Ashira's head spun. The underground room was dimly lit, the walls lined with old books, files, and weapons. A place meant to keep secrets. And yet, secrets were unraveling faster than she could process.
She stood there, fists clenched, as Alden and Kael glared at each other. For once, the cold and witty Alden wasn't smirking. His jaw was taut, eyes burning with something between rage and pain.
"You knew," Kael spat, voice trembling with suppressed anger. "You knew about her past. About her real mission. And you still—"
"I still kept her alive," Alden snapped, stepping forward, his presence suffocating. "Don't twist this, Kael. If not for me, she'd already be a corpse in this school."
Ashira's breath caught. Both men weren't even addressing her—they were battling over her.
Kael's dark eyes softened briefly as he turned to her. "Ashira… is this true? Did you know you were walking into a den of criminals from the very start?"
Her lips trembled. She wanted to scream yes, she was a spy. That she was trained for this. But something in her chest—something unexplainable—stopped her. She was tired of half-truths, tired of holding daggers behind her back even when she wanted to reach for someone's hand.
"Yes," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I came here on a mission. But…" Her gaze darted between them, heart hammering. "It's no longer just that. I don't know what's real anymore. My orders, or my heart."
The room went still.
Kael's expression flickered—relief and hurt mixing like storm clouds. "Then at least your heart has a chance to be yours."
Alden scoffed, a bitter laugh. "How noble. How pathetically noble." He turned to Ashira, eyes sharp as blades. "Don't be fooled by his chivalry, Ashira. Kael's family owns this university. This school is built on blood money. Do you think he's clean?"
Ashira froze. Her head whipped toward Kael. "What?"
Kael's shoulders stiffened, fists clenching. "Alden—don't you dare."
But Alden's smirk returned, cruel this time. "Why not? She deserves to know. The man you're trying to protect—his father is the mastermind of half the syndicate deals in this city. And Kael here?" He sneered. "He's not just a student. He's being groomed to inherit it all."
"No…" Ashira shook her head, a sick wave rising in her stomach. She had fought criminals, exposed mafias, risked her life for justice. And now—Kael, the one who had held her when nightmares clawed her awake, the one who had shielded her when bullets rained—was tied to the very empire she despised?
"Tell me he's lying," she whispered, voice raw.
Kael's eyes met hers, steady but burning. "Ashira, I never wanted this life. But yes—my family… my father is what Alden says. I didn't lie to you because I wanted to protect that monster. I lied because…" He faltered, then his voice broke. "Because I was terrified you'd leave me if you knew."
Her chest ached, torn open.
Alden, ever the predator sensing weakness, leaned close, his voice low, dangerous. "See? You think you're torn between love and duty? You're drowning in betrayal. Both sides are rotten, Ashira. Your mission, his family. The only thing that's real here—" His gaze locked onto hers, intense, unrelenting. "—is what you and I can do if we stop pretending we're not the same."
Her pulse jumped. For a fleeting second, the sharp scent of his cologne, the heat of his words, dragged her into dangerous temptation. Alden wasn't wrong. He was as ruthless as she was forced to be.
But Kael's trembling voice cut through. "Ashira… I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm just asking you not to hate me. Please. Don't hate me."
The rawness in his tone shattered something inside her.
She stumbled back, clutching her head. Too much. Too many truths. Betrayals, confessions, knives in the dark.
And then—
A slow clap echoed from the shadows of the room.
Ashira's blood ran cold.
From the corner, a figure emerged. Tall. Refined. Wearing a teacher's coat that seemed suddenly sinister in the dim light. His sharp glasses caught the faint glimmer of the lamps.
Professor Ren.
Her literature professor. The one who had always seemed too observant, too composed. The one whose gaze lingered a moment longer than necessary, as if he saw through every mask.
"Well done," Ren's smooth voice slid into the silence, a serpent in velvet. "Secrets spilled, masks cracked, and hearts bleeding. What a perfect mess you've made, my dear students." His lips curled in a smile that wasn't a smile. "And Ashira… my little spy. You've played your part beautifully."
Ashira's veins turned to ice.
"You—" she stammered, stumbling back. "You knew?"
Ren tilted his head, amused. "Knew? My dear, I orchestrated half of it. Did you truly believe you infiltrated this place on your own? You were allowed in. You were guided. Because I wanted you here."
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
Kael growled, stepping forward. "Stay away from her."
Ren's eyes glimmered, predatory. "Oh, Kael. Still pretending you're her knight, even with your father's sins drenching your hands? Pathetic."
Then his gaze returned to Ashira, softer, but terrifying. "You and I, Ashira… we are not so different. You'll see it soon enough. And when you do…" His smile sharpened. "You'll choose me."
The air in the room suffocated her.
Alden's glare sharpened, protective and dangerous. Kael's hands shook with fury. And Ashira—caught in the middle—felt her world collapse, only to realize it was just the beginning.
Because now, the most dangerous man of them all wasn't a mafia heir or a cold-hearted manipulator.
It was her teacher.
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✨ Chapter 48 ends here.