Lucian stepped forward, his voice as calm and composed as ever. "You two should take Victoria to the cafeteria first. Let her eat something. I'll go fetch our elder brother. He's probably in a meeting, but I'll try to hurry him up."
A rare smile curved his lips as he looked at Victoria. He wasn't the type to smile often....cold was too harsh a word for him, but he was certainly reserved. Still, something about his presence felt grounding.
"Sure! Let's go, little sister," Theo said cheerfully. He kept hold of her hand as he began leading the way, Callum falling into step behind them silently.
The moment Victoria stepped through the academy's glass doors, her mouth fell open in awe. She had already seen glimpses of students moving through the building from the outside, but now that she was inside, it felt like stepping into another world.
The interior was sleek, modern, and grand. Students dressed in luxurious, custom-tailored outfits moved about with effortless confidence, discussing matters Victoria couldn't begin to understand. From their clothes alone, she could tell the kind of lives they led....privileged, powerful, and dangerous.
Theo led her through a long hallway, the floor beneath them polished to a mirror-like sheen. The walls bore no pictures of the school's founders or alumni. No awards, no clues.....only inspirational quotes engraved in elegant gold lettering.
Eventually, Theo led her into the cafeteria, a spacious, bustling hall filled with chatter and the tantalizing aroma of freshly cooked meals. Students sat in neat clusters, their laughter and low murmurs forming a soft background hum.
Without wasting time, Theo pulled out a chair for Victoria and motioned for her to sit. He slid into the seat across from her as well as Callum just as a middle-aged woman....likely a cafeteria worker...approached. She wore a neat uniform with an apron around her neck.
"What would you like to have, young masters?" she asked politely.
"We'll have chicken and fries, please. And some fruit drinks," Theo responded without hesitation.
The woman nodded and disappeared into the kitchen to fulfill the order.
Victoria's brows furrowed slightly. She leaned across the table, her voice laced with curiosity. "I thought you said everyone here was dangerous. But they all seem… occupied. No one's even paying attention to us. So why would I need to carry a knife?"
Theo chuckled softly, his amber eyes glinting with amusement. "Oh, little sister… you'll never know what these people are truly like until you cross them. They may look harmless now, but wait until someone feels threatened or insulted. They strike fast and without mercy."
Victoria resisted the urge to roll her eyes but said nothing. Unbeknownst to Theo, she was already armed. Her silver hairpin wasn't just a pretty accessory.....it had been sharpened to a lethal point. Just in case.
"But don't worry," Theo continued, flashing another warm, if slightly mischievous, smile. "It's not like you're enrolling here. And even if you were, your brothers are here. No one dares mess with the Ashford siblings."
Clash!
A sharp, echoing sound rang through the entire cafeteria, drawing the attention of everyone inside. Victoria, Callum and Theo instinctively turned toward the commotion....only to find the same middle-aged woman who had taken their order sprawled helplessly on the floor. Their meal was scattered around her, ruined and wasted.
Hovering over the fallen woman was a female student, her long hair dyed a garish shade of purple that matched the arrogance in her eyes. In one hand, she held a bottle of milk, which she was unceremoniously pouring onto the woman's head.
"What the hell?" Victoria whispered, her voice laced with disbelief. She began to rise from her seat, only for Callum to reach across the table and press her firmly back down.
"Where do you think you're going, little sister?" Callum asked, raising a single eyebrow. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, but there was no humor in his expression.
"Can't you see what's going on?" Victoria snapped, her voice rising in a mixture of anger and terror. "They're hurting her!"
"Hey!" the purple-haired girl shouted, her voice sharp and venomous. She slapped the milk-soaked woman across the face with the back of her hand, the sound echoing sickeningly. "How dare you serve me chocolate milk instead of vanilla, huh? Is your brain malfunctioning, old woman? Or are you actually trying to go against me?"
Another slap followed, even harsher than the first.
"We have to help her, brother!" Victoria shouted, struggling to break free from Callum's grip. Her hands trembled with fury. "If you're really my brother, you'll do something....anything!"
But Callum didn't budge. Instead, he leaned back in his seat, his smirk fading into a grim line. "And do what? Make it worse for her?"
"What do you mean?" Victoria demanded, her voice still fierce, but touched now by confusion.
Theo sighed, his gaze hardening. "Fine. We're sons of the Ashford family. If we wanted, we could put a stop to this....right now. We have the influence to make it stop. But let me tell you what would happen next."
Victoria blinked, her anger momentarily replaced by uncertainty.
"The next day, we'll come to school… and that woman would be gone."
"Gone?" Victoria asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Callum nodded slowly, his tone cold. "Dead. Disposed of. Silenced. And we'd never know who did it. That's the kind of power the families in this academy have, Victoria. Everyone here is dangerous. If you challenge someone publicly....even for the right reasons....you're not just risking your life. You're risking theirs too."
A chill ran down Victoria's spine as the implications of his words settled in. Her fists clenched, nails digging into her palms.
"So what?" she whispered. "We just let her suffer?"
Theo's jaw tightened. "Sometimes… letting them endure a little pain is the only way to save them from a much worse fate."
Victoria sat frozen, staring at the scene as the purple-haired girl finally tossed the milk bottle aside and stormed off. The cafeteria slowly resumed its normal buzz, students returning to their meals as though nothing had happened.
"The only people whose words carry enough weight to stop something like that without consequence," Theo added, his voice lower now, more serious, "are the academy's heirs. Our elder brother included. But there's no point in calling him. The punishment is over anyways."