Reth stared down at the screen of his phone, the images of a sobbing, exposed Sarah looking back at him in high definition. He tapped the "Save to Hidden Folder" icon with a slow, deliberate motion.
"Get up," Reth commanded, his voice cold and devoid of any pity. "Wipe your face and get out of here before I change my mind about the Vances."
Sarah scrambled to her feet, her hands shaking so violently she could barely pull her shirt over her shoulders. She didn't even try to button it properly; she just clutched the fabric closed and sprinted down the hallway.
Reth watched her disappear around the corner, her frantic footsteps echoing until they were swallowed by the silence of the school. He stood alone in the flickering light, the $700 in his System wallet feeling like a heavy weight.
[Quest: Silence the Witness — 100% COMPLETE]
[Reward: $500.00 USD Added]
[Total Balance: $700.00]
He looked at the shadow at his feet—it seemed darker now, thicker, as if it were alive. With a flick of his mind, he tested his new [Shadow Manipulation] one last time, watching the darkness creep up the wall like a predatory vine.
Reth walked back toward the library doors where he had left Elena Vance. He didn't go inside; he just leaned against the frame and waited for the "Ice Queen" to emerge.
A moment later, the door creaked open, and Elena stepped out, her eyes red and her uniform disheveled. She froze the second she saw him, her hand flying to her throat as if she were choking.
"Sarah was here, wasn't she?" Elena whispered, her voice trembling with a new kind of terror. "I heard... I heard voices. What did you do to her?"
Reth didn't answer her directly; he just stepped into her personal space, his shadow once again pinning her against the doorframe. He leaned in until his lips were brushing against her ear.
"Sarah is taken care of, Elena," Reth whispered, his smirk widening. "Now, both of you belong to me. And tomorrow... tomorrow the real fun begins."
Elena stood there, her back pressed against the library door, her breath coming in shallow hitches. She looked at Reth—the boy she had dismissed as a loser only an hour ago—and saw a monster.
"Reth... wait," Elena whispered, her voice trembling as she reached out to grab his sleeve.
Reth stopped, half-turning with a cold, bored expression that made her heart race. He didn't say a word; he just waited for her to speak.
"We... we should go out," Elena blurted out, her face flushing a deep, shamed crimson. "I mean... officially. Everyone should think we are dating."
Reth's eyebrow arched, a slow, predatory smirk spreading across his face. He knew exactly what she was doing; she wanted a "cover story" for her submission.
"You want to be the girlfriend of a 'loser' like me, Elena?" Reth asked, his voice dripping with mockery. "The untouchable Class Rep, dating the boy who just broke her in the library?"
Elena flinched, her grip on his sleeve tightening until her knuckles turned white. "It's the only way! If people see us together... if Sarah talks... we can just say it's a private matter between a couple."
She looked up at him, her eyes pleading for a way to save her reputation. "Please. I'll do anything you want in private... just let the school think I'm yours by choice."
Elena's eyes darted around the empty hallway, her voice dropping to a frantic, jagged whisper. "If we're together, I can watch you. I can make sure you don't say a word about the accounts."
She was talking about the Vance family embezzlement—the dark secret Reth had stumbled upon. If that ledger ever went public, her father would be in a cell, and she would be a social pariah.
"You think 'dating' me will keep my mouth shut, Elena?" Reth asked, his smirk widening as he loomed over her. "You think you can manage me like one of your family's shell companies?"
Elena flinched, her hands trembling against the library door. "It's the only way to explain why we're always together! If people think I'm in love with you, they won't ask questions about why you're always around me."
Reth reached out, his hand resting on the wall right next to her head, trapping her in his shadow once more.
The heavy school doors swung open, and the orange glow of the sunset hit Reth's face. He didn't look at the floor; he walked with his head held high, his fingers interlaced with Elena's trembling hand.
A group of popular students was loitering near the stone fountain, their laughter echoing through the courtyard. At the center of the circle stood Mark, leaning against his expensive bike with a smug, king-of-the-school smirk.
The laughter died instantly as Reth and Elena walked past, the silence so thick you could hear the wind. Mark's jaw literally dropped, his eyes bulging as he stared at their locked hands.
"No way..." Mark stammered, his face turning a confused shade of purple. "Elena? With him? Is this some kind of sick joke?"
Elena flinched, her instinct to pull away screaming in her mind, but Reth's grip only tightened. He didn't even look at Mark; he just kept walking as if the school's "Top Dog" were nothing more than a pebble on the sidewalk.
"Problem, Mark?" Reth asked, his voice calm and bored, dripping with a confidence that felt like a physical slap.
[System Notification: Public Dominance +50%]
[Social Standing: Rising Rapidly]
[New Target Identified: Mark (Envy Level: Maximum)]
Mark stepped forward, blocking their path with a jagged, nervous laugh. "Elena? What the hell are you doing with this loser? Is this some kind of sick prank?"
He looked at Reth with pure disgust, as if he were looking at a cockroach that had crawled onto a diamond. But Reth didn't flinch; he just stood there with a bored, steady gaze that made Mark's skin crawl.
Elena's hand trembled in Reth's grip, her face turning a deep, shamed crimson. She looked at the ground, then back at the "King" of the school, her voice small but clear.
"Reth is my boyfriend, Mark," Elena whispered, her words hitting the crowd like a physical blow. "We've been... together for a while now."
Mark froze, his smug smirk vanishing as his face turned a dark, furious shade of purple. "Stop joking! If anyone deserves to be your boyfriend, it should be me!"
He reached out to grab Elena's arm, his fingers twitching with rage. "You're a Vance! You don't date 'nobodies' like him. He's probably blackmailing you or—"
"Choose your next words carefully, Mark," Reth interrupted, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous vibration.
He stepped between Mark and Elena, his shadow seemingly stretching across the pavement to touch Mark's shoes, and he looked down at the "Alpha" as if he were nothing.
"Elena chose me because I give her things you never could," Reth whispered, his smirk cutting deep. "Now, get out of our way before I decide you're not worth the sidewalk you're standing on."
Mark's jaw dropped, his fists clenching at his sides, but he couldn't find the courage to swing. He just watched, humiliated, as Reth led the most popular girl in school toward her luxury car without looking back.
[Status: Public Dominance Established]
[New Rank: The Shadow King]
[Reward: $300.00 Added to Wallet]
[Total Balance: $1,000.00]