Finally, an opportunity came.
The spoiled fiancé was pulled aside by a businessman, and Aliana's father stepped away to talk to a guest. For the first time that night, she was alone.
Star didn't hesitate.
He slipped through the crowd, his friends watching from a distance, ready to step in if something went wrong.
"Aliana," Star said softly.
She froze.
Her head slowly lifted, and when she saw him standing there — her eyes widened.
For a moment, Star thought he saw a flicker of the old Aliana — the one who hugged him through his pain, who stood by him when no one else did.
"Star...?" Her voice cracked, barely a whisper.
He nodded, his heart pounding. "It's me."
Her lips trembled, but before she could say anything more —
"Aliana!"
The voice of her fiancé echoed across the hall.
Panic flashed across Aliana's face. "Star, you have to go — now."
"Not until you tell me the truth," Star said firmly. "I know you remember me."
Her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I do — but you can't be here."
Before Star could respond, the spoiled fiancé stormed over. "Who the hell are you?"
Star stood his ground. "A friend."
The boy sneered. "She doesn't need friends. Especially lowlifes like you."
Aliana stepped between them. "Please — stop."
Star noticed how her hands shook. She wasn't afraid for herself — she was afraid for him.
The fiancé smirked. "You're lucky I don't call security right now."
Star didn't flinch. "I'm not leaving until I hear it from her."
The boy grabbed Star's arm, his grip tight. "You're done here—"
"Let him go."
Aliana's voice cut through the tension like a blade.
The boy blinked, stunned. "What?"
She stepped closer to Star, her voice louder now. "I said, let him go."
The entire table was staring — guests whispering, the tension building.
The fiancé's face twisted in anger. "Are you choosing this nobody over me?"
Aliana didn't answer but her silence spoke louder than words.
Star's heart raced. She was standing up to him.
The silence that followed was thick, every eye in the hall darting between Aliana, Star, and the furious fiancé. Aliana's father, noticing the commotion, quickly strode over, his face darkening.
"What is going on here?" he demanded, his voice controlled but cold.
The fiancé sneered. "This nobody was bothering Aliana. I was just about to have him thrown out."
Star didn't move — his heart pounding, but his resolve steady.
Aliana's father studied Star for a long moment before recognition flickered in his eyes. "You... you're that boy from the other day."
Star met his gaze, standing tall. "Yes, sir. I'm Star."
Aliana's father's expression hardened. "I thought I made it clear that you don't belong in my daughter's life. Whatever happened in the past is irrelevant."
Aliana's voice broke through, quieter but firm. "Father... stop."
Her father's head snapped toward her. "Aliana—"
"No," she interrupted softly, though her voice shook. "I can't... I can't do this anymore."
The fiancé scoffed. "Do what? Don't tell me you're choosing this guy."
Aliana didn't respond directly — instead, she looked at Star. Her eyes were glassy, pain brimming behind them, but also something else: determination.
"Star," she whispered, her voice cracking, "I never forgot you."
For a second, the world around Star blurred, her words cutting through all the doubt, all the confusion.
Her father's face went pale. "Aliana—"
She shook her head, stepping away from both her father and her fiancé. "For five years, I've done everything you asked. I've smiled, I've dressed the way you wanted, I've spoken when you told me to, and I've kept quiet when I didn't want to. But I can't live like this anymore."
Her fiancé grabbed her wrist. "You're making a scene. Stop acting like a child."
That was the last straw for Star.
His hand shot out, grabbing the fiancé's wrist — his grip strong but controlled. "Let. Her. Go."
The room gasped.
The boy yanked his hand away, glaring at Star. "You think you scare me? You're just some magician playing hero."
Aliana's father's face darkened. "Aliana, you are going to apologize right now."
"No," she whispered. "I won't."
Her father's nostrils flared. "You're throwing away everything — this engagement, our business deal, our reputation — all for him?"
Aliana blinked back her tears but didn't waver. "I'm choosing myself."
Silence.
Star's heart ached not because of pain, but because of the strength Aliana was showing in this moment.
That's when Eric and the others, who had been watching from a distance, stepped forward.
Jake crossed his arms. "Looks like you've lost control over her, old man."
Nia added softly, "Maybe it's time to start listening to what she actually wants."
Henry, calm but firm, said, "She's not a business deal. She's your daughter."
Her father's face burned with fury, his pride unraveling in front of an audience. "You'll regret this, Aliana."
Aliana's lips trembled, but she stayed silent — and that silence was the loudest rebellion of all.
The fiancé, red with embarrassment, snarled at Star. "You think you've won? You're just some worthless orphan. You can't give her the life I can."
Star's voice was calm but strong. "She's not a prize for you to win."
The crowd, now fully invested, murmured in shock at the confrontation.
Finally, Aliana took a deep, shaky breath and turned to Star. "Let's go."
Star blinked. "Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I'm sure."
Her father's voice thundered behind her. "If you walk out of here, you're no longer my daughter."
Aliana's shoulders stiffened but she kept moving, stepping past him without a word.
The friends quickly gathered around Star and Aliana, forming a protective circle.
Star was hesitant as they walked.
"Was running away the best decision?"
"Won't it make Aliana hate her parents forever without giving them a chance to redeem themselves?"
"They may be misunderstood just like me?" He thought.
Nia taking note of Star's expression asked. "Are you okay?"
Before Star could respond—the spoiled boy, his face twisted with rage and humiliation, shoved his way through the crowd.
Before anyone could react, he drew a sleek black gun from his coat pocket, pointing it directly at Aliana.
Gasps echoed through the room. Aliana froze, her eyes wide with fear, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.
"If I can't have the business deal," the boy growled, his voice shaking with fury, "then I'll just take what's mine. I'll steal you, Aliana."
Her father, his face pale, stepped forward. "Stop this nonsense at once! Put the gun down!"
But the boy wasn't listening. His hand trembled slightly, not from fear but from a dark, unhinged obsession. His gaze locked onto Aliana like she was a possession rather than a person.
"Don't move," he hissed at Star, the barrel of the gun tilting ever so slightly toward Aliana's head. "One wrong move from you and she's gone."
Star's heart pounded so hard he thought his ribs would crack. His body screamed at him to act, to protect Aliana but the gun made every move feel like a death sentence.
Aliana's sobs broke the silence. "Please... please don't do this..." she whimpered, her voice raw with panic.
The boy smirked. "You're mine, Aliana. You were always meant to be mine. I deserve you not this pathetic trash."
Star's fists clenched, his black magic simmering beneath his skin but he forced himself to stay calm. One wrong move, and she could die.
Her father stepped forward again. "Son, listen to me," he said, his voice trembling despite his sternness. "This isn't the way. We can talk about this—"
"Shut up!" the boy barked, his grip on the gun tightening. "I don't care what you think anymore. You were using Aliana for your stupid business deals anyway."
Star's mind raced. The boy wasn't just angry — he was unstable. There was no reasoning with him.
Kade, standing slightly behind Star, whispered urgently, "We have to do something. He's lost it."
Eric's eyes darted between the gun and Star. "Star, we need a plan—fast."
Nia clutched Henry's arm, her face pale. "He's not going to let her go... He's really going to—"
"No," Star said softly, his voice shaking but firm. "He won't."
Aliana's tearful gaze met Star's — her silent plea for help cutting through his chest like a knife.
The boy sneered. "You really think you can save her, Star? You're nothing. Just some orphan who thinks he's special."
Star didn't flinch — but inside, he was raging.
Not for himself but for Aliana.
For everything she had been through.
For the way her father controlled her life.
For the way this psychopath saw her as a tool, a prize to be won.
And most of all for the pain in her eyes.
The atmosphere was dead silent.
Then, with a sudden flicker of magic beneath his fingertips, Star spoke slowly, his voice a dangerous calm:
"She's not... yours. She never... was."
The boy's finger twitched on the trigger.
Time felt like it was slipping away.
The boy's finger hovered dangerously over the trigger, his deranged smirk only growing wider at Star's words.
"Oh, really?" he sneered. "And what are you gonna do about it? One move, and she's gone."
Aliana's sobs grew louder, her body trembling in fear. Star's friends stood frozen, their minds racing for a plan but none of them dared to move.
Star, however, didn't blink. His heart pounded like a war drum, but his voice stayed steady. "You don't deserve her," he said, his black magic simmering beneath his skin, swirling just below the surface. "She's not a trophy for you to win or steal."
The boy's jaw clenched. "You think you're some hero? She's mine whether you like it or not. Her father already agreed—she's part of the deal."
Aliana flinched at those words, the weight of her situation hitting her like a crashing wave.
Her own father had treated her like a pawn, and now this lunatic was claiming ownership of her like she was nothing more than a business asset.
Star's vision blurred with anger—but he didn't let it consume him.
Instead, he focused.
Slowly, subtly, he began channeling his black magic—not as a weapon of destruction, but as a force of precision.
"Let her go," Star repeated, his voice firmer now. "Or you're going to regret it."
The boy chuckled darkly. "Big talk for someone who's out of moves. You're not gonna risk her life—so just stand there and watch me take what's mine."
He pressed the barrel harder against Aliana's temple.
Her tear-filled eyes met Star's again.
That was the breaking point.
With a sudden pulse of magic, a black tendril shot from Star's hand—too fast for the boy to react. It didn't hit him directly.
Instead, the magic whipped the gun itself, sending it flying from the boy's hand and clattering across the floor.
The boy staggered back, stunned.
"Now!" Kade yelled.
Before the boy could lunge for the weapon, Eric and Jake tackled him to the ground, pinning him down.
"Get off me!" the boy roared, thrashing violently—but he was no match for the combined strength of Star's friends.
Nia quickly grabbed the gun and slid it far away, out of reach.
Aliana, finally free, stumbled back into Star's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You're okay," Star whispered, his voice soft yet intense. "I've got you."
Her fingers dug into his coat, holding on like he was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.
Her father stood in stunned silence, his mouth opening and closing, unable to process what had just happened.
Meanwhile, the boy kept screaming, "She's mine! She's MINE! You can't take her from me!"
Jake was annoyed and pinched him making him scream. "You spoiled rich bastard, keep your mouth shut."
Within minutes, the authorities arrived—called by the restaurant staff during the chaos—and the boy was hauled away, still ranting and raving about how he would "get what he deserved."
As the police car drove off, silence fell once more.
Star gently pulled Aliana aside, his hands still on her shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.
Aliana's tear-streaked face looked up at him, her lips trembling but for the first time in years, she felt a flicker of relief.
"Y-Yes," she whispered. "Thanks to you."
Star's friends gathered around, Kade brushing off his shirt with a shaky laugh. "Well... that was intense."
Eric sighed. "More than intense."
Jake grumbled. "That spoiled brat made my blood boil. For the first time in my life, I am relieved to see cops."
Nia, clutching Jake's arm, nodded. "But... it's over now."
As Aliana's father stood awkwardly nearby, Star finally spoke—his voice steady but cold.
"You let this happen," he said to him. "You treated your own daughter like a tool for profit. She could have died."
His face paled. "I... I didn't think—"
"No," Star cut him off. "You didn't think about her at all."
A heavy silence settled between them.
Star didn't wait for a response. Instead, he turned back to Aliana, his voice much gentler now.
"You're safe now," he whispered.
There was a long tense silence between them.