And then—
Ten ters.
Eight.
Five.
Her foot landed beside his.
One more burst. One final leap of grit and fury and fire—
She crossed first.
It was barely a win, a photo finish where inches separated them.
But it was hers.
The whistle blew, sharp and definitive. The crowd scread, a wave of exhilaration.
People jumped to their feet. Blue house erupted in a cacophony of shouts and cheers. Yes, they didn’t like her, but they couldn’t pretend that had not been phenonal, especially since they all knew the young man who ca second was an athlete.
Alice stumbled to a halt, chest heaving, lungs burning, heart racing like a stampede. Her vision blurred from the sweat stinging her eyes, but she stood. Breathless. Alive. Victorious.
Soone touched her back. It was her competitor who ca second. He was trying to catch his breath too but you could hear the awe in his voice. "You won. You actually won—"
And for a second, for a heartbeat, she smiled.
Wide. Free. Almost dazed by the sheer, exhilarating triumph.
At the pavilion, Hades didn’t blink. His eyes, fixed on her, were a fathomless abyss.
Gavin tilted his head, a wry amusent in his voice as he muttered under his breath, "... She’s not bad."
Rowan nodded absently, completely captivated by the scene below. "She’s really... fast." He sounded genuinely impressed.
"She didn’t even flinch," Milo added, slightly stunned, a faint smile on his lips as he replayed Alice’s final surge in his mind.
For a fleeting mont, Hades’s emotional turmoil was forgotten by his n, replaced by a simple, human appreciation for a remarkable display of grit.
But then, it seed like Milo, who was usually in charge of information, suddenly rembered sothing and paused, taking out his phone to check for sothing. His brow furrowed.
Hades was silent. The air around him grew colder, denser. His fingers had curled into fists, the knuckles white where they gripped the armrests of his chair, ready to splinter the wood.
He watched her wipe sweat from her brow, still laughing faintly, that genuine, unfiltered happiness making her glow. Bathed in sunlight, despite her pain, her battered lip and bandaged arm seemingly forgotten in the mont of triumph. His gaze darkened, a storm brewing in their depths.
"Ridiculous," he finally muttered, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that promised swift, decisive action.
He moved.
"Where are you going?" Gavin asked quickly.
"To remind her she’s powerless." He said with boredom.
And this ti, Gavin didn’t even try to stop him when he moved. Hades rose from his chair, a silent, imposing figure. His eyes were fixed on Alice, a possessive fire burning in their depths. He descended the pavilion stairs, his movents deliberate, unhurried, yet radiating an undeniable intent. People moved instinctively, clearing a path, sensing the dangerous current that followed him.
anwhile, Alice had just received her dal, the cool tal a solid weight against her chest. That was the only thing in her mind right now. She would solve the other problems later. She was told to leave the track. Rewards would be handed out later. For now, she had to go to the dical station for a check-up and to renew her glucose.
Alice nodded. She could see so eyes looking at her with less hostility now, a few even curious. And so, still filled with sheer hate, mostly from a certain Clarkson and Cresswell. She ignored them as she made her way to the dical booth, limping slightly, wiping sweat from her face.
Then she turned. She didn’t know why she did, but it felt like they had so kind of telepathy, and she could feel him close.
As soon as she saw him, her gaze sharpened, wondering why that madman was looking at her with a determined glint in his eyes. It made her heart race, but not for any romantic reason. Considering the kind of heated argunt they had just had this morning, and what he had done.
ALL he had done.
Should she run away?
But he was already in front of her. "W-What are you—"
He didn’t speak.
He grabbed her.
Lifted her.
Over his shoulder.
Like a sack of flour, which ironically also weighed nothing.
Right there. Right in front of everyone who had the guts to be born with eyes.
Announcents seized. The crowd, a mont ago roaring with triumph, now fell into a stunned, collective silence.
All shocked eyes turned to the scene, but no one dared say a word, as they froze mid-air.
"HADES!! YOU IMBECILE! PUT DOWN THIS INSTANT!" She thrashed wildly, kicking her legs and flailing her arms.
That had been on impulse, a primal scream of indignity. But then fear was mixed with apprehension, a cold dread creeping in.
Hades, however, remained unfazed. His grip was iron-tight, his stride purposeful. A faint, almost imperceptible smirk touched his lips, a triumphant curve that spoke of satisfaction and possessiveness. As Milo had said, ’Won liked to feel powerless.’ He didn’t believe in love theories, but he had a feeling this was the fastest way to seduce her. Let her see how powerless she was with him. Of course, he still disliked won. Especially her.
He disliked her so much he didn’t know why.
At the other end, Milo, Gavin, and Rowan were not sure whether to look horrified or look normal, whether to even follow or remain there. From their end, they could see how Alice had given up her thrashing about, but she was still wriggling.
She even looked like she was laughing, which she was. But it was from disbelief. And embarrassnt. To smoothen over the public humiliation.
"I think Miss Boss is enjoying it. She looks... happy." Rowan noted, not even believing what he was seeing.
Gavin tried to stare intently at Alice’s upside-down face. He usually didn’t comnt on anything, but he seed to share the sa thought. "I think so... I’ve never seen her look so bubbly around him."
He genuinely look confused.
Won were strange people.
Milo was watching, slack-jawed. He facepald dramatically. This wasn’t what he ant when he told them won liked to feel powerless!
anwhile, Alice... "Hades! This is not even funny. Put down now!" Her voice was high enough for him to hear but not for everyone. He ignored her. Just kept walking. Stone-faced. Silent. In control.
He took her inside the dical tent. One glare had all of them scurrying out. He dropped her there, standing between her and the exit. He didn’t drop her carelessly, but with just enough force to make her stumble back a step, flushed and breathless. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, adrenaline still pumping through her bloodstream from the race—and now, from him.
"WHAT THE HELL?" she snapped, pushing her hair out of her face, her eyes blazing. "What the actual hell are you doing? You embarrassed in front of everyone!"
He said nothing. Just stared at her, that dead-cold expression locked into place.
Fuck! He was pissing her off.
"You think you can just manhandle anyti you please?" she hissed, taking a step closer, even though her instincts scread she shouldn’t.
He pulled back just enough to et her eyes. "You want to humiliate in front of everyone, little girl?" he murmured, low enough that only she could hear even if there were others in the tent with them.
"You think Dawin’s little stunt ans anything to ? Let be clear..."
He took a step forward. She didn’t flinch. Yet.
"I don’t share."
Another step.
"I don’t get ignored."
She paused. A beat of tense silence stretched between them.
Both glared at each other, a silent battle of wills, and then the laugh ca out of her. Disbelief.
"I told you before. The mont you try to act like you own , or worse... jealous? I. Will. Kill. You." She said darkly, standing her ground and squaring her shoulders.
Then he moved. Slowly. Purposefully.
She unfortunately was no match for him, because she instinctively stepped back. To her absolute horror, he continued coming closer until she found herself fallen back and sitting on the doctor’s desk, pinned.
He leaned closer, hands on both her sides, trapping her.
She was panicking now. "W-what... the hell—"
He reached for the scissors on the dical box which was on the table. She flinched when she saw it, her heart beating wildly. Was he going to...
He grabbed her hand. Not the injured one. And when she forcefully tried to pull back, he pressed the scissors handle into her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers. Her hand trembled slightly, but he lifted it with ease, guiding the blade to his chest, pressing it directly over his heart.
"Go ahead," he said, voice low and rough, that smirk finally curling at the edge of his mouth like sothing forbidden. "Kill ."
Her fingers twitched on the handle. The scissors pressed harder against him. Not breaking the skin, but not gentle either.
He was insane.
He leaned forward, mouth close to her ear. "Go on."
Her hand trembled.
She hated him. She hated this ga. She hated how her cheeks flad.
Hated the pressure of his fingers still loosely wrapped around hers. Hated the steady beat of his heart beneath the blade.
Alice yanked herself away, flinging the scissors to the ground. It landed with a soft tallic thud beside them.
"Stay... the hell away from , Hades." But her voice didn’t carry the weight she wanted it to. And he knew it.
He searched her eyes. And then he let out a dry laugh.
"That... would unfortunately not be happening, Wifey."
With one last lingering glance, his dark eyes sweeping over her flushed face, he turned and walked away, leaving Alice breathless, seething, and far more shaken than she cared to admit.
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