His Ruin, His possession

Chapter 2

Celyn

His name was Ivar Eduardo. And everyone knew who he was, the illegitimate son of the Eduardo family. A huge stain to their seemingly pristine reputation and a blemish on their polished legacy, yet somehow still their crowned heir. They called him the black sheep.

He was a weakling without friends due to his illegitimacy. At De La Salle university, the cream of the crop attended and I had gotten in through a scholarship. And so the first step was to become a friend to him and then slowly win his heart. He was my ticket to vengeance.

My plan was simple, Become his friend, Win his trust, Make him fall for me so deeply he’d give me keys to a kingdom I planned to burn to the ground.

But it wasn’t working.

I had tried everything. Sitting two rows behind him in Economics. Showing up "by coincidence" during his lone lunch breaks. Dropping notes I knew he would read. Nothing worked.

He was protected like a damn president. And he never walked alone. Not really.

So I watched him from a distance. For weeks. Taking mental notes. Learning his patterns. Morning coffee at 9:05, usually a macchiato from the third-floor café. He liked the far-left seat in the library basement. Took his meals late, when the crowd thinned. I knew the way he walked, could tell his fake smile apart from an original. But it wasn't enough.

Despite being a weakling, he had an odd habit of showing up in the underground pit. He was the reason I went there in the first place. But he stopped coming because the fights got boring, according to the rumours. If I wanted to lure him down here, it would take something unusual.

Something like a young woman challenging the three time monster champion, Bruno.

It wasn’t about winning. I didn’t care if I left the ring on a stretcher. All I needed was for him to be there. I trained like a maniac for the next two days. Bruised knuckles, strained joints, and a rib that wouldn’t stop aching from my last match. It didn’t matter

Bruno was a beast. Built like a wrecking ball and three times more dangerous that anyone had ever fought.

And that’s why the pit was full tonight. Word had spread. A girl was fighting Bruno. The same girl who’d won two fights back-to-back last week. I cracked my neck as I wrapped my hands behind the curtain.

“You don’t have to do this, Cel,” Kai my coach said, worry creasing his face. “Bruno’s not like the others. He doesn’t hold back because you're a woman.”

“Good,” I said with a smile.

The crowd was already roaring as I stepped into the ring. The lights hit my face like fire, but I barely blinked. I bounced lightly on my heels, feeling the pain in my ribs before the first hit even landed.

The bell rang and Bruno didn’t hesitate. Pain exploded across my jaw. I stumbled, as blood filled my mouth. I spat it out, along with a small white chunk.

Shit. That was my tooth.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and straightened, forcing my body to not stop now. But then I saw him, leaning casually against the back wall of the pit like he owned the place. No guards. It was just him, with eyes locked right on me.

My heart skipped a beat. The bastard actually came. I let out a bloody and crooked smile. Then I turned back to the fight, just in time for Bruno’s elbow to slam into my shoulder. My body hit the mat like dead weight.

The referee started counting.

“One… two…”

I tried to rise but my body screamed in protest.

“Three… four…Five…”

Bruno stood above me, sneering. “Stay down, sweetheart.”

I spat blood on his boot. “Go f**k yourself.”

“Six… seven…”

I made it to my feet by eight. Limping as my vision swam. The crowd exploded. Bruno growled and came at me again, and this time, I didn’t see it coming.

Everything went black.

I woke up to Kai’s voice and a blinding light on top of me.

“You i***t,” he was complaining bitterly. “You're lucky nothing else was broken.”

I groaned and sat up on the rickety bench backstage, still half in my boxing gear. My lip was split, my ribs felt like they were on fire, and my smile, well, I was now one tooth short of it.

The next morning, I showed up to campus with a bruised cheek, a busted lip, and half a tooth. My hoodie was pulled low. I just needed to get through my classes and hide before word got out. But apparently, I was already famous.

“Yo, Celyn the Slayer!”

“Damn, girl, you are crazy!”

“You really fought Bruno? Respect!”

I ignored them all, headed straight for my locker in the west wing. And that’s where he found me.

“Nice tooth.” I paused. The slightly amused low voice sounded familiar. I turned.

Ivar Eduardo was there standing beside me, leaning one arm on the locker next to mine like this was some cheesy drama scene. His green eyes scanned my face, lingering on my swollen lip.

I blinked at him.

Up close, he looked even better than I remembered. Tall, annoyingly well-dressed for someone trying to blend in, with that bored rich-boy expression that made you want to punch him and kiss him at the same time.

“Eduardo,” I said coolly, slamming my locker shut.

He arched his brow. “You know my name?”

I snorted. “Hard not to. You’re the campus ghost with bodyguards and a rich father. People talk.”

His smirk faltered for half a second, but then it was back. “And you’re the girl who spit blood on Bruno’s boot.”

“Glad to be known for something,” I said, adjusting my hoodie. “But let's keep that away from the school authorities.”

I started to walk off, already satisfied with how rattled he looked. But then…

“Wait..m” His voice chased after me, unsure and boyish in a way that made me feel bad about my plan. “You fought well.”

I stopped.

“Thanks,” I said. “You should’ve cheered louder. Might’ve knocked him out.”

Then I walked away, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Step one, complete.

Now the game really begins.