↷✦; w e l c o m e ❞
The echo of Jayden's footsteps had just faded when the silence of the night on the outskirts of Binatara University was shattered again by an equally sharp sound. It wasn't a whistle, but a rhythmic, heavy, and authoritative clap.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Zevanya didn't move, but her instincts screamed with alarm. From behind the shadow of the old library pillars, unreachable by the lights, a man emerged with calm strides that seemed to dominate every inch of asphalt he stepped on. As the dim light hit his face, Zevanya felt her heart skip a beat.
It was Juanda Petranda Smith.
The only son of the Binatara Foundation's largest financial backer, a man at the top of the university's social hierarchy, now stood just a few meters away. Juanda looked impeccable in his black shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing a luxury watch that glinted coldly.
"What an artistic performance, Zevanya," Juanda's voice was low, a baritone filled with both charisma and menace. "I just witnessed a normally angelic woman transform into a serene grim reaper in just one night. Jayden was right, your transition tonight was... beautiful."
Zevanya stared at Juanda with her legendary straight face. "What are you doing here, Juanda? Stalking college students isn't your thing, is it?"
Juanda chuckled, stepping closer until Zevanya could smell the scent of expensive oud and tobacco wafting from his body. "Stalking? Too lowly for me. I just happened to be passing by and saw a drama far more interesting than any Oscar-winning film. But what intrigues me isn't just your coldness tonight..."
Juanda stopped right in front of Zevanya, invading her personal space with his intimidating height. He crouched down slightly, leveling her with his icy brown eyes.
"I know your secret, Shadow Girl," Juanda whispered with a deadly, crooked smile. "Everyone at Binatara thinks you're a lonely, flat woman. But I know who's actually secretly watching Mathius in the dark. I know who always leaves him red roses, I know everything."
Zevanya clenched her fists in her jacket pockets. The secret she guarded more than her own life, the anonymous devotion she'd given Mathius, was now shattered in Juanda's hands.
"You were his secret admirer, weren't you? No, more accurately... his shadow protector," Juanda continued with a subtle hint of mockery. "You destroyed yourself to protect a man who didn't even realize tonight that you allowed his lover to be nearly violated just to give him a 'stage' as a hero. How tragic."
Zevanya remained silent, but her eyes sharpened. "Do you think you've won because you know that secret?"
Juanda didn't answer with words. Instead, he reached out, his cold fingers touching the strands of Zevanya's hair that were blown by the night breeze. "I'm not looking for victory, Zevanya. I'm looking for a challenge. And tonight, I realized that Mathius is the stupidest man in the world for throwing away a gem like you for a piece of plastic like Amora."
Juanda's gaze shifted from mocking to something more hungry and intense. "You have a very pure darkness behind that flat face of yours. And that darkness... it intrigues me. Mathius loves the light, but I? I've always preferred what hides in the shadows."
Juanda withdrew his hand, but his gaze remained locked on Zevanya. "Throw away any remaining feelings you have for Mathius. He's too shallow to understand your complexities. From tonight on, consider me a new witness in your life. And believe me, Zevanya, I'm far more dangerous than your sarcastic sister."
Juanda turned, leaving Zevanya with a small business card that he slipped between her fingers before walking away. "See you on your next stage, Zevanya."
Zevanya stood frozen under the night sky. He stared at the business card in his hand, then at the darkness where Juanda had disappeared. The seed Jayden had left behind seemed to be doused with cold water by Juanda.
His heart was indeed shattered, but amidst the ruins, a new, far more dangerous game had just begun.
At Binatara University, Zevanya was no longer just a shadow; she had become the center of the storm the ruler desired.