Chapter 16 016

Chapter 16 016

MAYA

“Crazy girl,” I muttered under my breath, pulling the umbrella tighter. My boots splashed in puddles, but I didn’t care. This wasn’t about comfort.

I ducked behind a hedge as she passed the faculty wing, hood falling back, letting the rain plaster her hair to her skin. Her steps were fast, determined, like she had a target, like nothing else existed. Her eyes flicked around aware, maybe but I knew she wasn’t thinking about anyone following her.

I grinned and pulled out my phone, fingers trembling slightly—not from cold, not entirely. I raised the lens slowly, careful not to make a snap or a click that would give me away.

Click.

Her figure entered the building, disappearing through the tall glass doors. My stomach tightened. That was it. That shot alone could start the game. Could ruin her, or make her kneel in submission, I didn’t know which yet. All I knew was the thrill.

“Slow down, Maya,” I whispered, crouching lower behind a bench. “Don’t fuck this up.”

I crouched there, waiting, listening. The rain fell harder. The muffled footfalls of late-night staff echoed in the hallways. I could see her through the rain-soaked windows, moving inside with that reckless determination that made my teeth clench. She had no idea how dangerous this was, no clue how thin the line was between play and disaster.

I stepped closer, phone ready, trying to catch her from the other side of the glass. Her shoulder brushed the doorframe as she passed into the lobby, the rain dripping off her hair in tiny streams. She didn’t look back. Of course she didn’t. That was Aria, full of fire and blind to the risks.

Click. Click.

Two more shots. Perfect.

I slipped back, heart hammering in my chest. Okay. This was my proof. My leverage. I could see the headlines already if I chose to play them: “Student in Faculty Office Late at Night Scandal Brews.” The Dean would eat it up. And yet… part of me wanted to wait. Wait and see how far she’d go first.

“Patience, idiot,” I muttered at myself, tucking the phone in my jacket. I stayed crouched a moment longer, watching the door she’d disappeared through, the rain blurring the world around me.

The lobby lights flicked, casting shadows that danced across the polished floor. I almost tripped over a loose drain cover, swore under my breath, but no one noticed. I counted the seconds, watching for movement.

Then I saw him—Blackwell. He appeared at the edge of the lobby, sleeves rolled up, his tie loosened just slightly, that damn sharp jaw tense. He glanced around, eyes catching mine for a heartbeat, almost accusing, almost aware of me crouched behind a bush.

I froze, heart skipping, caught in the thrill of being seen. But he didn’t move. Didn’t approach. Just exhaled, shoulders tightening, before disappearing behind the office doors.

I allowed myself a small grin. Yeah, that was exactly the kind of power I liked, watching them, unseen, controlling the narrative without saying a word.

I ducked behind a lamppost as another figure emerged from the building. Aria, drenched, shaking off the water, looked over her shoulder. My fingers itched. I could almost call out. But no. Not yet. Let her walk, let her think she was free.

Click. One final shot.

Done.

I lingered there a moment, letting my chest calm. My mind raced with possibilities. Do I hand this to the Dean immediately? Or do I see what happens first? There was a thrill in waiting, in holding the knowledge, in letting the power sit heavy in my hands before deciding to strike.

The night had teeth, biting into the quiet campus. My breath was visible in the cold, the rain cooling my heated excitement. I pulled my hood over my head and started walking back, melting into the shadows, feeling alive in a way only this kind of danger could make me feel.

I glanced back once, and through the glass I saw her stop near the stairwell. She was shaking her head, hair plastered to her cheeks. She didn’t see me. She had no idea what I had just done. That was perfect.

I tapped the phone, sending the shots anonymously to the Dean’s assistant, fingers trembling from excitement. Sent.

Immediately, a rush of satisfaction, like holding a gun I hadn’t fired yet but already had them scared. I let out a breath, crouched under the overhang of the building, feeling the rain soak my sleeves, the chill crawling under my skin. But I didn’t care. I never cared about the rain. I cared about this, the thrill, the move, the knowledge.

Walking away, I let my mind run through possibilities: Would she know it was me? Would she be scared? Would Blackwell know? No, that part didn’t matter yet. What mattered was that I had something, a key, a whisper of leverage. And that’s all you ever needed to start a game.

The campus was quiet now, eerily empty. Footsteps echoed on the wet pavement, my boots splashing in puddles. I ducked around a corner, safe for now. I could see the lights in the faculty building flicking off one by one, leaving the shadow of the staircase and the glint of the glass doors reflecting nothing but my own reflection.

I smiled faintly, pulling my hood further down. Yeah, this was exactly how power felt. You wait, you watch, and when the time came, you strike without warning.

And I’d play the next move carefully.

I disappeared into the night, soaked but unbothered, the weight of the phone in my hand a warm reminder: the first shot had been fired, and there was no turning back.