Chapter Twenty: The Man Who Knew Too Much
599 Words
Writer’s POV
The air between them was razor-sharp.
The alarm still screamed in the distance, red lights flashing against the cracked walls.
Xavier instinctively stepped in front of Mila — not out of heroics, but something else. Something he didn’t want to name.
Principal Rowan’s calmness was the most unnerving thing in the room.
He didn’t shout, didn’t scold.
He just watched them.
“Curious children,” he said finally, his voice quiet but heavy. “You never know when to stop digging.”
*****
Mila’s POV
I swallowed hard. “What was that file? Why was my father—”
“Enough,” Rowan cut in sharply, eyes glinting. “That’s not something you should’ve seen.”
He stepped forward. The floor creaked beneath his polished shoes.
“You broke into a restricted zone. Triggered a buried system. And now, the school’s main security logs are compromised.”
I forced myself to meet his gaze. “We didn’t do anything wrong. The footage—someone erased it. We were just—”
“Investigating?” Rowan’s tone turned almost amused. “You sound like your father.”
That stopped me cold.
“How do you know my father?” I asked.
Rowan smiled faintly — not kind, not warm. “Let’s just say… we’ve worked together. Once.”
*****
Xavier’s POV
I could feel Mila tensing beside me. She was angry — not scared, angry.
And that made Rowan’s eyes sharpen like he was studying her.
“What do you mean you worked with him?” I asked, stepping forward.
Rowan gave a slow shrug. “The same way I once worked with yours, Mr. Reed.”
That hit like a punch to the chest.
“My father?” I snapped. “You’re lying.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t bother lying to you,” Rowan said calmly. “You’re far too much like him — reckless, impatient, always assuming the world owes you answers.”
The man’s voice was steady, measured, dangerous.
*****
Writer’s POV
A new sound cut through the hallway — the metallic click of a door unlocking behind Rowan.
Someone else was there.
A tall man in a dark coat stepped into view.
For a moment, the light flickered — and Mila saw his face clearly.
“Dad?” she breathed.
Mr. Miller looked the same — calm, confident — except his eyes weren’t warm this time.
They were sharp. Cold. Calculating.
“Mila,” he said quietly. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Her pulse thundered. “You’re part of this?”
He didn’t answer. He only looked at Rowan, then at Xavier. “We need to leave. Now.”
Rowan nodded slightly. “She’s seen enough.”
Before Xavier could react, Rowan pulled a small device from his coat pocket — sleek, metallic — and pressed it.
The lights flickered once.
Then darkness.
*****
Xavier’s POV
“Mila!”
I reached out, found her hand in the dark — but something struck me hard from behind.
Pain exploded across my shoulder. I hit the floor.
Footsteps. Muffled voices.
Rowan’s tone, low and steady: “They’ll wake up in their dorms. No memory of this part.”
Then everything went black.
*****
Writer’s POV
When Xavier opened his eyes, sunlight was bleeding through his blinds.
The alarm was gone. The west wing was sealed again.
And beside his bed sat Mila — pale, shaken, but awake.
“Tell me I didn’t dream that,” she whispered.
Xavier looked at her for a long moment, jaw tight.
Then he said softly, “You didn’t.”
- Writer
