The Cafeteria
News travelled fast at Saint Caelum University. By 9:00 AM, the whispers were everywhere.
Gabriel Cross walked into the cafeteria like he owned it, expecting his usual admiration. But today, people were looking at him strangely.
"Did you hear?" a student whispered near the juice bar. "Mark and his group locked Elian Sterling in the basement. They nearly drowned him in dirty water."
Gabriel froze. His tray clattered onto the table.
"What did you say?" Gabriel demanded, grabbing the student's shoulder.
"M-Mark did it," the student stammered. "He was bragging that he did it for you. To teach Elian a lesson for ignoring you."
Gabriel's face went dark red. A vein popped in his neck.
He didn't love Elian (yet), but he was possessive. Elian was his to tease, his to chase. No one else had the right to touch a single hair on his head.
He turned around and stormed out. He found Mark and Jason laughing near the lockers.
"Hey, Gabriel!" Mark grinned, spotting him. "We handled the trash for you. That Sterling brat won't dare look at you again."
POW.
Gabriel didn't speak. He swung his fist and punched Mark square in the jaw.
Mark crumbled to the floor, blood trickling from his lip. The hallway went silent.
"You idiot!" Gabriel roared, standing over him. "Who gave you permission to touch him? You think you're helping me? You just humiliated me!"
"But... Gabriel..." Mark whimpered.
"Stay away from him," Gabriel spat, wiping his hand. "If I see you near Elian again, I'll finish what I started."
He walked away, his heart pounding. He felt a strange tightening in his chest.
Why am I so angry? he thought. Is it just ego? Or... was I actually scared for him?
The Dean's Office
While Gabriel was using his fists, the Sterling Brothers were using something far more dangerous: Power.
The Dean sat behind his desk, sweating profusely. Opposite him sat Declan Sterling (The CEO) and Noah Sterling (The Enforcer).
"Mr. Sterling," the Dean wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. "It was just a prank. Boys will be boys. A week of suspension is standard..."
"A prank?" Declan asked calmly. His voice was low, smooth, and terrifying.
"Locking a claustrophobic student in a dark room with contaminated water is Assault. It is Torture."
Noah leaned forward, cracking his knuckles. "If this was the street, I would have broken their legs by now. Be glad my brother prefers paperwork."
Declan raised a hand to stop Noah.
"Dean, we are not here to negotiate," Declan said, standing up and buttoning his suit jacket.
"We are here to inform you. Mark, Jason, and Eric will be expelled by noon. If not, Sterling Corp will withdraw the funding for the new Science Wing immediately. And my lawyers will sue the University for negligence."
The Dean paled. The Science Wing funding was millions of dollars.
"I... I understand. I will process the expulsion papers immediately."
"Good," Declan nodded coldly. "Come on, Noah."
The Call
They walked out of the administration building.
Noah looked at Declan. "Expulsion isn't enough, Dec. They hurt Elian."
"I know," Declan said, pulling out his phone. "That was just the official punishment. Now comes the real one."
He dialed a number.
"Ms. Sharoz," Declan spoke to his new secretary.
"Yes, Sir?" A sharp female voice answered.
"I need you to look into the businesses of Mark Davidson's father and Jason Miller's family,"
Declan ordered, walking toward his car. "Find every loophole. Call their investors. Pull our contracts. I want their stocks to crash by tomorrow morning."
"Understood, Sir," Ms. Sharoz replied efficiently. "Scorched earth policy?"
"Burn it all down," Declan confirmed. "Let them learn what happens when you touch a Sterling."
He hung up.
Noah grinned, patting Declan's back. "Remind me never to steal your dessert."
In a high-rise office in London, Kieran Blackwood received a message on his encrypted tablet.
It was from Sebastian.
[Subject is safe. Currently at Sterling Mansion. Family is protecting him. The three attackers have been expelled and their families are facing financial ruin.]
Kieran read the message and smirked. "The Sterling family has teeth. Good."
Kaelen was looking out the window at the rainy London skyline. He looked restless.
"Is he okay?" Kaelen asked.
"He is shaken, but safe," Kieran replied, putting the tablet away. "We fly back soon."
Kaelen turned, his eyes dark and obsessive.
"I hate waiting, Kieran. I want to see him. I want to claim him."
"Patience," Kieran stood up, fixing his cuffs. "Let him heal. Let him feel safe in his little fortress."
Kieran looked at the photo of Elian on the screen—a candid shot but his hair cover his half of face...
Sebastian had taken of.
Elian laughing in the garden with his friends before the attack.
"Rest well, Elian," Kieran whispered to the photo. "Soon we meet, little kitten."