Leonidas' heart pounded harder with each step as he approached the sound of Emma's laughter. It was a sound he used to love, but tonight it cut through him like a blade. He turned the corner and froze, seeing Emma leaning against the wall, smiling at Derek, the school's popular hockey captain. They were standing too close, their voices low and intimate.Emma turned her head, her smile not fading as she looked at him. There was no guilt in her eyes, only mild annoyance."Oh, Leo. What are you doing here?" she asked, as Leonidas stood there, shocked and in disbelief. Derek smirked, crossing his arms over his chest, clearly amused by the situation."Looks like the mouse decided to crawl out of his hole."Leonidas ignored Derek, his eyes fixed on Emma. His voice was shaky but determined. "I’m the one who should be asking you that, Emma. What are you doing here? With him... on a romantic chat?"Emma rolled her eyes, sighing dramatically. "I was at the gym, and I just happened to meet Derek

Leonidas slowly opened his eyes, the sterile white ceiling above him coming into focus. The harsh light of the hospital room stung his eyes, and for a moment, he was disoriented, unsure of where he was or how he had gotten there.His body ached all over, bruises and cuts made him hard to move. He winced, trying to sit up in the hospital bed. What happened last night? he thought. Memories of the alley, the beating, and that strange system flickered through his mind.“The system…” he whispered. He remembered the gun, the money, the screen that had appeared out of nowhere. But was it real? Maybe that was just his hallucination after craving for help on the verge of death, but if that was just a hallucination, how could he run from Marcus and his friends when his hands still so vividly left the trace around Leonidas' neck?Then it hit him—Alex. His brother! He had to make sure Alex was okay. Ignoring the pain coursing through his body, Leonidas ripped the IV needle out of his arm and s

Claire sat in the hospital’s administration section, her head resting in her hands. The stack of medical bills in front of her was overwhelming. She had always been able to hold it together, but lately, the weight was becoming unbearable. Her mother’s treatment for blood cancer was draining every bit of money she earned. Modeling used to be her dream, but now it felt like a burden she could barely carry. How did everything fall apart so quickly? She thought, biting her lip. Her father had left them when she was in high school, cheating on her mother and starting a new life with someone else. Since then, it had been just Claire and her mother, trying to survive. The modeling gigs helped for a while, but now, with the mounting medical costs, it wasn’t enough. She had no one to rely on. No friends, no relatives, not even her popular ex-boyfriend knew how hard things were for her. Claire had always been good at hiding her struggles, keeping up the façade of perfection, but now she wasn’