The bell rang, sharp and final, announcing the start of lunch break and jolting me awake. I moved through the corridors with Kaiden and John at my sides, the air growing heavier with the mingled scents of warm rice, spice, and something fried. Voices overlapped, lockers slammed, and footsteps echoed—until we reached the entrance.

  The moment I stepped inside, the noise dipped—just enough to notice. Conversations stalled. Heads turned. Then the whispers started.

  “Hey… look. It’s him.”

  “I heard he’s Enigma.”

  “Whoa… he must be loaded. Just look at him.”

  A sharp scoff cut through the murmur.

  “Tch. Acting like he owns the place.”

  Throughout it all, John was visibly uncomfortable—the whispers clinging to him just as tightly.

  “Why would someone like Kaiden and Elijah hang around a beta like John?”

  “I also heard that he’s no longer considered—”

  Kaiden’s voice cut through the murmurs from behind, sharp as a blade.

  “Oy! Didn’t you learn not to pry into other people’s business?”

  That made the whispers dim down, even if not completely.

  Kaiden looked at me, his gaze searching, and asked why I never spoke up.

  All I could do was shrug.

  “What difference would it make?”

  Meanwhile, John remained oddly quiet throughout. The silence unsettled me—it wasn’t like him at all. I’d started noticing these cracks after the medical report about his second gender was released, the moment he was officially announced as a beta.

  I knew his family treated it like a catastrophe, something shameful, something irreversible. But what could really be said? Some things didn’t need words—they just lingered, heavy and unspoken.

  “Hey.”

  John suddenly spoke, turning to me with a faint smirk.

  “What the hell do you look so worried for, anyway? You think a few words are enough to get to me?”

  His eyes flicked up, amused.

  “Think twice before you give me that look, idiot.”

  He said it all in a calm, composed tone—almost entertained.

  Clearly, I had been wrong about John. He wasn’t someone you wanted standing against you. He was the kind of person you never wanted as a rival.

  Even as a beta, no one—not even his siblings or cousins—ever considered him a rival.

  Not because he lacked potential, but because his intelligence set him apart entirely.

  John wasn’t competing with them.

  He was thinking several steps ahead—too far ahead, perhaps, for his own good.

  I don’t think I could ever rival him in intelligence—neither now nor in the future.

  I still remember the day as clearly as a film playing in my mind.

  The moment John flipped the entire table when he was being bullied—armed with nothing but a recording of their violence and aggressive words. That alone was enough to get them expelled. And as if that weren’t enough, he later used those same bullies like his personal slaves, bending them to his will back in middle school.

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  Just remembering it makes me wonder who I got myself involved with.

  It still makes me laugh, though.

  I thought as a small smirk formed on my face.

  “Right, of course, Mr. Reo. Do remind me never to worry about your smart arse.”

  To which, John simply scoffed.

  “You both seem to have forgotten about someone’s existence here,” Kaiden chimed in dramatically as we made our way to the queue for food.

  “I hardly doubt your face is something anyone could forget. You even appear in my nightmares,” John replied sarcastically.

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. Those two had been like this since we were kids. The familiarity made me feel slightly nostalgic—maybe because it was the first day.

  I could tell that Kaiden, John, and I all felt more at peace when we were away from a place that normal folk would call home.

  Before we knew it, the lunch break ended, and our stomachs were full. I felt sleepier now, the existing exhaustion in my body only deepening.

  Classes followed, and just like that, the first day of my new academic year came to an end.

  The evening sunlight brushed against my face as a cool breeze passed by, making me pause and take a deep breath.

  Luxury cars stood outside the heavy gates, accompanied by attendants or, at times, family members.

  In my case, it was an attendant. Kaiden’s elder brother came to pick him up on his expensive bike, while John had other plans, leaving ahead of us.

  I approached the car, where my personal attendant, William—the son of the butler at our main residence—stood by the door.

  William has been a large part of my life, yet I don’t particularly feel anything toward him. He spoke in a tone I was all too familiar with.

  “Young master, your father wishes to see you in his study once you freshen up after reaching home.”

  “I will be there,” I replied, my tone coming off slightly rude, dulled by exhaustion and irritation.

  The scent of air freshener hit me the moment I stepped into the car, as William closed the door and moved to take his seat beside the driver.

  I closed my eyes, trying to sort through my thoughts—most of them circling back to my father’s sudden wish to see me.

  What could that old man want now?

  My father, Adrian Deliahne, is neither a good father nor a good husband. My mother, Liliane Georges, divorced him and left immediately after I was born. Of course, it was all carefully covered up by the media and never became a hot topic.

  I don’t have many memories of my mother. I rarely meet her, and after I was declared an Enigma, even those rare moments dwindled—especially since my mother is a Lumen.

  Exhaustion slowly caught up with me, and I drifted into a deep slumber until we reached the mansion.

  Once we arrived, William opened the door. I took my school bag, stepped out of the car, and walked toward the main door.

  My house—a vast, empty mansion filled with staff and bodyguard—held almost no noise or warmth.

  I sighed quietly as I removed my shoes, slipped into my mules, and headed to my room, remembering that I was supposed to meet my father in his study.

  The moment I stepped inside, I closed the door behind me, tossed my bag aside, and plopped onto the bed—only to get up again moments later. I pulled off my shirt and headed to the bathroom, stopping in front of the sink, staring at my reflection and contemplating every piece of my life.

  Pushing my hair back with a hint of irritation, I went to take a shower as part of my routine.

  About fifteen to twenty minutes later, I emerged with a towel wrapped around my damp body, using another to dry my hair. I stood in front of the mirror in my bedroom and let out a quiet sigh.

  Did I really have to go? To meet that old man, of all people?

  I quickly blow-dried my hair, then headed to the closet, pulling on casual sweatpants and a plain grey T-shirt. After running a comb through my hair, I left the room and made my way toward my father’s study.

  As usual, every maid and bodyguard acted like they were part of the walls rather than staff. I was used to it by now.

  When I finally stood in front of the door to my father’s study, I knocked once.

  No answer.

  I knocked again

  .A gruff voice replied, “Come in.”

  That grumpy old man. Tch.

  “So it seems I have to call for you, or else you don’t even have the manners to meet me. Why haven’t you been showing up at the dinner table?”

  My father’s voice was calm—but of course, I knew better. I caught every trace of anger, every subtle jab hidden beneath it.

  “I know that isn’t why you called for me, Father. What is it that you want me to do?” I replied just as calmly.

  He scoffed before composing himself. “It’s time for you to go to the hospital, don’t you think?”

  Right. Of course it was that.

  The hospital.

  For my monthly check-up.