from the table, his posture shifting, the arrogance fading into something more fragile. "It's… strange," he confessed, his voice a near whisper. "I've been feeling this… storm. Possessiveness. Joy. And a kind of anger I don't recognize. It's all at once, and it's unfamiliar. It's not the kind of anger you think."
Kelvin's pen hovered over his notepad. "So, the smashing things… the tantrums… they've stopped?"
Uriel nodded, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah, mostly. Except for the maids who forgot to change my wardrobe, but that's just… a habit. But I did get into a fight. A bad one."
"What provoked it?" Kelvin's voice was calm, a stark contrast to the volatile energy now filling the room. "Did you feel threatened? Anger?"
Uriel's hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. His composure, once a mask of cold arrogance, began to crack, revealing a distressed and tormented boy underneath. "Rage," he breathed, the word a confession. "Uncontrollable. An urge to kill so intense I couldn't hear anything. My emotions… they were under control. But that… that shattered everything."
"Why?" Kelvin asked, his voice still steady. "What was different?"
Uriel's gaze dropped to the floor, his voice thick with a dark, suffocating possessiveness. "They touched her. They tried to take what's mine. And I couldn't just stand there. I wanted to end him, but I sent him to a place far worse than death."
The air grew heavy with Uriel's hatred. Kelvin felt a chilling familiarity. "Is it… Megara?" he asked, the name a silent question. Uriel's silence was his answer. "Did she cause this possessiveness? This new rage? When did this change start?"
Uriel ran a hand through his hair, a gesture of deep turmoil. "From the very first day I saw her. I've been different. I don't know why this possessiveness is here. It aches… It aches so much that I want to hurt my best friend just because she smiles at him."
Kelvin was silent for a long, heavy moment. "Uriel, I think you're obsessed," he said, his voice flat.
Uriel gave him a sharp, sarcastic look, but Kelvin didn't flinch. "I'm not joking. You have to come to terms with this, or you will hurt someone. Does she know you feel this way?"
"She doesn't know. But… we've been talking. In secret." Uriel confessed, his gaze far away. "When I'm with her… the anger, it's gone. Even when I hear the most disrespectful things that used to provoke me. It's just… quiet."
"That's unusual," Kelvin said, taking another note. "But not impossible. I think… you're starting to trust Megara. More than anyone else."
"Do you think this 'quiet' you feel with her is a new kind of calm, or is it something else entirely?" Kelvin asked, his voice low and curious.
Uriel sighed, slumping back in his seat. "I don't know. Maybe it's just infatuation, and it'll pass. It has to." He pulled a small, black bottle from his pocket. "Oh God, I'm even craving her coffee."
Kelvin watched, jotting a note as a look of pure bliss spread across Uriel's face with the first sip. "I thought you hated coffee," Kelvin said, questioning, as Uriel dramatically shook the bottle, trying to get every last drop. "Didn't you say you couldn't stand the bitter taste?"
Uriel set the bottle down and turned to him. "This is no ordinary coffee. It's magic tea. The moment I drink it, I'm calm and relaxed. It's the only thing that cures my insomnia." He stopped short of admitting he needed to look at a picture of Megara to fall asleep, unwilling to sound like a stalker.
"If it helps your insomnia, you should keep drinking it," Kelvin replied. "But what about Megara and Hugo? Are they together?" Uriel's expression hardened. "If they are, that's a serious complication. Are you sure you want to risk hurting Hugo? It could ruin your friendship."
"They're not together, and I'm going to make sure she's mine and mine alone," Uriel said, his tone possessive and absolute. "I've never been so sure about what I want until I met her."
Dr. Kelvin hummed, nodding slowly. "Have you experienced any hallucinations or other symptoms since you started taking the drugs?" Uriel nodded. "I think it's time you tried to function without them."
"How am I supposed to survive without the drugs?" Uriel snapped, confused.
"I told you, they've never been formally tested. What I gave you was a sample batch," Kelvin explained. "Look, your only option is to either get a handle on your relationship with Megara or learn to cope without her. If you don't, you'll become a codependent patient. Given your nature, I didn't think you'd want that."
"I do, as long as it's Megara," Uriel said with a defiant grin.
Kelvin chuckled softly. "Trust me, you don't." He paused. "Can we proceed with the physical assessment?"
Uriel jumped to his feet, a burst of energy replacing his earlier calm. "Goodbye, Kelvin! That won't be necessary. I need to look my best for my pool party." Before Kelvin could speak, he was out the door, which closed with a soft click.
Dr. Kelvin watched the door, half-expecting his portrait to fall off the wall. He was both relieved and slightly mystified by Uriel's departure.