C5 Tangled in Shadows and Spotlight

The sky above the academy was a lazy blue, clouds drifting slowly like thoughts unspoken. Aiden wheeled his bicycle to the back of the school, locking it quietly in the hidden corner he always used. He kept his head down, hoodie up, trying to blend into the crowd of students bustling around the gates.

But it was impossible to ignore the ripple of attention following him lately.

Ever since the school event that brought Lucien—yes, that Lucien—and then the terrifyingly handsome new substitute professor, Damien, into his world, Aiden had felt like a lone deer caught between two very hungry lions.

He didn’t ask for this. He didn’t want it.

Yet here he was, tangled in something too big for him to pretend away.

His phone vibrated as he pushed open the locker door. An unregistered number had sent him a message:

"Your locker looks cold. Would you like a custom one? Diamond-trimmed, maybe? -L"

Aiden frowned. “L?”

He shoved the phone back into his pocket and opened his locker. A bouquet of rare white roses spilled out. Nestled in the center was a Cartier box.

“Again?” he muttered.

From across the hallway, girls squealed softly as Lucien strolled past them, phone in hand, glancing toward Aiden with an unreadable smile. It wasn’t flashy, but it was deliberate.

Lucien had a way of existing like a spotlight. Wherever he went, attention followed. And somehow, that spotlight had fallen on Aiden.

Damien, however, was darker. More dangerous.

During class, he stood by the board, pointer in hand, his voice low and authoritative. But every time Aiden looked up, he caught Damien staring at him. Not just observing. Staring. As if calculating how to best consume him.

At lunch, Aiden skipped the cafeteria and went to the rooftop, clutching his bento like a shield.

Peace lasted five minutes.

A gust of wind, and then—

“Skipping meals to avoid your admirers?”

Damien’s voice was velvet dipped in steel.

Aiden turned. The mafia boss disguised as a professor leaned against the doorframe, his tailored suit sharp, dangerous.

“I’m eating,” Aiden said calmly.

Damien moved closer, slow and precise, like a predator. “Alone?”

“I prefer it that way.”

Damien chuckled. “Too bad. I don’t.”

He sat beside Aiden without invitation. Aiden inched away, his back brushing the cold railing.

“I know you’re hiding something, Aiden,” Damien said. “But I like mysteries. And I always get what I want.”

Before Aiden could retort, the rooftop door swung open again.

Lucien walked in like a king entering his court. “Professor Damien. Strange place for a lesson.”

“I’m educating the boy in survival,” Damien replied.

“Funny. I was thinking of enrolling him in my academy instead,” Lucien said, his gaze locked on Aiden.

“Stop treating me like property!” Aiden snapped, standing. “I’m not some charity case or toy you can toss between you!”

Their eyes widened for a moment, surprised by the fire.

“You think I’m weak?” Aiden hissed. “You’re wrong.”

Lucien took a step forward. “We know you're not weak. That’s why you need us.”

Damien’s gaze darkened with desire. “And we’re not letting go.”

Aiden stormed past them, heart pounding, mind racing.

Down the stairs.

Out of the building.

He didn’t stop until he was off campus.

But even then, even in the quiet of a nearby alley, he felt it—their presence like a phantom weight on his chest.

He slid to the ground, panting.

His phone buzzed again.

"We’ll wait, Aiden. We’ll chase. We’ll protect. But we won’t stop. -L&D"

He threw his phone down. Screamed. Let the tears sting.

Then picked it back up.

And whispered, “What have I gotten myself into…?”