Chapter 4:

Ace's POV

It was 5:00 in the afternoon, and Bryx, Ross, and I were walking in silence. Thankfully, Bryx didn't find out about me kissing Ayra, or he would surely punch me.

"Excuse us, sir," Bryxwell politely said to our university guard as we passed by.

The guard smiled and nodded in response. We reached the parking lot, and I noticed Crian's car parked there. Ayra's second name.

She should have gone home earlier. What is she still doing here?

"Hey, Ace! Bryx said you're going to drive," Ross said to me, handing me the car key.

Of course, it had to be me. I wish they didn't bring me along.

"Ace," Bryxwell suddenly approached me, so I faced him. "Why don't you tell me the truth?" He seemed too serious.

"Why?" I asked, trying to stay calm despite feeling a bit nervous.

He looked into my eyes. "Are you related to Ayra?"

His question surprised me, but I didn't show it. That's what I should do. But what if he finds out? Would it ruin our friendship? Many things can happen when secrets are revealed.

"No, I'm not. I don't even know your wife. What could I be related to her for? We're just friends," I answered simply.

"I love her," he said, frustration evident on his face. "Argh! Damn!" I heard him shout.

When this guy gets like this, he's serious.

"You love her? Why don't you let her know? Anger isn't the solution. You both act like kids," irritation could be heard in my voice.

"How?!" He sounded angry.

See? He forgot what I said earlier.

"Forget the past, wake up to reality," I looked at him and shook my head. I returned my gaze to the car. "Ayra is not at fault if you broke up with your ex-girlfriend. You're both victims here. You know she also has an ex-boyfriend, right? Four people got hurt because of this marriage, so don't be selfish, Bryx. Whatever you're feeling, others feel it too. You're not the only one suffering," I lectured, avoiding eye contact.

"Do you know her ex-boyfriend? Ayra still loves him!"

"I don't know him. Your wife has shared stories with me, but she never mentioned anything about him."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "I'm still torn up inside."

"If you're confused about her, give her back to me," I whispered softly, knowing he couldn't hear.

I got into the driver's seat. Ross took the passenger seat, and Bryx sat in the back seat. I became their designated driver. I started driving, and silence filled the car, but Ross broke it.

"I think it's Bryx's wife's birthday, right?" Ross interrupted.

Bryx looked at him, puzzled. "How did you know?"

"Why? I have a crush on Ayra. For me, she's cool. I know everything about her," he boasted. "If you don't want her anymore, just give her to me. I've been admiring her from afar until now," Ross dramatized, clutching his chest. Pretending to be hurt. "Just kidding. I might get punched."

"You're so corny, Ross!" I teased while keeping my eyes on the road.

"What do you care, driver?!" he fired back.

I just shook my head and didn't entertain his nonsense. I looked at Bryx, who seemed lost in thought and distant emotionally. What could have happened?

While driving, I noticed Crian walking with earphones in her ears. My crazy ex-girlfriend. She had her eyes closed as she walked, so I honked at her. She opened her eyes and glanced at us with no emotion.

As if she never cared!

Her car was at the school parking lot, yet she chose to walk?

"Hey, I suddenly feel energized!" I heard Ross say excitedly. "I keep seeing Bryxwell and Ace's faces every day, so it's good to see my favorite person now."

I wanted to laugh at his words. I don't know if he was intentionally trying to make our friend jealous, but judging from his actions, he seemed to have a crush on Ayra.

"Hey, Bryx!" Ross turned to the backseat. "Let's give Ayra a ride. She's going home alone. You didn't even offer her a ride."

"Up to you," Bryx replied, though he really wanted to.

I rolled down the window and faced Ayra. She furrowed her forehead.

"Join us," I said emotionlessly. I wanted to match her indifference. She looked at the car, knowing it was her husband's car, so I spoke again. "Bryxwell is in the backseat if you're looking for him."

She didn't reply and furrowed her eyebrows even more. It was evident she didn't like what I said, so she continued walking.

"Just this once, Ayra. It's your birthday tomorrow. Consider this a gift from me," Ross shamelessly begged.

Ayra looked at Ross, examining his face. After a while, she walked towards the backseat door. Woah, she readily agreed to Ross? Bold move.

I followed her with my gaze. She opened the car door, and Bryx and Ayra stared at each other. I could feel the tension between them—anger and pain. But if you don't know Ayra, you won't read her easily.

Ayra just ignored Bryx and got in. I started the car and focused on driving. I glanced at the front mirror to see what the two were doing in the backseat. I was surprised to find Ayra leaning her head on her husband's shoulder. Did she get in to sleep? She didn't seem tired earlier, or maybe she was just pretending?

Or maybe not.

"Your neck might get stiff there," Bryx whispered to her.

"I can offer a solution!" Ross said with an exaggerated grin, raising his hand.

"Just be quiet, Ross," Bryx scolded him. It was evident that he was getting annoyed by our friend's antics.

Ross just shrugged and stayed quiet.

I'll admit, Ayra Crian is beautiful and smart. When we first met, she was cold and lifeless in conversation, but she managed to smile when we became in relationship. I don't know about now. She became more intense, not caring about her surroundings.

I stopped the car when Crian spoke. We all looked at her.

"J-Jeedler..." she struggled to speak, unable to express her emotions. It seemed like a nightmare to her.

"What's happening there?" I turned to look back, asking Bryxwell.

"I don't know," was his simple answer. He also kept his eyes on his wife, waiting for her to speak.

"Who's Jeedler? Is that a person? Maybe her old pet dog? Or a new food name? Ask if she's hungry when she wakes up," Ross suggested.

She mentioned that name even when we were still together. When I asked her about Jeedler, she avoided the topic. I could see the pain in her eyes.

How important is he to her?

I started the car again, and no one spoke as they were also thinking about what the woman said. I furrowed my brow while looking at the road.

"I heard Ayra mention the name Jeedler while she was sleeping on the sofa. I didn't care, so I ignored it," Bryx shared. He rolled his eyes.

"Same as you," I agreed. I didn't care if Bryx noticed.

"What about me?" Ross pointed at himself. "I saw the name Jeedler in her notebook when I borrowed it."

"You'll find out—fuck!" I swore loudly and suddenly slammed the brakes. "What are they up to?"

"Why?" Bryx asked innocently. He couldn't see what was in front of him because Crian was leaning her head on his shoulder.

"They've got six guys blocking us," Ross said with his eyes squinted and lips bitten. Tsk, he's abnormal.

Bryx carefully removed his wife's head from his shoulder and leaned it against the seat. He got out of the car, and we followed suit.

"We just need something simple from you, but it seems you can't give it," the leader of the group said, grinning.

Bryx gave a cold response. "No."

He seemed to understand what their leader meant, so he refused their request. What could they want from Ayra?

"It's your decision." The leader sighed, seemingly regretful. "Attack them!"

They were about to approach us when they suddenly stopped. Their eyes widened. They were surprised by something they saw. They were all looking at Crian, who had just gotten out of the car and rubbed her eyes.

"Noise, huh," she said with a touch of annoyance in her voice, as if she had been abruptly awakened. She seemed taken aback by what she saw. Then, she suddenly smiled. "What do you need now, Uling?"

Because of the way she called him “Uling” (charcoal). I looked at the leader, and the name seemed to suit him.

"You haven't changed at all, our beloved queen," he said sarcastically.

Crian slowly approached, and some of the men stepped back. They were surprised by her actions. She suddenly punched Uling as she got closer. We were all taken aback by what we were witnessing.

"Ayra!" Bryxwell's quick reaction, shocked by what his wife did.

"What do you want?! You're facing a woman! Don't hurt her!" I yelled in frustration, worried about Crian and what might happen to her.

They were looking for a woman. Can Crian do anything about the situation?!

"Let me go, Hell," the leader ordered with a forced smile, trying to appear brave but fear was evident in his eyes. He was trembling in his legs.

Hell is the name of—

"What?!" the three of us exclaimed simultaneously as we realized what was going on.

"You're Hell?" Ross pointed at Ayra with disbelief. "What the... hell?"

"Hahahaha! You're really a liar!" Uling teased her. "Are they surprised? You're really good at deceiving people to get what you want. You've done that before, right? Hahahaha!"

"You talk too much," she replied lazily.

But she still didn't let go of the man. She still had a tight grip on his collar.

Last year, our gang

were attacked by a gangster named Hell. She was wearing a mask, so we couldn't recognize her. What the ****?! She was the one who disbanded our gang!

She finally let go of the man.

"You're such a liar," he grumbled.

He tried to taunt Ayra, but she just stared at him, examining his body.

"Why is your belt rainbow?" she asked, now looking at Uling's waist.

"Fuc—"

Uling couldn't finish what he was going to say as Ayra punched him in the jaw.

"Whoa! Awesome!" Ross exclaimed. "Go, Ayra! Go! Go! Go! I'm here for you! I've already forgotten about you betraying our gang last year! Go!"

He really is crazy.

"Why did you punch him?!"

I looked at Bryx because he was shocked. He couldn't believe Ayra's actions, and I was surprised too.

"I have no problem with hitting him, Falcon," she replied calmly. It seemed normal for her to do that.

Uling's men were about to attack Ayra, but she stopped them. She acted brave.

"Don't interfere, she's mine."

Wow, she's still bragging. After getting punched, it took him a few minutes to recover. The leader really is something. Even at a disadvantage, he's still trying to show his group that he's strong and capable.

"Understood, Boss Norius," his members responded.

Uling's name is really Norius. Ayra is different indeed. She's judgmental, and her first impression of someone becomes her belief. She uses surnames when she doesn't like someone's presence. She calls them all sorts of names if she wants to play with them.

That's why she sometimes insults people. Ayra is difficult to figure out, that's what I observed. And now, with this incident, it's clear that we don't really know her, can't read her, or understand her.

Uling stood up and wiped off the blood. "You really challenge us. You're just a woman, but you're so audacious. Remember, you're still facing men, Hell. Men are way stronger than you."

Ayra raised an eyebrow at what he said. "I owe you so much. Where do you want me to pay?"

She asked so innocently! As if she didn't do anything wrong! She doesn't even seem bothered! What kind of woman is this in front of me? So different from the Ayra I knew!

"Forget it. What we want now is for you to come with us."

"If that's the way to shut you up, I'll come."

She was the first to walk, and Uling followed, holding his jaw. We were about to stop her, but...

****! What is this?! A dagger?!

She quickly threw the dagger backward as she turned. We were all shocked.

"****!" Bryxwell cursed as he narrowly avoided it. He didn't see that a dagger was about to hit where he was seated, so he was surprised.

"Damn," I avoided it too.

"Wow, there were so many! Awesome!" Ross praised, as if he didn't even try to dodge.

By the way he moved, I could tell that he was prepared. Maybe that's why she didn't use her car and chose to walk, knowing that a group would block her. She's clever.

Only two of Uling's men were left standing. The others were hit, and they couldn't get up. I winced when I saw that one of them was hit on the forehead.

Ayra smiled and said, "Let's just make a deal. If you beat me, I'll come with you. If I beat you, you come with me to the hotel. Deal?"

"What are you saying?" the three of us asked.

Uling smirked and replied, "When did I back off? Deal."

"Good," she said. "It's my birthday tomorrow, so I hope you can entertain me today."

Her conversation partner laughed. "Everything about you is beautiful, nothing wasted. It's your birthday, but I'm the one bringing the gift? Funny."

"Just your face is ugly," Ayra retorted, and I wanted to laugh at what she said, but I held it back.

"Attack them, idiots!" he ordered his two men.

They went after Crian. She simply punched them all. One after another, they fell. She didn't even break a sweat. She was quick in evading attacks as well. She truly was Hell; she didn't need us because she faced a different level of opponent last year.

"It's your turn! You're still slow after all this time!" Uling taunted her.

"Let's go," she said with a sly smile.

Uling took out a butterfly knife, and the three of us were surprised. Crian remained calm.

Uling lunged at her, trying to stab her with the butterfly knife, but he failed. Crian grabbed the butterfly knife and twisted his arm, causing him to cry out in pain. Ayra then kicked him in the face, making him fall on the ground.

Crian wiped her hands and looked straight at her enemy. "Game over. You may now go to hell or else..." Hell's line. There was no emotion in her brown eyes. Fear wasn't visible on her face. She had a different aura now. "I won. Will you come with me? I suddenly lost interest, maybe you should go ahead."

"What are you saying?!" he asked angrily, unable to stand up due to the pain.

"Haven't you heard what I said? You go first." She stopped to think. "Jump from a building if you feel lonely. Avoid depression, as they say. HAHAHAHA!"

She suddenly burst into loud laughter. It's the first time I've seen her laugh like that. The smiling Uling from earlier turned pale.

"What are you talking about? I can't understand you!"

"You just made a deal with someone you know is tricky? You're such an idiot!" she said, with a serious expression. "You know what human immunodeficiency viruses are? You know how they're transmitted, so do it. The choice is yours, and I'll wait."

Uling couldn't say anything to her remarks. She turned to us and walked towards to car, so the three of us followed.

"Did you really mean what you said? He's going to die," Ross said incredulously, unable to forget the incident.

"I'm not a murderer," she gave a useless reply.

"You won't be a murderer because you're not the one directly killing them," Bryx said with annoyance, still looking out the window.

"His life depends on him. I have nothing to do with that. I'm out," she explained.

"Are you sure?" I asked as well.

"I just said that the choice is his, and I'll wait. If his narrow mind didn't understand that, it's his problem. But because he's stupid, he will die."

"What if he doesn't do what you said?"

"Even if he doesn't do it, will anything happen to him?"

We nodded in understanding. She seemed to have run out of patience, and her replies were now harsh.

Ayra's POV

I shook my head. I didn't care if they found out I was Hell. Yes, I attacked their gang last year. So what? I felt like conquering something. Maybe it was also part of my training. There's no problem with that, and it happened, and they just have to accept the defeat.

"Will anything happen to him if he doesn't do it?"

I lost my patience with their questions. I looked at Falcon, who was still looking out the window. I ignored him and took out my phone to call Nicol.

"Hello!" she answered.

She only answered now!

"Oh?" I asked her.

"Nothing. I just thought of something..."

"Hey, Ayra!" Nicol called from the other line.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"I'm at the dorm, why?"

"I've been looking for you, and you were just there. Tell me if you're hiding from me," I joked.

"Hahaha, weirdo. Is it my fault that you're blind?" she retorted.

"I don't know about you, whatever," I hung up the call.

I looked at Ross because he was staring at me.

"Why again?" I asked.

"Because it's the first time I've seen that expression," he replied in a crazy manner.

"Gross, Ross!" Ace commented, amused.

"I will punch you, damn," I heard Bryxwell say.

I ignored them until we got home. The guard opened the gate, so Ace drove the car into the garage. I immediately went down.

I went straight to my room. I rested for a moment before taking a shower. After showering, I took care of myself.

I opened the door and saw someone about to knock on it as well.

"What do you ne—"

I was about to ask what he needed, but I was surprised when our lips met. I didn't intend for that to happen! It was the fault of the guy standing outside for not knowing how to knock!

It was Ross. He was the only one wearing a black t-shirt. I wanted to apologize to him, so I opened the door, but it wasn't Ross; it was Falcon, who had just changed his clothes.

He couldn't believe it either. He didn't know what to say first. I felt so embarrassed that I almost didn't want to explain because of the immense humiliation.

"W-What was that?" I stammered, asking.

My god, Ayra. Calm down.

He took a few minutes before answering. "I-I'm sorry," he apologized.

I closed the door again without saying anything. My heart was beating rapidly. This was the first time our lips unexpectedly met. I was annoyed. I wanted to punch him or blame and scold myself.

It's frustrating!

To be continued...

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