Chapter 6: The Price of the Secret
The air at the Seven-Star Convenience store was thick with the scent of floor wax and the low, electrical hum of the lottery machines. April had traded her tailored blazer for the scratchy, oversized green vest, her name tag pinned slightly crooked. Her feet ached a sharp, throbbing reminder of the miles she'd walked between classes and the tension of sitting at the "Royal Table."
"Mendoza! Stop daydreaming and finish the stock in aisle four!" Mr. Han barked from the back room.
April sighed, dragging a heavy crate of energy drinks toward the back of the store. Her mind kept drifting back to the cafeteria to the way Jaden's hand had felt against hers, the heat of his gaze when he'd stared down Vanessa. It was all a contract, she reminded herself. A cold, calculated move to keep his secret. But the way he had looked at her... it didn't feel like math. It felt like something much more dangerous.
Around 11:00 PM, the store went quiet. The late-night rain began to tap rhythmically against the glass storefront, blurring the neon signs of the PC cafe across the street. April was mopping the tiles, the rhythmic swish-swish of the water the only sound in the shop, when the bell above the door chimed.
She didn't look up. "Welcome to Seven-Star, we close in....."
The words caught in her throat.
A figure stood in the doorway, drenched from the rain. He wasn't wearing his school uniform anymore. He was back in his "JD-Zero" gear a heavy black tech-wear jacket with the hood pulled low and dark cargo pants. Water dripped from the hem of his jacket, pooling on the floor she had just cleaned.
"You're late," Jaden said.
His voice was different now. It wasn't the polished, arrogant tone of the Sterling heir; it was the low, gritty rasp of the boy who spent his nights dominating digital battlefields. He pulled back his hood, his dark hair damp and clinging to his forehead. Without the school's fluorescent lights, his eyes looked darker, reflecting the purple neon from the street.
"I'm working, Jaden," April said, leaning her mop against the counter. She tried to sound annoyed, but her heart was beginning to race. "Some of us have to actually earn our keep. What are you doing here? Our 'deal' was for school hours."
Jaden walked toward her, his heavy boots thumping against the linoleum. He didn't stop until he was standing directly in front of the counter, trapping her between the register and the cigarette display. He smelled like rain and that expensive, spicy sandalwood cologne.
"The deal was for me to give you the rank," Jaden reminded her, leaning his elbows on the counter. He looked at her name tag, then up at her face. The proximity was suffocating. "But the school forum is exploding. Vanessa is making calls. Marcus is digging. If we're going to survive tomorrow, we need to be on the same page. You can't just disappear into this hole every night."
"This 'hole' is my life," April snapped, her eyes flashing. "I can't just skip work to play pretend with you, Jaden. I need this job."
Jaden's gaze softened, just for a fraction of a second, before turning intense again. He reached out, his fingers hovering near her hand on the counter. "I'm not asking you to skip it. I'm telling you that JD-Zero has a tournament in twenty minutes at the cafe across the street. And I need a 'manager' to make sure no one walks into my private booth."
"A manager? You mean a lookout," April corrected him.
"Call it whatever you want," Jaden whispered, leaning in closer. The heat radiating from him was intense, clashing with the air-conditioned chill of the store. "But if I lose tonight because I'm looking over my shoulder for my father's scouts, I won't be in the mood to fail that Physics quiz tomorrow. And you really need those points, don't you, April?"
It was a threat, but the way he said her name low and lingering made her skin prickle. He was using his power over her, but for the first time, it felt like they were on the same team.
"My shift ends in ten minutes," April said, her voice breathy.
"I'll wait," Jaden replied. He didn't move away. He stayed right there, his eyes locked onto hers, watching her every move as she finished her work. The tension in the tiny, cramped store was a physical thing, vibrating between them like a live wire.
April realized then that this was no longer just about grades. She was stepping into the dark, secret world of Jaden Sterling, and there was no telling how hot the fire would get before they were through.
The transition from the brightly lit convenience store to the neon-shrouded sanctuary of the PC cafe across the street was like sinking beneath the surface of a dark, electric ocean. The air here was cooler, smelling of ozone and the faint, sweet scent of the high-end air purifiers that ran 24/7.
Jaden didn't speak as he led April through the maze of rows, his hand occasionally hovering near the small of her back to guide her through the dimly lit corridors. He swiped a black keycard at a heavy soundproof door at the very back the VIP suite.
The door hissed shut behind them, sealing out the world.
The private booth was a masterclass in high-tech isolation. It was bathed in a deep, pulsating violet light that caught the sharp angles of Jaden's jawline as he tossed his tech-wear jacket onto a leather sofa. In the center sat a rig that looked like it belonged in a NASA laboratory three curved monitors, a glowing mechanical keyboard, and a chair that looked more like a cockpit.
"This is it," Jaden muttered, his voice dropping into that lower, more intimate register that seemed reserved only for the night. "My real throne."
April stood by the door, her heart hammering against her ribs. The space was small, designed for one person, and with the two of them inside, the air felt thick and charged. "You spend every night here? While the rest of the school thinks you're sleeping in silk sheets?"
"Silk sheets are for the person my father wants me to be," Jaden said, pulling out the ergonomic chair. He didn't sit down yet. He turned to her, the violet light reflecting in his grey eyes, making them look like molten silver. "In here, nobody cares about the Sterling name. Nobody cares about my GPA. They only care if I'm fast enough to survive."
He stepped closer, the space between them disappearing until April had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. The arrogance from the cafeteria was gone, replaced by a raw, restless energy. "I need you to sit on the sofa behind me. Watch the door monitor. If anyone who looks like they're wearing a suit or a school crest shows up on the camera, you hit the kill-switch on the desk."
"You're really that afraid of them finding out," April whispered, struck by the vulnerability in his posture.
"It's not fear, April. It's the only thing I have that's mine."
He reached out, his hand hesitating before he tucked a loose strand of her hair back. His fingers were cool from the rain but left a trail of fire on her skin. For a moment, the fake relationship and the academic war vanished. It was just two people hiding in the dark, bonded by secrets they weren't supposed to keep.
Jaden finally sat, his hands hovering over the keyboard like a pianist. He clicked a few buttons, and the monitors roared to life. The login screen for the world's most competitive tactical shooter appeared, and the name JD-ZERO flashed in a brilliant, aggressive gold.
"The tournament starts in three minutes," he said, his focus shifting entirely to the screen. "Don't take your eyes off that door, Manager."
April sat on the plush leather sofa, her eyes darting between the security feed and the back of Jaden's head. As the match began, she watched a version of Jaden she never knew existed. His movements were surgical, his breathing steady, his fingers moving across the keys with a speed that was almost impossible to follow.
In the heat of the game, Jaden's shirt stretched across his shoulders, his muscles tensed with every high-stakes move. He was focused, lethal, and undeniably in his element.
Suddenly, a loud notification pinged on the security monitor. A black sedan had pulled up to the curb of the cafe. Two men in dark overcoats stepped out, scanning the entrance.
April's blood went cold. "Jaden," she breathed, standing up and moving toward the desk. "The monitor. Someone's here."
Jaden didn't look away from the screen. He was mid-combat, his eyes narrowed as he landed a series of headshots. "Check the facial recognition. Is it the Sterling security team?"
April leaned over his shoulder, her chest nearly brushing against his back as she squinted at the screen. The proximity was overwhelming the scent of him, the heat of the computer, and the adrenaline of the hunt.
"They're looking at a photo on a phone," April said, her voice trembling. "It's Marcus's driver. They're looking for you."
Jaden swore under his breath, his fingers flying faster. "Ten seconds. I just need ten seconds to finish the round."
"Jaden, they're entering the lobby!"
In one fluid motion, Jaden finished the kill, slammed the kill-switch, and the room plunged into total darkness. The only light came from the neon purple strip along the floor.
Before April could move, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist, pulling her down into the shadows of the sofa just as the handle of the door began to turn.
"Stay quiet," Jaden whispered against her ear, his heart racing as fast as hers.