Priana's POV
I stumbled out of the lounge, my vision blurred by tears. I didn't have the strength to make it back to my room, so I collapsed onto a nearby bench. The sob I had been choking back finally broke free, racking my entire body.
I tried to regain control, but Anrio's poisonous words kept echoing in my mind like a cruel melody.
How? How can he be so heartless?
Nothing he said was true. I am not the girl he painted me to be. His accusations felt like shards of glass cutting through my soul. He is a monster—a cold, unfeeling statue who thinks he can destroy anyone with his words just because he has power.
How can someone be so incredibly cruel? One moment, he marks me with his touch, and the next, he drags my character through the dirt in front of everyone. I never imagined he could be this vile.
I buried my face in my hands, my tears soaking through my fingers. Every corner of this elite school felt like it was mocking me now. Anrio thinks he won because I'm poor, but he's wrong. He might have all the gold in the world, but he doesn't have a single ounce of the humanity I carry in my heart.
***
Anrio's POV
I stood there, my chest heaving, the bitter taste of my own words lingering in my mouth.
Why? Why did I say those things? Every time I'm near Priana, I lose control. I don't understand these feelings—this chaotic storm she stirs inside me. I wanted to hurt her before she could somehow affect me, but now, the silence in the lounge felt like a heavy accusation.
"You crossed the line, Anrio," Diego said, his voice cold and disappointed. "Priana isn't who you think she is. I wanted to buy the most expensive watch in the store, but she stopped me. She doesn't care about the price tag; she cares about the soul of things. You completely misjudged her."
"Are you going to lecture me now?" I snapped, my ego flare up. "Since when did you become her advocate?"
"I'm not lecturing you, Mr. President," Diego countered, his eyes hardening. "Stay trapped in your own pride. I'm done."
"Diego is right," Warren added, shaking his head. "What you did was wrong, Anrio. Plain and simple."
But it was Oscar who delivered the final blow. He had been silent, watching from the shadows with that piercing gaze. "I've been observing this for a while," he said softly, yet every word cut through me like a blade. "That girl is truly hurt. She's probably out there somewhere, crying her heart out. And for what? What was her crime?"
I let out a harsh, dry laugh. "Unbelievable. You're all turning against me for some outsider girl? My decisions mean nothing to you now?"
"You really are a stone, aren't you?" Oscar stepped closer, his voice dripping with disdain. "You have no heart. You're not even worthy of her."
Rage exploded in my veins. I lunged forward, grabbing Oscar by his collar, pinning him. "You don't get to decide what I'm worthy of!" I hissed.
"Stop it! Both of you!" Warren shouted, trying to pull us apart. "The Elites don't fight among themselves!"
"She's just an outsider!" Marco yelled, but Lian stepped in. "She's not an outsider anymore, Marco. She's our secretary. She's part of this team."
Oscar shoved my hands off him with a look of pure disgust. "If none of you have the guts to go find her, fine. I'm going." He didn't look back as he stormed out of the lounge.
I stood frozen, the echo of his words—not worthy—ringing in my ears. Am I really that cold? Am I truly a monster? I know I hurt her. I know I broke her spirit today. I don't know why I lash out, and I don't know what these feelings are... but for the first time in my life, I felt like the villain in my own story.
***
Priana's POV
I sat on the bench, my body trembling with every sob. The world felt cold and lonely until a shadow fell over me. I looked up through my blurred vision and saw Oscar. He had been looking for me.
"So, this is where you're hiding," he said softly, sitting down beside me.
The tears wouldn't stop. I looked at him, my voice cracking. "Oscar... am I really that bad? Am I truly a greedy person like he said?"
Oscar didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached out and gently ruffled my hair, his touch surprisingly warm. "First, dry your eyes, Priana. You are nothing like what he described. You are a good person, and deep down, we all know that."
He paused for a second and then tilted his shoulder toward me. "If you need to cry, you don't have to do it alone. Use my shoulder."
At that moment, I needed someone—anyone—to hold onto. I leaned my head against his shoulder and let the tears flow. For a few seconds, I felt a sense of peace. But that peace was shattered the moment I looked toward the end of the corridor.
Anrio was standing there.
His gaze was like a jagged blade, sharp and filled with a terrifying intensity I couldn't decipher. He was watching us, his face pale with a mix of agony and fury.
Suddenly, without a word, he pulled back his fist and slammed it into the concrete wall with a sickening thud. The sound echoed through the silent hallway. My heart jumped in my chest. He must have shattered his knuckles; I could almost feel the pain myself.
But he didn't even flinch. He turned around and stormed away into the darkness, leaving a heavy, suffocating silence behind.
I stared at the empty space where he had been standing. Why? Why was he acting like this? If he hates me so much, why does it look like seeing me with someone else is killing him?
We returned to the Elites' private lounge, but the moment I stepped inside, my eyes searched the room. Anrio was nowhere to be found.
"Do you feel a bit better now?" Lian asked gently, noticing my lingering sadness.
"Yes," I lied, my mind already elsewhere. I told them I needed to use the restroom, but as soon as I was out of their sight, I went on a mission. I managed to find a First-Aid Box and began my search.
I scanned the entire campus until I found myself standing in front of an old, abandoned classroom. Through the cracked door, I saw him—Anrio was sitting alone in the dim light. I stepped inside, and my heart sank when I saw his hand; it was still dripping with blood.
I rushed to his side and sat down. As I reached for his mangled hand to apply the medicine, he jerked it away.
"Why are you here, Priana?" His voice was still sharp, but his eyes looked exhausted. "I've caused you so much pain. I insulted you. So why... why did you come for me?"
I looked him straight in the eye, my voice steady. "You seem to forget, Anrio. I am the assistant to The Elites. It is my responsibility to look after you."
Ignoring his resistance, I firmly took his hand in mine. As I cleaned the wound and applied the ointment, he watched me with a strange, lingering gaze. The hatred was gone, replaced by a haunting vulnerability.
"It hurts a lot, doesn't it?" I asked as I wrapped the bandage.
"Yes," he whispered, almost to himself.
"I know it does. But why? What was the point of punching a wall like that?"
"Because I wanted to," he snapped back, looking away like a stubborn child.
I let out a sigh and packed the first-aid kit. "You can't even say a simple 'sorry,' can you?"
Just as I turned to leave, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him. I lost my balance and ended up mere inches from his chest. The air between us felt electric. Whenever I'm this close to him, my senses fail me. I couldn't move; I was trapped in the depth of his dark, melancholic eyes.
"You really don't understand me, do you?" he murmured, his voice laced with a deep, hidden agony. "If you truly understood me, you would understand my pain."
I looked at him, completely bewildered. "What pain, Anrio? What is it that I'm not seeing?"
He let out a hollow, bitter laugh. "You wouldn't understand."
With that, he gently pushed me away, leaving me standing there in the silence of the old classroom, my heart racing with questions I didn't know how to ask.
Anrio walked toward the door, ready to leave. He grabbed the handle and tried to pull it open, but it didn't budge. He growled in frustration and shouted, "Why the hell is this door not opening?"
My heart skipped a beat at his words. I stood there, frozen in shock. I thought to myself—it's not opening! What's going to happen now? There was no one in this abandoned corridor to hear our cries for help.
As the darkness outside grew deeper, the classroom felt smaller. I watched Anrio's jaw clench in the dim light. The very man I was trying to escape, the one who had insulted me so cruelly just hours ago, was now the only one I was trapped with.
What now? Will anyone find us? Or are we destined to spend the entire night locked in this silence together? A wave of fear and uncertainty washed over me, leaving me cold and breathless.