Friday.
The sun crawled across the horizon like it was too tired to rise, and Saint Harold's was already a sea of tension. Whispers drifted like smoke through the corridors. Whispers about Julian.
The boy who used to smell like rusted coins and wear recycled uniforms had become the name on everyone's tongue. Girls watched him with parted lips and dazed eyes. Boys stared with clenched jaws and twisted envy.
But Julian wasn't looking at any of them.
He was watching her.
Serena Volkova.
She was everything Lena wasn't—poised, cold as ice, richer than sin, and just as dangerous. The daughter of a Russian real estate magnate and a Caribbean beauty queen, Serena wasn't just beautiful. She was power wrapped in satin and secrets.
She never smiled unless she meant it.
And today… she smiled at Julian.
---
Julian hadn't planned on attending. But the watch pulsed with an alert.
[New Task Unlocked.]
Task: "Make the Ice Princess melt."
Reward: Underground Access Card – District 9 Black Market
*Bonus Reward (if she confesses attraction): Mystery Vault Key
He entered the room and froze.
Serena sat alone by the window, paintbrush in hand, long legs crossed under her designer skirt. Her black hair was pulled into a loose bun, and her lips—cherry red—moved slowly as she whispered something into her phone.
She looked up.
Saw him.
And raised one eyebrow.
"Julian," she said, like tasting fine wine. "The phoenix rises."
He smiled faintly. "Didn't expect you to know my name."
She dipped her brush into deep red. "I know everyone worth knowing. And I make sure they know me too."
Their eyes locked. And the room disappeared.
--
They painted side by side. Serena, elegant and exact. Julian, raw and violent with his strokes—bold lines, wild colors, bleeding emotion.
"I like your chaos," she murmured, tilting her head. "It's… honest."
"I like your control," Julian replied. "It's… dishonest."
She laughed softly. Real. Dangerous.
He turned to her. "What are you painting?"
Without looking at him, she whispered, "You."
He blinked.
Serena finally turned her canvas.
A silhouette. Broad shoulders. Shadowed eyes. Fire behind him. A smirk like revenge had been made flesh.
"You looked like this when Lena cried," she said.
He stared at it, unsure whether to feel exposed or powerful.
"You were watching?"
"I watch everything," she said. "Especially people I want."
The air between them tightened.
The watch buzzed silently.
[Bonus Requirement Complete: Attraction Confirmed.]
[Vault Key Acquired.]
She reached over and touched his fingers. Cool skin, slow movement.
"I think we could break each other," she whispered. "Would you like that, Julian?"
He didn't answer.
But his fingers closed around hers.
---
Her house wasn't a house. It was a fortress on the hill. Cameras, heat sensors, marble halls, and glass that curved like it didn't believe in straight lines.
Julian walked through her world in stunned silence. Oil paintings worth millions. Sculptures of Greek gods. Even the butler looked like he could break bones.
She poured them drinks.
Sat cross-legged on the velvet couch, watching him with curious hunger.
"So tell me," she asked, "how does it feel? Going from nobody to someone people would die to touch?"
Julian leaned back. "You still see me as a nobody."
"No," she replied. "I see you as a storm. I want to see if I can dance in it before it tears me apart."
He watched her sip wine.
"You don't trust anyone, do you?" he asked.
"Trust is for people who can afford pain. I can't."
He nodded.
"I don't either," he whispered.
Silence.
Then she moved closer.
Eyes locked.
Lips brushed.
And for a moment—just a breath—the Ice Princess melted.
---
Julian sat alone in her garden, watching the moon drown itself in the pool. He tapped the watch.
[Task Completed: Melt the Ice Princess]
[Reward Unlocked: Black Market Access Card – District 9]
[Bonus Unlocked: Vault Key Added]
[Vault Unlocked: File #091 – Project Seraphim]
Project Seraphim…?
A folder appeared on the screen. Encrypted. Locked with multiple red bars.
Coming soon…
Julian's mind raced. The watch wasn't just about revenge anymore.
It was unraveling something much bigger.
Something deeper.
---
Meanwhile – Saint Harold's Dorms
In the girl's dormitory, whispers floated through the walls.
Lena was crying again.
This time not because she missed Julian…
But because she realized she had never known him.
And now?
Now… he belonged to the storms.
---