The next morning, everything was normal. The students gossiped, laughed, and rushed to their classes, completely unaware of what had happened the night before. No one knew.
No one except Evelyn.
She sat in class, her fingers lightly tapping her desk, stealing a glance at Lucien Falkner. He sat near the window, leaning back in his chair, his face unreadable. His gaze drifted outside, completely at ease, as if the previous night had never happened. As if he hadn't taken down five guys effortlessly.
Evelyn lowered her eyes, her mind replaying the scene.
"No hesitation. No wasted movement. Just pure precision."
She had seen trained fighters before. Her father was a former military officer, and she'd grown up around combat drills and discipline. But Lucien? Lucien moved like someone who had been trained since birth. His fighting wasn't flashy or reckless—it was efficient. And that was the most terrifying part.
She exhaled softly and turned to her notebook, trying to push the thought aside. If Lucien wanted to pretend to be normal, she would act like nothing happened too.
Then Lena dropped into the seat beside her, dramatically sighing.
"Ugh, I swear, Mr. Calloway enjoys torturing us. Another pop quiz today," she groaned.
Evelyn barely reacted. Her mind was still elsewhere.
Lucien, however, didn't even blink.
—
When the quiz started, the classroom filled with soft murmurs of frustration. The questions were harder than expected, and some students were already sighing in defeat.
Evelyn worked through the problems, but something caught her attention.
Lucien.
Unlike everyone else, he wasn't struggling. His eyes scanned the paper quickly, and his hand moved with a slow, deliberate pace.
"Wait..." Evelyn narrowed her eyes. He was going slow on purpose.
She watched as he casually lifted his pen, tapped it against the desk, then wrote just enough to get by. He wasn't failing, but he wasn't excelling either.
"He's holding back."
Not just in a fight. Here too.
Evelyn looked back at her own paper, forcing herself to focus.
"So he's not just strong—he's smart. But he's hiding it. Why?"
She stole another glance at him. His expression never changed.
Lucien was methodical. Everything he did was intentional.
Was he doing this in every subject? Why? To avoid attention? To keep people from expecting too much? Or... was it something deeper?
Evelyn didn't let her face betray her thoughts. If Lucien could act like he was just another student, then she would pretend too.
End of Chapter 4