Chapter 2

Morning sunlight filtered through the cherry blossoms, their pale pink petals beginning to fall in slow spirals over polished stone paths. Students loitered across the courtyard in tailored blazers and sleek loafers, their voices buzzing with the usual gossip, laughter, and scandal-fueled chatter.

Nothing unusual.

Just another day at the The Heights, where secrets were traded like stocks, where lineage and names reigned—after all, donations and last names were the real admission tickets.

Everything dulled the moment Kael walked through the front gate.

His tousled dark hair caught the light, blazer loose and slightly unbuttoned, headphones draped carelessly around his neck. He didn’t look at anyone—didn’t need to. He moved like the crowd wasn’t even there, walking through it as if it were smoke. Untouchable. Unreachable. The kind of presence that made people pause.

A few steps behind, Mihe entered—heels clicking cleanly with each step. Her uniform was immaculate, every pleat perfectly pressed, her expression cool and unreadable. Heads turned, but not one student dared to stare for too long.

No one linked their arrival. Of course not. Mihe and Kael never so much as acknowledged each other's presence. Their mutual silence was airtight— no glances, no words, as if the other didn't exist, nothing to suggest such an idea. And yet, they were always aware of one another.

They passed by each other in the hall— no exchange, no flicker of recognition.

𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦: 𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘸. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥.

—

Every corner of The Heights reeked of decorum and cruelty disguised as etiquette. Cafeterias were quiet affairs where seating arrangements reflected social allegiances. Gym classes were more about who had private trainers outside school than actual performance. Gossip was currency, but only if it was said in code, laced behind fake smiles and silken glances.

The day carried on in that curated calm only elite schools could manufacture—lectures behind glass walls, laughter echoing in manicured courtyards, the soft click of designer shoes on imported stone. Everything was polished. Predictable. Peaceful.

Until it wasn’t.

By mid-morning, the stillness cracked. Hushed yet meaningful whispers spread like wildfire, moving faster than any official announcment ever could. A girl had been found 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 in the girl's bathroom on the third floor.

𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙙.

The bell had barely finished ringing before the hallways were choked with speculation. Faces turned pale. Messages flew. Some students cried quietly behind their hands. Others looked around with wide, performative shock—already composing the perfect reaction for their next group chat or carefully crafted post.

The girl’s name didn’t matter to most. What mattered was that it had happened here. And it was already threatening the fragile reputation the school prided itself on.

The cherry blossoms outside kept falling. But now, they felt heavier.

Mihe remained as composed as ever. She sat at her desk in the classroom, flipping through the company files her father had assigned her earlier that morning. Her focus was absolute, the hum of students around her barely registering—until the commotion began.

Sori Chavez came over eagerly, eyes wide with excitement as she whispered the news. "Mihe! Mihe! You won't believe it! A girl... she was found dead in the girl's bathroom, the one on the third floor. And everyone's like totally freaking out.

Mihe’s fingers paused mid-turn of the page, but her face betrayed nothing. No shock. No interest, at least not outwardly yet an uneasy feeling stirred within her. She merely listened, her gaze fixed on the papers in front of her as Sori filled her in on the details.

"A girl had been found dead in the bathroom." The words, heavy with finality, hung in the air, but Mihe only gave a small, almost imperceptible sigh.

A person flashed through her mind—Kael. She quickly pushed the thought away. Sure, he had murdered someone before. But could he really have done it again? Now..? Nope. Not in such a reckless and blatant way. Besides.. he had no reason to.. or did he? Ah no no no, stop thinking about it.

Sori's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Mihe, ugh, are you even listening? This is big! Someone died! In the bathroom! Don't you think that's... kinda huge?" Sori leaned in, her eyes wide with a mix of excitement and anxiety. She was always quick to latch onto drama, no matter the source.

Mihe blinked, trying to push the lingering thoughts of Kael out of her head. She straightened, her gaze flicking to Sori. “Yeah, I heard you the first time, quiet down." Mihe replied, her voice cool, controlled, like always. “It’s not like we can do anything about it.”

Sori's lips twisted, skeptical, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she took her seat, clearly agitated. "Yeah, but... don’t you think it’s weird? No one’s talking about how it happened. No details. It’s all hush-hush. And the girl… she wasn’t even that popular, so what the hell happened? Someone pulling a hit-and-run? Wouldn't have been the first time it had happened, I mean, last year-

Mihe shot her a look, enough to shut her up. "Careful Sori, start connecting the dots and you'll be considered a liability."

Sori’s grin faltered. Her fingers tightened slightly around her phone, eyes flicking away. "You know me haha, my mouth runs faster than my brain sometimes." She forced a laugh, but the edge in her voice betrayed her.

The conversation died a quiet death after that.

Sori kept her eyes on her notes, suddenly very invested in underlining a heading three times. Mihe didn’t bother to look at her again, her attention smoothly returning to the company file on her lap. She turned the page as if the entire exchange hadn’t happened, the only sign of awareness being the faint arch of a brow.

Outside the classroom, the hallway buzzed with nervous energy. Rumors had begun to mutate—some said the girl was found with something in her hand, others insisted she’d been trying to write something in blood. None of it was confirmed, of course, but truth wasn’t the priority here. It never was. Here, perception always mattered more than fact. And amidst all the hushed horror, Kael still hadn’t shown up. Mihe noticed.

No one would suspect Kael.

Not really.

Not with that perfectly detached gaze, that calm elegance, that moneyed silence. He was untouchable, both in presence and reputation. Teachers adored his spotless academic record. Classmates either feared or admired him—most, both.

No one knew what Mihe knew.

No one knew he had murdered before.

And that he’d had gotten away with it, too.

Classes ended early. Obviously.

The announcement came over the pristine intercom system with its usual polished calm: "Due to a sudden malfunction in the building’s central air filtration system, all classes are hereby dismissed for the day. Please return home immediately and await further instruction via official channels."

Air filteration system? Yeah, right. The excuse was almost laughable.

Everyone knew it was a lie. There hadn’t been a single janitor spotted, no warning signs, no sounds of repairs—just a death and a desperate attempt to keep the academy’s reputation from cracking. 

The Heights didn’t care about the truth. It cared about the headlines.

Students filtered out in controlled waves, murmuring behind designer masks, eyes darting, ears tuned for any hint of real news. Phones buzzed beneath desks, messages pouring into private chats and closed forums.

Mihe walked calmly through the main corridor, Sori trailing beside her with tense shoulders and too many questions she knew better than to ask out loud. Everything smelled too clean. Looked too controlled.

A girl was dead upstairs. But the school was more concerned with appearances.

And Kael still hadn’t shown up. A coincidence perhaps? Or maybe... Mihe tried her best to keep her thoughts from straying towards Kael but she couldn't deny—he was intriguing to say the least.

Just then, she spotted him from her peripheral vision—Kael. Had to be him, too striking to be overlooked. He was leaning casually against the school’s back wall, the kind of place students snuck off to smoke or ditch class, tucked just out of view from faculty eyes.

Smoking? Maybe. On his phone? Probably.

As the academy began to empty out early, the usual hum of students dispersing was replaced by an unusual stillness in the air, leaving Mihe with an unsettling quiet. She made her way over to him, her steps purposeful yet measured. The soft click of her heels against the stone pathway contrasted the silence that had settled around them.

Kael didn’t look up when she approached, his figure half-hidden in the shadows. The faint scent of smoke lingered around him, and his phone remained pressed to his ear. He was as calm as ever, unfazed by her presence.

She stopped just a few feet away, her gaze lingering on him for a moment before she spoke, her voice cool and steady.

"What are you doing?"

Kael's lips curled into an almost imperceptible smirk without breaking his conversation on the phone. His tone, dripping with sarcasm, came through clearly despite the phone pressed to his ear. "What does it look like?"

He just shrugged lazily, one shoulder rising with an air of indifference, as if that was all the answer he was going to give her. His gaze didn’t linger on her—didn’t need to. That smug calm of his said it all.

Still on the call, he muttered a bored, “Yeah, whatever,” into the phone, before lowering it just enough to glance her way again.

“Didn’t think you’d come looking for me, fiancé." he added, voice low and dry, just to get under her skin. "What's the occasion?" His voice laced with boredom.

He slipped his phone into his pocket without looking, finally giving her the courtesy of turning his attention towards her—amused.

“As much as I enjoy the mystery of your sudden interest… I’m going to assume this is about the dead girl.”

Mihe raised an eyebrow, her expression a perfect mix of curiosity and challenge, as if silently replying, 𝘠𝘦𝘴.

She crossed her arms, not bothering to hide her growing impatience.

His gaze met hers, cold yet intriguing, as he remained leaned back against the wall with his usual air of disinterest.

"Wouldn’t be the first time," he replied nonchalantly, taking a long breath as if the whole situation was beneath him. "And you know as well as I do, Mihe, that the girl isn't what you're concerned about. So, what’s your angle? Or.." A smirk flashed across his face, "you think-"

Mihe cut him off, her voice sharp and direct, finishing the sentence he hadn't said aloud. "So did you?"

"You sure you want to ask that, Mihe?" His voice was laced with an almost mocking sweetness, as if enjoying the game more than the actual answer. "You know I’m not the type to spill my secrets. Well I mean, unless you're desperate..."

Mihe didn’t flinch, her gaze unwavering. She wasn’t here for his usual games. "Did you?" she repeated, her tone almost daring him to deny it.

Kael didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he pushed off the wall and took a deliberate step closer, closing the already small distance between them until there was barely any space left. His eyes, calm but intense, never left hers. He leaned in slightly, his breath barely a whisper away from her ear, the air thick with his presence. "Mm.. guess." His voice low and mocking.

The proximity, the way he invaded her space so effortlessly, was enough to set her nerves on edge. But Mihe refused to show it. She straightened. Mihe sighed and stepped back.

"Forget it," Mihe said, rolling her eyes as she took a step back, clearly not wanting to be around him any longer. Her voice was flat, as if dismissing him completely. She turned on her heel, the heels of her shoes clicking against the stone pathway as she made her way toward the exit.

Kael didn’t stop her, his expression unreadable, though there was a flicker of something in his eyes—amusement, perhaps. You could never tell with him. He watched her leave, his gaze lingering for a moment before he turned away, seemingly uninterested in what she did next.