CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 54: THE TWINS VS THEODORE

Felicia’s eyes widened immediately. "Oh my god..." she whispered, leaning closer. "Athena. Look at that."

Athena turned her head slightly, more out of curiosity than interest.

They were tall, even taller than most of the guys in class and too striking to ignore. Identical, yet completely different at first glance.

The one with white hair and cool grey eyes had an unreadable expression, cold and composed like nothing around him mattered. The other, with dark hair that framed his face perfectly and bright green eyes, wore the faintest, effortless smile. The freckles on his nose and his cheek bones made him stood out even more.

Together, they looked like something pulled out of a high-end runway ad. Every eye in the room was on them.

Felicia blinked, visibly stunned. "Okay... what are they doing here? That’s illegal."

"Are they twins?"

"They look unreal..."

"They’re coming this way, oh my god, I think I’m gonna die."

Felicia straightened suddenly, realizing where they were heading. "I’ll, uh...go back to my seat before I embarrass myself," she said quickly, already standing up. "You better tell me if they talk to you."

Athena raised a brow. "They won’t."

Felicia rolled her eyes. "You never know," she said under her breath, then slipped back to her desk at the back, grinning to herself.

The twins walked down the aisle, quiet, confident, as if they didn’t need to say a single word to own the room. Alaric, the one with green eyes, let his gaze drift casually across the room, then stopped for just a moment on Athena. Their eyes met.

He smiled, a small, knowing smile, nothing dramatic.

Athena blinked once and looked away, her face calm. It wasn’t shyness. Just indifference.

They passed her, the faint scent of something clean and cold lingering in the air, and took the empty seats behind her.

Chairs scraped softly against the floor. A few girls whispered again, giggling quietly.

"Did you see that one’s smile?"

"I swear he looked at me."

"They sat behind Athena... lucky."

Athena’s pen tapped lightly against her notebook, pretending to stay focused on her notes, though she could feel the faint shift in energy behind her, the quiet sound of one of them setting down his bag, the low murmur of their voices, but frankly she didn’t care.

The class returned to its usual noise after a moment, but the air felt different, charged somehow.

Athena didn’t look back once.

Armand sat back in his chair, his expression unreadable as soft giggles and whispers filled the classroom. He didn’t even glance at the girls stealing looks his way, nor did he react to the hushed comments about how "gorgeous" they were. He’d seen this countless times before, the stares, the blushing, the excitement. It was nothing new.

His eyes stayed fixed ahead, face calm, posture straight. He wasn’t here to entertain anyone.

Beside him, Alaric leaned slightly back, one arm resting lazily on the desk. That small smile never left his lips, faint, but noticeable. His eyes, however, weren’t wandering around the room like the others expected.

They were on her.

The girl sitting just in front of him, Athena.

She wasn’t fidgeting, wasn’t whispering, wasn’t even pretending to sneak a glance their way. While the rest of the class buzzed with excitement, she sat still, calm, completely uninterested.

That alone caught Alaric’s attention.

His gaze trailed over the curve of her hair, the way a few strands brushed her neck when she tilted her head slightly. Not once did she look back. It made the corner of his lips lift a little higher, faint amusement glimmering in his green eyes.

Armand noticed.

His cold grey eyes flicked to his brother, then to the girl in front of them. A small frown creased his brow before he turned slightly and pinched Alaric’s thigh under the desk, hard.

Alaric’s jaw tightened when the sudden sting hit him. He turned sharply to glare at his twin.

Armand, as always, looked completely innocent, straight-faced, emotionless, as if he hadn’t just tried to murder his brother’s leg.

Alaric leaned closer, voice low, sharp enough for only Armand to hear. "You’re dead later," he muttered, his forced smile still glued on for the sake of the girls who were practically melting nearby.

Armand didn’t flinch. He didn’t even blink. He simply kept staring ahead, expression cool and detached.

Alaric let out a quiet breath through his nose, brushing a hand through his hair as if nothing happened. He’d get back at his brother later, when the timing was right.

But for now, his attention drifted back to the girl in front of him. Still calm. Still distant. Still not caring who they were.

Interesting.

A few desks away, a group of girls were whispering, covering their mouths with their hands, like they have never seen boys before and Athena almost roll her eyes at their foolishness.

"Did you see how they sit? Like they own the place."

"I swear, they look like models or something."

"The one with green eyes smiled! I think it was at me."

"Keep dreaming." Another one added.

Before the excitement could grow any louder, the classroom door opened again.

The teacher walked in, a stack of papers in her hands, looking slightly stressed. The murmurs died down almost instantly. Chairs creaked as everyone straightened up, pretending to be focused.

"Alright, class," she said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Before we begin, I’d like to introduce two new students who just transferred in."

All eyes turned back to the twins.

Even Athena lifted her head slightly this time, pen paused mid-air.

The teacher gestured toward them. "Meet Alaric and Armand Noir. They’ll be joining us for the rest of the semester."

Whispers immediately broke out again, though softer this time.

Armand gave a short nod, polite, restrained, nothing more.

Alaric, however, tilted his head slightly, that small smirk still playing at the corner of his lips.

His eyes flicked briefly, just once, to Athena.

But she didn’t see it, since she didn’t turn around.

The teacher had barely started introducing the topic when the door creaked open again.

The sound was small, but it silenced the class instantly.

A tall figure walked in, his steps calm, unhurried, and his very presence made the air shift. The warmth that had filled the room seconds ago turned faintly cold, sharp, like winter air brushing against the skin.

Theodore.

His white hair shimmered faintly under the light, brushing against his neck as he moved. Those green eyes of his carried the same quiet chill they always did, distant, unreadable. He didn’t need to say a word; he never did. Just walking in was enough to make everyone sit a little straighter.

The teacher sighed quietly. "Mr. Argentis, you may take your seat."

His hands still in his pockets, and started walking down the aisle. He didn’t even bother replying.

Then, halfway to his desk, he stopped.

His eyes flickered, not to the teacher, not to Athena, maybe in attempt to tease her, but to the two strangers sitting behind her.

And just like that, the air went still.

Alaric, who had been wearing that faint smile since he entered, slowly lost it. The light amusement in his eyes vanished like smoke fading into the air as his eyes connected with Theo. His gaze sharpened, unreadable now.

Beside him, Armand’s silver-gray eyes lifted lazily, cold, steady, and locked straight on Theodore.

Their gazes met.

It wasn’t just a glance. It was a collision.

The kind of stare that could slice through silence, thick enough to make the room itself feel smaller.

No one spoke. No one even breathed too loudly.

Theodore’s expression didn’t change, but his presence felt heavier, colder. And yet, Armand didn’t flinch, either did Alaric, their face blank, posture relaxed, and eyes didn’t waver.

They stared at each other without a word.

It was quiet, painfully so.

The tension spread like invisible smoke, suffocating, dangerous, calm and storm all at once.

A few students exchanged confused looks. Others leaned in, whispering nervously.

"What’s going on?" one murmured.

"Do they... know each other?" another whispered back.

Felicia blinked, her mouth slightly open as her gaze darted between them. "What the hell is happening..." she muttered under her breath, her lips barely moving. Then, with a small frown, she added quietly, "Are they... fighting for authority or who looks the best?"

It was such a Felicia thing to say that she almost laughed at herself afterward.

The stare lasted longer than it should have. Too long.

Then, slowly, Theodore blinked and turned his head, his eyes falling on Athena.

Her pen froze mid-motion, her gaze rising to meet his. For a heartbeat, time paused. His eyes softened slightly, just slightly, he hadn’t met for his eyes to soften but for some reason they did, he broke it the eye contact and continued walking.

He walked up to her, calm as ever, and took his usual seat beside her. One hand still in his pocket, the other resting on his desk.

The class exhaled like it had been holding its breath all along.

The teacher continued talking, pretending not to notice the heavy air that still lingered.

But Athena did.

She could still feel it, that quiet storm that had passed between Theodore and the new twins.

It wasn’t her business, so she wasn’t going to interfere.

And somehow, deep down, she knew this wasn’t the last time that tension would fill the room.

As the class went on, the soft rhythm of the teacher’s voice filled the room, steady and unbothered. The scratching of pens against paper created a quiet melody, but the air wasn’t as calm as it seemed.

At the back, Alaric leaned a little toward Athena. His elbows rested loosely on the desk, and that small, unreadable smirk curved on his lips.

Guess the new guy is about to say something.