CHAPTER 83: SHADOWS OF DECEPTION

The room was heavy with silence after Alex’s defense of Victoria. Danny and Mike sat back, still absorbing the revelation.

But it was Mike who broke the quiet, his concern cutting through the air.

"Alright, forget Victoria Blackwood for a second," he said, leaning forward. "What about President Pierce and Marcus? What the hell do we do about them?"

Danny’s jaw tightened, his words spilling with frustration. "Yeah. This whole thing feels too damn perfect to be coincidence. William and Brad show up beaten and bloody, stagger straight into Pierce’s office... like it’s some staged performance."

He let out a sharp breath, shaking his head. "And now? Everyone sees it, whispers spread... and they all think we’re some criminals. One problem stacked on another, and all of it points right back at us."

Mike raked a hand through his hair, frustration sharpening his tone. "And we weren’t even on campus after the incident, which makes it look like we’re hiding."

"They’ve got the so-called victims, and Pierce was already waiting to pounce. It’s like the timing was designed."

Alex didn’t immediately respond. He leaned against the wall, calm in a way that unsettled both his friends.

For a moment, his eyes seemed far away, like he was weighing more than just college politics.

"Marcus isn’t stupid," Alex said finally, his voice low. "Neither is Pierce. This wasn’t spontaneous... it was set up. They’ve been laying this out since the match. Maybe even before."

He exhaled slowly. "And us not being present just makes their claim more solid."

Danny’s fists clenched. "So what’s our move? We can’t just walk into an inquiry tomorrow expecting Pierce to play fair. He’s already decided we’re guilty."

Mike gave a bitter laugh. "Even if we prove you weren’t on campus, they’ll say you sent someone else to do it. We’re screwed either way."

Alex shook his head. "Not exactly. We just need support from the panel... which will at least let us be heard. Then it’s easy to prove Danny wasn’t even there when the incident happened."

He leaned forward slightly. "We just go back to the hospital and pull some CCTV footage. If we can show Danny was there at the hospital since yesterday, it cuts their story apart before it even starts."

His expression hardened. "But... the only issue is, both Mike and I were on campus around the time it went down."

His tone softened slightly. "I spoke with Tisha earlier... she said she can handle this."

Mike frowned. "You really trust her that much?"

"She’s capable," Alex replied firmly. "And remember the last time I almost got expelled? She was the one who stopped it... by taking the fight straight to Pierce."

He let out a low sigh. "I just hope Tisha can gather enough backing. Otherwise, I’ll have to call Victoria again."

A short, dry laugh slipped from him. "I’m way too dependent on her," he admitted in a self-deprecating tone. Then his eyes sharpened. "But not for long."

"So tomorrow we wait," Danny said, almost testing him.

Alex’s gaze flicked to him, steady and cold. "We don’t wait. We go. Tisha will have what we need, and once we’re in that room, Pierce won’t be the one asking questions anymore."

Mike’s brow furrowed. "And if it’s a setup?"

A faint smile curved Alex’s lips, humorless and sharp. "Then Pierce and Marcus will learn something they should’ve known from the start... if you come for me, you’d better not miss."

The words hung heavy in the air, more threat than reassurance.

Danny and Mike exchanged a glance, unsettled. Their friend wasn’t pleading or scrambling for a way out anymore. He was calculating, certain. Dangerous.

"Get some sleep," Alex said at last, his tone flat, final. "Tomorrow, the game changes."

The room sank into silence. Outside, the hospital kept its soft rhythm, oblivious to the storm gathering around one young man inside.

And in that quiet, Danny and Mike felt the truth settle in their bones: Alex wasn’t just surviving anymore. He was becoming something else entirely.

***

Night wrapped the hospital in silence, broken only by the steady beeps of monitors and the shuffle of nurses’ shoes down the hall.

In Nina’s room, peace had finally settled. David sat slumped in a chair by his daughter’s bed, his hand resting on the edge of the mattress, asleep but unwilling to let go. Nina herself breathed softly, color returning to her cheeks.

Everyone was resting... except Linda.

She lay on the narrow cot, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. Exhaustion clung to her bones, but sleep refused to come.

Instead, her mind wandered through the whirlwind of the past few days.

She remembered crying in the hospital bathroom, hands pressed to her face, choking on the helplessness that had nearly broken her.

The endless calls. The bills. The refusals.

The crushing certainty that their family was out of options. That Nina was out of time.

We gave up, she thought bitterly. We were ready to surrender... until Alex stepped in.

That memory softened her chest. Alex... calm, decisive, unstoppable. With just a few words, he’d done what she and David couldn’t.

A single call, and Nina had the best care. Another, and the suffocating weight of money simply vanished.

It had felt like... magic.

Her lips curved faintly as she thought back to the parking garage, to the moment she broke.

She had fallen apart in his arms, sobbing like a child. And Alex... he had held her like the world wasn’t crumbling, his voice low, steady.

"It’ll be okay. I’ve got this. Trust me."

And she had trusted him. With everything.

Her cheeks warmed. Against her will, her thoughts slid to that moment... the bathroom.

The towel slipping. The shock in his eyes when he saw her bare. The way his face had flushed, how he stumbled back like the ground had betrayed him.

She buried her face into the pillow, mortified all over again. But even through the embarrassment, she remembered something else.

For a split second, his gaze hadn’t been just shocked... it had been... something else. Something she hadn’t expected.

He looked at me like... like a man looks at a woman.

Linda shot upright, her breath catching. "What the hell is wrong with me?" she whispered.

David snored softly in the chair. Nina’s monitors beeped steadily.

Linda pressed her palms into her eyes, ashamed. He’s family. My son in every way that matters. What kind of twisted thoughts are these?

But she couldn’t stop them. Couldn’t unsee the changes in Alex... the confidence, the strength, the quiet authority. The way he seemed to bend reality with a word.

Stop it, she begged herself. You’re just exhausted. You’re confusing gratitude with something else. This isn’t real. You’re just... lost in the moment.

She forced herself to lie back down, pulling the blanket up to her chin, trying to shove the thoughts into the corners of her mind. Think about David. Think about your family. Don’t think about him.

But as she closed her eyes, the memories bled back... the strength of his arms, the look in his eyes, the way he wasn’t the same boy anymore.

It’s just stress, she told herself. It has to be.

What Linda couldn’t see was the shadow curling at the edges of her mind, subtle and patient.

An ancient influence, amplifying every stray thought, every flicker of warmth and gratitude, nudging it toward something more dangerous.

Lilith didn’t create feelings... she sharpened them. Took what was already there and made it bloom where it shouldn’t.

And as Linda finally slipped into an uneasy sleep, her last thought was a silent curse to herself: Please don’t let this destroy us.

In the darkness, Lilith smiled.

The seed had been planted.