The words landed heavily. “You—!”Victor stepped forward angrily, his expression turning dark, how dare Kael, an Ashlander kid say something like that? But before he could continue, Naomi spoke first.“We agree.”She looked at Kael with confidence, almost as if she was already watching him lose.“You’re going to lose anyway,” she added. “So whatever condition you give, we accept it.”The others followed immediately.“We agree.”“No problem.”The decision was made quickly, Kael simply looked at them calmly, his expression unchanged.“Good then… we’ll see,” Kael said calmly, his tone steady as if the matter was already settled in his mind. Victor gave a cold smile while Naomi folded her arms with confidence, and the others around them relaxed, already convinced of the outcome.Very soon, the tension around them faded into the background. Music continued to play, soft and lively. Students returned to their drinks, laughter rising again in small groups as conversations resumed naturally.

But Ariana didn’t move. “I don’t want to dance with you,” she said again, “I’m already dancing with someone.”Feeling Elijah was being too arrogant and demanding, she added quietly, “And even if I wasn’t… I already have someone else I’m supposed to dance with. You were dancing with someone too, so please… you should go back.”For a brief second, silence settled around them, then Elijah’s expression changed, a faint annoyance surfaced, his pride clearly touched by her refusal. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her again.“What nonsense is this?” he said. “I’m asking you, and you’re rejecting me?”Without waiting, he reached forward and grabbed her hand.“I’m giving you one last chance,” he said firmly.“Dance with me, this can benefit you, it can open doors for you.”But Ariana immediately pulled her hand away.“I’m sorry,” she said again, her voice steady and clear. “I do not want to dance with you.”Elijah’s gaze shifted slightly as he noticed the people around him, several

Kael stood there with his arms folded across his chest, his posture relaxed, his expression calm as he faced Elijah directly. There was no trace of fear in his eyes, no sign of hesitation, as if everything Elijah had just said held no real weight to him.The question he asked wasn’t random, and it wasn’t out of curiosity either. It came from certainty. Deep down, he already knew something that no one else in that hall was aware of, and that knowledge was what gave him that quiet confidence.No matter how many wealthy families donated to Valaris Academy, no matter how many influential names were attached to the school, there was one person who stood above all of them. One person whose influence outweighed the rest, his grandfather, the largest donor to the academy, the one whose contribution truly mattered.That was why he wasn’t shaken by Elijah’s threat and that was why the mention of “connections” didn’t move him in the slightest. To everyone else, Elijah’s words carried pressure, s

Elijah’s head snapped slightly to the side from the impact, his expression freezing in shock as the sound echoed through the space. No one saw it coming.“This is for the lady you and Raymond destroyed her job,” Kael said.Slap!” Before Elijah could even react again, Kael raised his hand for the second time and slapped him again across the face.The second one was just as sharp, just as sudden, leaving no time for recovery as Elijah stumbled half a step back.“For thinking of doing disgusting things to her just to control her job,” Kael continued.Slap!’The third one came harder than the first two, the force made Elijah’s body shift again, his face turning fully to the side this time as the impact landed clean.“For threatening me,” Kael said quietly.Elijah stood there, frozen, his cheeks had turned red instantly, the sting spreading across his face as the pain settled in. For a moment, he didn’t even react properly, his hand slowly rising to cover his cheek as if trying to confirm

At that same moment, one of the people who felt the shock the most was Elara Voss, her eyes moved from the entrance back toward Kael, and what she saw made her even more unsettled.Kael wasn’t shocked, he wasn’t surprised, instead he was just standing there calmly, as if this was something he had already expected, that alone confused her because just days ago, right in her class, Kael had said he would bring Darius Valecrest to the event. She clearly remembered it, and she also remembered how he had tried to make a call that didn’t even go through.At that time, she thought it was just talk, just confidence without substance, but now, Darius Valecrest was standing right there, In front of everyone, this couldn’t be a coincidence.Elara’s brows tightened slightly as she looked back at Darius again, her thoughts running quickly as she tried to understand what was really happening.Kael, on the other hand, felt a quiet sense of relief. Seeing Darius walk in confirmed something for him. D