The drive back from the gala was quiet at first. The car hummed through the night, its engine a low growl swallowed by the endless dark of Emerald City's outskirts. Neon lights bled past the glass, painting fleeting colors across the leather interior. Jayden sat at the wheel, one hand firm on the rim, his posture calm but coiled. On the surface he was composed.. but beneath, adrenaline still pulsed hot in his veins, every slam of Felix's face against polished marble echoing like a drumbeat.

Penelope sat angled toward him, her dress shimmering faintly under the dashboard glow. Normally her eyes would dance with playful fire, teasing, daring. But now… they were quiet. Thoughtful. Searching him like she was seeing not the boy at her side, but the storm he carried.

Jayden could feel the weight of Penelope's gaze, but he said nothing.

She kept stealing glances at him, her eyes soft but troubled… until finally, the silence cracked.

"That was reckless." Her tone wasn't playful, not even scolding. It was blunt, laced with fear and something sharper.

Jayden glanced sideways at her, surprised. "What?"

"Dropping your mask like that…" Penelope said, her voice stern but trembling with something softer beneath. "Letting them see your face. Your age. Your identity. Do you have any idea what you've just done?"

Jayden's lips tugged into that crooked half-smile, the one that always carried more defiance than calm. "Yeah. I stopped that that guy from putting his hands on you. Or would you rather I let him humiliate you?" he asked calmly.

Penelope inhaled sharply. Her breath caught, her chest rising sharply before she shook her head. "Don't twist this. I'm glad you did, more than you know. You stood up for me tonight." Her voice softened on that, warm for a heartbeat. Then it dipped again, low and uneasy. "But I'm terrified, Jayden. I'm terrified of the attention this will draw."

He shrugged, eyes fixed forward, the city lights reflecting in his sharp gaze. "Felix got what he deserved. That's all anyone needs to know."

Penelope let out a small, incredulous laugh, half exasperation, half awe. "Do you even realize the gravity of this? Felix isn't just some spoiled brat… at least not on paper. He's a name. He's ranked. He's been painted as untouchable for years. And yet you…" she paused, the number almost absurd to speak aloud, "…humiliated him in front of everyone."

Jayden's smile wavered just slightly, his voice carrying that quiet, unnerving calm. "I did what I had to do to stop him." he said sharply.

Penelope's voice pulled him back, this time quieter, her eyes shadowed. "You don't understand. This won't stop with Felix. What you did tonight… it'll ripple. People will talk. And when people talk about power, there are always those that come looking for it."

For a long stretch of road, silence swallowed them. The hum of the engine. The distant city breathing.

Jayden's grip on the wheel tightened until the leather creaked. The faintest flicker of golden light flared in his eyes, reflecting in the glass.. a predator's fire hidden beneath a boy's face.

He breathed out slowly, his words calm but cold enough to cut through the dark. "Then let them come. I'll be waiting."

Penelope let out a sigh of defeat. "You're impossible." she muttered under her breath. She wasn't upset with Jayden, no. She was simply worried that he might have just involved himself in things far beyond his level… and even hers.

She was with no doubt strong, even than most leaders. But there were still figures far more terrifying and formidable. She was worried Jayden had involved himself with one of those figures.

And if something were to go wrong, it'll be her fault. Because she believed if it wasn't for her, Jayden wouldn't be at the party in the first place.

The rest of the journey was silent. The roar of the engine filled the silence, masking the storm that lingered between them.

Penelope sat still, lost in thought, her mask now gone, her golden hair cascading freely over her shoulders. She stared through the car window, her eyes soft but troubled.

Jayden noticed how genuinely troubled she seemed, and he couldn't but feel a little responsible. Earlier, her tone was sharp, scolding, but not born of anger. It was laced with fear. Fear for him.

Minutes passed, the hovercar humming above the city. Finally, Jayden broke the silence. His voice was low, almost guilty.

"…I'm sorry." he muttered.

Penelope blinked in surprise. That caught her off guard. Her brows furrowed. "Sorry?"

"Yeah," Jayden said, his voice quiet but steady. "I didn't mean to upset you. Tonight was supposed to be about celebration, and instead I dragged us into a scene. I didn't think.. I just acted. And I embarrassed you in front of everyone."

Penelope was stunned. The sincerity in his tone disarmed her. Her stern expression faltered, melting into something gentler. She sighed, shaking her head softly.

"Oh, Jayden…" she murmured, her voice breaking into warmth. "Don't you dare apologize for that." She reached out, her fingers brushing his forearm lightly. "You didn't embarrass me… you stood up for me. In front of everyone. And that… that melted my heart."

Her lips curved into a smile, faint and wistful. "You did nothing wrong. And I'm not upset with you, okay. I'm just… worried. Worried about you."

Jayden's grip loosened on the wheel, and a small smirk tugged at his lips. He turned his head slightly toward her, his golden eyes gleaming faintly in the dim light.

"You don't have to worry about me, Penelope," he said calmly. "I'll be fine. I'm stronger than I look."

That pulled a chuckle from her, soft and musical, easing the weight in the air. "That much is clear," she teased, her tone lighter now. "And I'm very aware of that now."

She leaned back against the seat, her gaze softening, though curiosity flickered in her eyes. "But still… what possessed you to confront Felix like that? You know the rumors. He's supposedly above level fifty. And Cassandra told me your current level—you're at forty-one, aren't you? You shouldn't even be close to his league. So why?"

Jayden's smirk widened, unbothered. He let the hum of the engine fill the silence for a moment before answering.

"Because levels don't matter to me," he said simply. His voice carried a weight that cut through the night air. "Even if Felix was above level hundred, I still would've fought him—for you."

Penelope's heart skipped. Her breath caught in her throat as his words sank deep, melting past every wall she had built around herself.

"Oh my.. Jayden" she purred, and without thinking, leaned toward him, pressing her lips to his cheek in a tender, lingering kiss. When she pulled back, her smile was softer than moonlight.

"…You're a reckless man, Jayden," she whispered. "But you're 'my' reckless man."

Jayden's smirk lingered, but deep inside he knew he had only told her half the truth.

The reality was simple: he wasn't blind to Felix's supposed reputation. He had seen the articles, the gossip forums, the EVA dossiers whispering that Felix de Bree was a level sixty-five powerhouse. But Jayden's instincts along with his dragon eye, had told him otherwise.

The moment Felix's aura flared, Jayden knew. The strength didn't match the rumors. His system screen had confirmed it, too… Felix wasn't some juggernaut above level fifty. He was just at level thirty-five.

The truth was ugly. Felix's family had probably used their wealth and influence to inflate his reputation, spreading false reports and doctored records to mask his weakness. To the world, Felix looked like a titan among men. In reality, he was nothing but a spoiled brat wrapped in lies.

That was what gave Jayden the courage to step in with such ferocity. Not recklessness.. but knowledge. Truth. And, more importantly, his unwavering determination to protect Penelope, no matter the odds.

Of course, he didn't tell her all this. Not yet. For now, he let her believe it was simple bravery, or perhaps foolish love. His smirk remained as the car cut through the city lights, her kiss still warm on his skin.

The silence that followed wasn't tense anymore. It was tender. Comfortable. Charged with a bond that had deepened, solidified, through danger and defiance.

The night stretched long and endless around them, the city lights thinning into quiet roads. Jayden's hands stayed tight on the wheel, knuckles pale, jaw set, golden flecks still faintly burning in his eyes before finally dimming away.

The silence hung thick, the kind that seemed to press down on both of them. Penelope had her body angled toward him, her dress catching little shards of moonlight through the window, but for once her teasing tongue stayed still. She just watched him.. the boy who had shaken an entire hall into silence, then left it drenched in whispers.

And after a while, she broke that silence.

"You know," she murmured, her voice gentle but sharp enough to cut through the hum of the engine, "I just realized tonight was your first fancy party. Tell me honestly… did you enjoy yourself?"

Jayden's lips curved in a dry half-smile, his shoulders rolling in a small shrug. "It was okay. At first." He paused, eyes flicking briefly toward her, then back to the road. "But… it kinda lost its magic when I realized aunt Kate orchestrated the whole thing just to talk to me."

Penelope chuckled softly, the sound tinged with nostalgia. "That Katherine for you. But don't worry, you'll get used to it." she shook her head slowly, a smile playing at her lips. "Though it's my fault, really. I taught her too well."

Jayden's laugh was low, amused. "Yeah… I can see that."

The warmth of the moment lingered only a breath before Penelope tilted her head, her gaze softening. "At least you got some answers though, didn't you?"

Jayden exhaled sharply through his nose, his grip tightening just slightly. "I did. But…" he shook his head, frustration bleeding into his voice, "Most of those answers just raised more questions."

Penelope gave him a knowing little smile. "Let me guess…" Her voice dipped, a mixture of gravity and amusement. "Castor."