THIRD PERSON'S POV

"What? You didn't protect Mr. Lerwick and Demon escaped? What kind of leaders are you?" The leader of the elders spoke weakly yet emphatically.

They were currently inside Vixen, discussing the recent chaos at the auction.

"If we hadn't withdrawn from the area and pursued them, they would have ambushed us. Half the people at that auction were Demon's allies," Nathan calmly replied, crossing his legs. "Are you angry because the outcome failed, or because we returned alive?"

The other masks remained silent, unsure of how to interpret the elders' true sentiments, allowing Nathan to continue speaking.

In truth, they had been unable to confront the two members of the White Monarchy due to the sudden arrival of hundreds of mafia underlings.

"These mafia underlings only have one objective — to obtain the masks. Zeus likely exterminated half of them before vanishing," Nathan explained.

"If you have nothing important to add, we're leaving. We have urgent matters to attend to," Ice declared, rising abruptly and exiting with the other leaders.

*SLAM*

The door closed sharply, leaving the head elder to tighten his jaw in frustration.

"I want detailed reports on all movements of the masks in and out of the Caribbean. Anyone who attracts their attention should be eliminated," he instructed.

"I think I understand why the first mask behaves that way. He's obsessed with a woman," Morgan Mourer, the principal elder of the Caribbean, interjected.

"A woman? Then you know what to do, don't you?" the leader responded sharply.

"Yes, I know," Morgan affirmed.

"Then you're dismissed." The elder leader stood, glaring irritably at the second elder, who calmly sipped his coffee.

"Is there a problem, Uno?" Despite his irritation, the elder couldn't bring himself to rebuke Uno.

"Nothing at all. I'm merely praying for your safety," Uno replied with a broad smile, leaving the leader momentarily stunned.

HYRA'S POV

"Here," I smiled up at Sky as he pressed the cold drink against my cheek.

"Did you miss me? It's been a whole week," I teased, taking a refreshing sip from the drink he had handed me.

He remained silent, his gaze intense as he sat apart from me. Did I offend him somehow?

We were in his spacious office, my sanctuary upon arriving at school. Unlike the cafeteria, here I found snacks that suited my tastes perfectly.

"So, you didn't miss me at all?" I prodded, half-jokingly.

"Not like that," he finally replied, setting his drink down and crossing the room towards me. His hands gently framed my face, his touch warm and familiar. "I missed you more than words can say," he confessed softly, his lips finding mine in a tender kiss.

Feeling a surge of desire, I melted into his touch, my hands instinctively finding their way to his shoulders, pulling him closer. Sky responded eagerly, his arms wrapping around me as he deepened the kiss, his lips moving against mine with an urgency that sent a shiver down my spine.

With a soft chuckle against my lips, Sky broke away for a moment. "Wait," he whispered huskily, his eyes darkening with desire.

I watched with anticipation as he swiftly strode to the door, his strong fingers deftly locking it with a decisive click. The sound sent a thrill through me, knowing we were now completely alone. He turned back to me, a hunger in his eyes that mirrored my own longing.

Returning to where I sat on his desk, Sky pressed his body against mine, his hands exploring the curves of my waist, sending waves of electricity through me. His lips found mine again, this time with a newfound intensity, as if the locked door had unleashed a torrent of pent-up desire between us.

Our kisses grew deeper and more fervent, each touch and caress igniting a fire that blazed between us. I moaned softly against his lips, my fingers tangling in his hair as I pulled him closer, our bodies molding together in a passionate embrace.

Sky's hands trailed down my back, his touch setting my skin ablaze with sensation. With a gentle yet insistent touch, he guided me to lie back on the desk, his body hovering over mine. His kisses trailed along my jawline, down my neck, leaving a trail of warmth in their wake.

---

"Where did you go? I've been looking for you," Maniego exclaimed, surprising me with a hug in the middle of the open field, where curious eyes could easily see us.

I debated telling him about my visit to Sky's office. Last night had been tough, and confiding in Sky had lightened my mood. "Sky is great," I thought.

"What the heck, if she wasn't elite, I would've slapped her ages ago," someone nearby muttered.

"What did she do to Ice? Why did he fall for her?"

“She’s so ugly,” another voice chimed in. Did they just call me ugly? Not to boast, but I'm the most beautiful one here.

Maniego gently stroked my forehead and leaned in to kiss it. "What happened to your forehead?" he asked softly.

I remembered the cut from last night, waiting outside Conan's room.

FLASHBACK

"Conan, open the door! How long are you going to ignore me?" I banged on the door.

"Blag! Blag!"

"He doesn't like you. Why are you forcing this? Don't you have Shawn?" Venom's voice was harsh. I turned to attack him, but Zeus intervened, touching my forehead where I felt the blood.

"Stop banging your head. Conan isn't in his room."

---

"I have a band-aid. Let me put it on for you," Maniego said, bringing me back to the present.

As he leaned over, I caught a whiff of mint on his breath. His lips looked soft, and I hesitated, about to lean in closer, when someone interrupted.

"Can you two get a room?" Jarvis grumbled, approaching with the rest of the elite.

"May I have everyone's attention?" a voice echoed across the school grounds. I smiled; it was beginning.

"STARTING TODAY, MISS HYRA WILL NO LONGER BE ELITE."

Gasps rippled through the crowd. "What nonsense is this? I won't allow it. Hyra will remain elite," Maniego squeezed my hand, his grip trembling.

"IF ANYONE OBJECTS, TALK TO LORD VLADIMIR, WHO MADE THIS DECISION."

It's him again?

"Can Nathan do something about this?" Maniego pleaded.

"Actually, I can—" Nathan started.

"Did I ask for your help?" I cut him off, turning heads.

How dare he decide without consulting me? Who did he think he was? I didn’t need him; I'd lived over ten years without him.

"Hyra, listen. Nathan can talk to your father," Maniego insisted, still shaking.

"The decision stands. Even if you're king, you can't challenge Lord Vladimir," Mr. Fonancier interjected, bowing to me. "Congratulations on your brief tenure as elite."

*KRINGGGGGGGG*

The bell signaled class was about to start.

Sighing, I turned to the elite and Maniego before walking away. I needed to end this drama to win Best Actress.

My new school life without elite status was about to begin.

BEAM~

Before I could take ten steps, someone yanked my hair.

"You son of a bitch! You'll pay for what you did to me!" she snarled, pulling tightly.

She was the reason I ended up in detention. I needed to teach her a lesson, but we were in full view.

Heh. I liked it.

THIRD PERSON'S POV

"This is hilarious. While others pretend to be weak to hide their strength and carry out their plans, this woman is something else. She openly shows everyone what she can do," Carl commented, watching the scene unfold.

"Get out of my way. I have to stop what's going on below," Ice demanded coldly.

Now that Hyra has been declared out of the Elite Class, Steffany can hurt her without a problem.

"I'm sorry, but the Elders ordered that you can't approach a non-elite," said the guard blocking Ice.

"Don't you know who I am?—"

"LOOK!" Ice's words were interrupted when Jarvis suddenly spoke. "This time, Hyra has no hope of winning."

Everyone was shocked to see Steffany's unconscious body lying on the floor, bathed in her own blood.

"She will live if you take her to the nearest hospital," Hyra said, smiling and looking bored at the men surrounding her. "What the heck, a woman against six ugly men?" she hissed.

She doesn't care what people think of her because, first of all, she's not here to make friends.

"How the hell did she knock Steffany down so easily? We all know Steffany is a black belter in karate," Zeke asked.

"She's a Fukushima," Nathan responded to Zeke's question, his poker face betraying his inner pride at Hyra's strength. He also worried about the consequences; Hyra could be punished.

"Be alert to what else may happen," Nathan reminded them, then pulled Ice by the shoulder. "I'll talk to Dad about it. For now, let the Elders handle it."

Ice calmed down slightly, and his attention returned to the mess below.

Hyra faced three more opponents, but they were exhausted, unlike her, who wasn't even sweating.

"What a weird woman," Brizon murmured.

"Come at me at once, I'm in the mood right now," Hyra challenged the three men, who attacked her simultaneously.

She fought differently now, far from the Hyra they had known before—more brutal and efficient.

"W-HAT?!" everyone gasped in shock.

She quickly moved behind one man, grabbed the back of his head, and slammed his face against the wall. His face was crushed, blood gushing out.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The students began to panic and scream in fear.

"It must be stopped," Mr. Fonancier declared. From the third floor, he jumped and landed safely on the first floor. He knew the consequences but didn't care; bigger problems would arise if he didn't intervene.

-Swisssshhhh!

Along with Mr. Fonancier, Jared jumped from the third floor and landed beside Hyra.

"LET ME GO!" Umber screamed as the Vixen's underlings began to handcuff him.

"I'm sorry, but we're just following orders from the Elders and Lord Vladimir," one of the underlings said, handcuffing him as well.

More than twenty underlings surrounded Hyra, along with Jared and Mr. Fonancier.

"As their teacher, I will not let you hurt them," Mr. Fonancier said, loosening his tie. His eyes darkened for the first time in front of everyone.

Meanwhile, Jared cursed himself for giving in to his intrusive thoughts and jumping in to help Hyra.

"It's embarrassing to retreat now, so there's no retreat," he said, preparing to fight.

HYRA'S POV

What does Jared think of this? That we're in some Wattpad story?

"Monteverde, I'll take care of it."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Fonancier, but there's no going back."

Tch, they're just obstacles to me.

I let them argue and focused on the useless underlings sent by the Vixen. Do they underestimate me? Then I'll show them what they want to see.

I lifted the sleeve of my uniform and my socks, then quickly ran toward the four side-by-side underlings. They were ready to attack me but fell before I could get close.

I looked at the other building where the bullet came from, gritting my teeth.

"You can't do that," Jared whispered to me, then quickly attacked the opponent.

-BANG!

Something cold touched my cheek. When I touched it, blood dripped from it.

"I COMMAND YOU TO STOP THAT!" Maniego shouted, but none of the Vixens listened. How did he become the first mask? He lacks authority and the ability to lead.

"ALL STUDENTS WILL EVACUATE TO A SAFE PLACE!"

Evacuate? Do they intend to detonate a bomb here?

-BOOOOOOM!

HUH? HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH??

This is indeed true.

-BOOOOOOM!

Are they trying to kill me? If so... Bring it on!

THIRD PERSON'S POV

"What the hell is she doing in the middle of the ongoing explosion?" Nathan asked incredulously when he saw Hyra not moving from her position. A cold shiver went down his spine when he saw her smile.

He wanted to stop the commotion, but his father had warned him not to interfere.

"Haha, moreeeee!"

Hyra was sweating, not out of fear but out of excitement.

"Carl, call the first unit of the Black Government," Nathan said seriously, his eyes never leaving Hyra.

"Are you crazy? You're going to disobey your father?" Carl asked in surprise.

"No, but my sister's life is in danger now."

Carl clicked his tongue at Nathan's answer.

"But she doesn't consider you her brother—"

"Please."

Carl flinched at Nathan's plea. It was the first time Nathan had ever said that word in all their time together.

He clenched his fist and took a deep breath.

"I'll call them right now."

Carl immediately left the area, and Nathan bit his lower lip in annoyance.

He was angry with himself for being unable to do anything.

"YOU FUCKER!"

He looked down at the source of the scream and saw Hyra covered in blood. It reminded him of when they were young, and she was covered in the blood of the man she had killed.

Nathan felt a severe headache and nausea as the image resurfaced.

He no longer knew what was happening around him as his surroundings began to blur.

"BANG!"

"HYRAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

---

"I'm glad you came to visit me, but I didn't expect you to come with a big proposal," the man in his 40s said.

"I'm sorry for the unannounced visit," Viper bowed in front of the man.

The man smiled and handed Viper a white handkerchief.

"I like the idea of the nano weapon," he replied to Viper, who was busy wiping his bloody hands.

"It's not just my idea; it's hers too," Viper replied calmly, then aimed his gun at the four gentlemen behind him.

"You can lower your gun. They're not enemies. They will help me," the man said.

Viper remained silent and put his gun back in his pocket.

The man in his 40s smiled sweetly as he watched Viper.

"KRINGGGGG!"

"You should have turned off your device before facing us," one of the four gentlemen said.

Viper glared at the gentleman, then answered the call in front of them.

"She lost consciousness."

-Crackkkk!

The four gentlemen flinched as Viper crushed the phone he was holding.

He stood up and approached the man in his 40s.

"I need to leave."

The man noticed Viper's sudden anxiety.

"How disrespectful. You can't leave, no matter how important that call is. It's hard to get a schedule for the four of us, so we need to discuss the matter right now."

"I agree. You can't leave without our permission."

"We are your hope in this battle."

"Go back to your seat and discuss the important thing."

"Huh?" Viper raised an eyebrow.

The four gentlemen stood up and approached the man in his 40s, standing behind him.

"Today's discussion is even more important than the person who called you and—BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Four gunshots rang out in the area.

"Looks like I need to find new partners," the man in his 40s said with a smile.

"I don't regret what I did," Viper said, hiding the gun in his pocket again. "The most important person to me is in danger. Without her, this matter is meaningless."

The man nodded, still smiling.

Viper didn't say another word and left immediately, driving as fast as he could to get to Hyra's location.

JARED'S POV

"She's stable for now, but I can't predict when she'll wake up—or if she will," the doctor said, his voice heavy with uncertainty.

None of us reacted to his words, the weight of them sinking in slowly.

"Don't worry. She won't give up so easily," Brizon assured me, his confidence unwavering. He tapped my shoulder and whispered, "She's close to Satan, so Satan will bring her back."

I couldn't understand what he meant.

"If it weren't for you, she wouldn't be in this situation," Krystal said from behind me, her voice trembling.

"Sor—"

I was about to apologize, but she cut me off.

"I should be the one to apologize. If something bad happens to her, I'll kill you."

She left, followed by Megumi, who gave me a blank look.

Those two, do they know something?

"Are you okay?" Sky asked, his voice gentle.

"Her life is in danger because of me. If she hadn't taken that bullet for me, she wouldn't be here. I would be lying there instead."

"Don't say that. She wouldn't be happy hearing you talk like that," Sky replied, his calm demeanor belying his worry. Nathan had also lost consciousness; his nose started to bleed, and he collapsed at the same time as Hyra.

"Can I see her?" Master, asked one of the doctors, his voice faint and eyes exhausted.

"No, she needs to rest now."

"Then I'll just watch over her from outside the room. I'll wait until I can see her," Master insisted.

"No, Master, you need to rest too. I'll take care of her. You'll be the first to know when she wakes up," Brizon said, looking at us.

"I'll go with you," Krystal stood up and joined Brizon. "Go ahead, Master. I'll make sure Brizon doesn't try to harass Hyra."

"What the fuck, Krystal," Brizon muttered, but there was a hint of a smile.

"No buts, Master. They're right. You need to rest. Do you want Hyra to see you looking miserable?" Jarvis interrupted, then turned to me. "You, let's go home."

I stood up and followed them, feeling helpless.

"You two take care of her," Megumi reminded Krystal and Brizon. I caught a glimpse of Brizon smirking. What's that smirk for?

THIRD PERSON'S POV

"They're gone. You can stop disguising yourself," Krystal said, leaning against the wall as she addressed a man sitting in the waiting area, his face obscured by a coat and hat.

"It took you long enough to notice I was here," the man stood up, passing between Brizon and Krystal to head straight to Hyra's room.

"No, it was hard to ignore your presence, but it would have been more chaotic if we had acknowledged you sooner," Brizon explained, opening the door for the man in the coat.

"Who did this to her?" The man approached Hyra and gently moved a strand of hair from her face.

"I'm sorry, Viper. We have no idea. It happened too fast," Krystal said, bowing.

"Ah, worthless," Viper muttered, making Krystal and Brizon flinch. They knew the consequences of his anger.

"Will you avenge her? If so, I know who did this to her," a masked man suddenly spoke, making Krystal and Brizon tense up.

"Avenge her? Why?" Viper's smile turned creepy, sending shivers down their spines. "She can avenge herself. Why would I do that for her?"

"Is that so? What a waste of my time. I killed a few underlings to get this information for you, but it looks like you don't need it anymore," the masked man said, approaching Viper with irritation.

"UNO, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Zeus suddenly appeared, standing between Viper and Uno. "Go back to the Elders. The plan will be ruined if you continue with your scheme."

"Tch," Uno clicked his tongue in frustration.

He was about to leave when Viper spoke again.

"Looks like you'll need to stay at the mansion longer to understand Hyra's way of thinking."

Uno stopped and looked at Viper in surprise.

"Do you think she'll let someone else touch her prey? When she wakes up, she’ll punish the person who did this to her. Let's just say it's a countdown for that person. When Hyra wakes up, it'll be their last day on this earth," Viper said without emotion.

"Viper won't touch her prey, but he didn't say he wouldn't touch their clan," Zeus added. "Viper plans to attack the clan aiding that Elder."

"We need your information about the imperial mafia," Zeus continued.

Uno smirked, then bowed to Viper, proud that Viper needed his help.

"I'll do everything I can," She said and left, leaving Viper, Zeus, Krystal, Brizon, and Hyra behind.

Viper sighed deeply and massaged his head.

"Where's Cris?" he asked after taking some medicine Zeus handed him.

"I saw him enter Nathan's room," Krystal replied.

"Please get him out of there before he does anything unplanned."

NATHAN'S ROOM

"You are her brother, but you're the cause of her miserable life. You should disappear to end her suffering," Cris said, placing his hand on Nathan's neck and slowly squeezing.

"If you do that, be ready to face Demon's resentment," Megumi said, walking closer and removing Cris's hand from Nathan's neck.

"Why are you still here?" Cris asked, annoyed.

"I knew this would happen, so I stayed. My suspicion was correct. You were going to kill Nathan," Megumi replied.

Cris exhaled sharply and passed Megumi, but before leaving, he whispered something that made her hair stand on end.

"Next time, you won't be able to keep him alive."

---

VIXEN MAFIA

"She's still unconscious," an underling reported, kneeling before the man sitting on a throne, legs crossed.

"Is that so? It seems she's really close to the devil, as rumored," the man laughed slightly, but his laughter quickly vanished. "Tighten the guard on the Elders and surround the hospital where that woman is. Make sure she can't get out."

This man knew exactly what Hyra would do when she woke up.

"Understood, Lord Vladimir."

When the underling left, Vladimir leaned back on his throne and laughed loudly.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Let's see how far you can go, my dearest daughter."