Chapter 61: The Last Night

Aveline’s POV

The final night of the one-week beach summer break was hers; I was happy that I spent this summer far away from home and all my problems. Deep down, I knew it was actually the last time we would all be together like this. My bag was already packed beside the bed and I kept staring at it without really thinking. Downstairs, I could hear Milo and Landon talking over something stupid, Chelsea laughing at something Daphne said, and Cassian’s low voice mixed somewhere in between. It should have felt normal.

Tomorrow we will go back to Crestwood. Back to classes, training, fake smiles, and pretending life was simple again. I hated how fast summer had gone.

I stood up from the bed and left the room without telling anyone. The house was loud and packed and I needed space to breathe. I slipped out through the side door and walked down toward the beach.

The air outside was cooler. The sound of the ocean was softer than the sadness inside me. The waves moved slowly against the shore, like nothing in the world was wrong. I walked without direction, letting my feet sink into the sand, trying to clear my head.

Everything inside me felt messy. My chest tightened at the thought of going back to Crestwood where I would have to keep pretending again. Here, at least, I could breathe. Even if it was only temporary.

I walked further along the shoreline until the lights from the beach house were just a blur behind me.

That was when I heard footsteps. The sound was slow, steady, and intentional. Someone was following me, I turned around Silas was standing a few steps away.

My body instantly tensed. “What do you want, Silas?” I asked.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he walked closer until he was right in front of me, close enough that I had to tilt my head slightly to look at him properly.

“I want you to continue the business,” he said.

I frowned. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Silas studied me as I had just said something strange. “Don’t do that,” he replied.

“Do what?

“Act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

I stepped back slightly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Silas. I think you’ve had too much to drink.”

“I’m not drunk,” he said immediately.

His voice was flat.

I tightened my hands at my sides. “Then you’re confusing me.”

Silas let out a short breath, like he was trying to hold his patience together.

“You disappeared after that night” he said. “You stopped answering. You shut down the app.”

I blinked still confused.

Silas paused. something like irritation crossed his face.“Stop pretending.”

“I’m clearly the one confused here" I said firmly.

Silas took another step closer. His voice dropped lower. “Give me the password.”

My heartbeat jumped instantly. “I dont know anything and why should I give you the password ?”

Silas didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked at me like he was trying to decide if I was lying or insane. “Clearly but I am not here for your mind games” he said finally.

I shook my head. “I don’t know anything about an app.”

Silas ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated now. “This is ridiculous.”

“It is,” I agreed, confused. “Because I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Silas stared at me for a long moment. The sound of the waves filled the silence between us.

Then he spoke again. “Reopen it.”

My confusion turned into something heavier now, because this wasn’t a misunderstanding anymore It felt like he Knows alot, how can my brother have a connection with someone like this?

Silas sneers, looking right through Me “Yo, Asher, I see you patrolling with Hampton", which I guess is the reason you don't want to open it back.

" Have you forgotten he was among the people who bullied you?" Heavily when you arrived at Crestwood they made the school cut your funds, which resulted in you coming to me for help.

You told me you wanted revenge. Now that everything has died down, let the app go live again or start paying back your loans.”

“Clearly,". he said. “ you’re here standing acting like everything is fine. Like you have forgotten what they did.”

Silas turned and left his mission was complete but standing there, my heart was ripped out of my chest.

"What the fuck... which app? And Kieran bullied him? The anger that boiled in me. They cut his funds and I didn't know all these people in Crestwood are heartless.

I angrily entered the house. They called my name but didn't give a fuck about them because they were clearly the people who hurt my brother.

I went upstairs and Kirean followed shouting my name, Asher! Until I stopped he dragged me into an empty room but before he turned to talk I slapped him. Hard.

My hand trembled, and my breathing was uneven. The shock on his face says it all tears drip from my eye.

"Kirean Hampton we are done" “You.." my voice cracked. “You and your friends…”

Kieran turned back slowly, shocked “Aveline.... what the hell?”

I took a few steps back " You drove my brother to his deathbed". Everyone here.

"I don't understand what you are saying"

My voice rose. “All of you,” I said. “Every single one of you in Crestwood.”

I laughed bitterly through tears. "You guys bullied him, not only that but you still manipulated and got his school fund cut" How heartless can you be Hampton, and you still acted like you did nothing

Kieran stepped forward quickly. “Aveline, I swear I didn’t...."

“Stop!” I cut him off sharply. My hands shook as I wiped my tears away. “I trusted you,” I said quietly. “I defended you. I believed you were different.”

Kieran’s voice softened slightly, desperate now.

“Aveline, it wasn’t like that. It was just stupid jokes back then. We were immature. It was meant to be a harmless prank ”

I clapped my hands together "harmless prank". looked at him from head to toe with my eyes filled with anger I left the Room.