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Chapter 171
~Valerie’s POV~
"She’s not a prize, Kai. Let Valerie breathe, please. Just be there."
I clenched my fists, fingers curling tighter than I ant to. Kaiser was right, but how was I to hold on... How was I to pretend like my heart, body and soul did not want her so much right now?
The ground beneath my boots felt less steady with each passing second.
"I’ll text her later," I muttered.
"Better to say it in person."
"I don’t know if she wants that."
"She does."
"I hurt her too, rember?"
"You didn’t an to."
Neither did Axel.
That thought ca out of nowhere and just like that, he appeared.
The footsteps behind , the soft crunch of gravel, followed by a hand resting on my shoulder.
"Easy," Axel said.
I didn’t turn or flinch. We stood there in silence for a full minute, both of us staring at the scene below like it was a battlefield we’d already lost.
"I didn’t an to do it," Axel said quietly.
"Still, you did," I replied. "It doesn’t matter now, does it?"
"I know."
I finally turned to him. There was sothing brittle behind his usual smooth expression. Like a layer had been stripped back, and what remained was still bleeding.
He made to walk past .
But I stopped him.
"You ssed up, Axe," I said, voice low. "I don’t think she ant anything bad."
He stilled for a second, then turned, just slightly, enough for to see the bitter curve of his smile.
"I know I was an ass."
"Good. Then make it up to her."
He didn’t answer at first, but slowly, Axel nodded. "Yeah. I will."
Axel walked off into the night, hands shoved deep in his pockets, like one having the weight of too many mories trailing behind him.
As for , I stayed rooted there, watching Valerie finally pull back from Xade, wiping her face with the sleeve of her jacket. She said sothing—soft, impossible to hear—and Xade just nodded.
He looked much calr now but deep down, I wasn’t.
I wanted this ti with her too... but even I knew better. My past wasn’t sothing so light... and just like Axel and Xade, I too had burned.
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~Valerie’s POV~
By the ti Xade escorted back to my dorm, the air had cooled enough to raise goosebumps on my arms. I said nothing for most of the walk. Neither did he.
Maybe we both needed the silence.
When we reached my door, he stopped beside , one hand still tucked in his jacket pocket, the other grazing the back of his neck.
"You sure you’re good?" he asked, his voice softer now, almost shy beneath the usual layers of charm and trouble.
"I will be," I replied, turning the key in the door.
He gave a small nod but didn’t move. His gaze lingered on my face longer than it needed to, like he was trying to morise my expression before letting go.
"Thank you, Xade," I added quietly, glancing back at him.
The corner of his lips lifted. "Don’t thank yet. You owe a favour."
"I don’t recall signing a deal."
He grinned, backing away. "Then call it a pending contract. One I’ll collect when you least expect."
I rolled my eyes. "You’re incorrigible."
He winked. "And you like it. Goodnight, little wolf."
"Nighty night, Silver King."
Xade winked, then he turned and walked off, hands in his pockets, the swagger back in his steps. However, I noticed that his shoulders were slightly more relaxed than they had been at the beginning of the night.
I stepped inside my room and shut the door behind , letting the quiet settle around like dust. Only then did I let out the breath I’d been holding.
The mont I dropped my bag on the floor, my phone buzzed against the desk.
I glanced at it to see that it was a ssage from Storm. That was sensitive enough and scread important.
So no matter how tired I was, I reached for my phone and unlocked it.
Storm:We both know Solstice. She wouldn’t pull a move like this without you knowing. What she did... You know, right? So tell , where is she? Why did she run to?
I had stared at the text far longer than I should have, fingers hovering over the screen like I owed him an answer. Maybe I did.
But Solstice trusted . And trust was sothing I didn’t gamble with.
He was right. Usually, she didn’t do anything without dragging into it—or at the very least, giving a heads-up. But this ti?
She vanished.
No warning. No clever hint in the form of a charm note or a snide voice mo. Just... gone. I should’ve reported it.
I knew the rules. But between my loyalty to her and that of my uncle, as well as the chaos my life had beco, I chose silence and protected her.
I inhaled and typed back.
: You’re free to co down to school and find out yourself, Big Cousin.
His reply had co fast.
Storm:I’ll definitely be there tomorrow or the day after.
Of course, he would. Storm wasn’t one to sit on the sidelines. And when it ca to Solstice, he was more protective than even Uncle Zade. She was his kid sister after all.
I hadn’t replied after that. I had tossed the phone onto my bed and stripped out of my uniform, more agitated than relieved. The pressure was mounting—rumours, secrets, boys, and now family.
I didn’t need this kind of spiral. Not again, but I wasn’t stupid either.
Sothing about tonight still sat wrong with . It wasn’t just the breakdowns or the pain I’d seen in Axel or Xade.
Just as I was about to take my bra off and reach for my towel, my hands stopped halfway.
When the scandal video resurfaced in my thoughts, I found myself standing half-naked, staring at the open window as if it had personally betrayed .
Imdiately, my mind started working out all the angles from which that video could be recorded—the lighting, the timing.
And then it hit .
The footage had co from outside. Not a corner, not a reflection. Outside. A straight view in.
My heart skipped.
I hadn’t noticed it before—the subtle angle, the distance that suggested a mini cam, likely rigged across the building at just the right height. Sowhere discreet but direct.
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