On Monday morning, the atmosphere at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde remained tense.
Students spoke in hushed tones about the latest events.
No one truly felt safe.
Jessica was walking down the main hallway with Bella and Ana María when a black car pulled up in front of the school entrance.
Bella frowned.
“Are you expecting someone?”
Before Jessica could answer, the car door opened.
A tall young man with dark hair and gray eyes stepped out, wearing a calm smile.
Jessica froze.
“It can’t be…”
Bella’s eyes widened.
“Jessica?”
The young man walked straight toward them.
“Hello, Jones.”
Jessica barely had time to react before Theo Darkmoor pulled her into a tight embrace.
“I’m glad to see you’re alive.”
Jessica gave a small laugh.
“Theo…”
Some students were startled by the scene.
Among them…
…was Ressell.
And he didn’t like what he was seeing.
Ressell stood motionless at the far end of the courtyard.
Luis observed his expression.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re squeezing that pen so hard, you’re going to break it.”
Ressell looked down.
Sure enough.
The pen was on the verge of breaking.
Luis smiled faintly.
“Clearly.”
“Clearly what?” —Nothing.
Ressel turned her gaze back to Jessica.
Theo was still by her side.
They spoke as if they knew each other intimately.
As if they shared memories that no one else could understand.
And that made her uncomfortable.
Extremely uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, Theo greeted Bella.
—So, you’re Bella.
—And you’re the famous Theo Darkmoor?
—I suppose so.
—Loki told me a lot about you.
Theo’s smile vanished for a moment.
—I miss him, too.
A brief silence settled between them.
Jessica noticed the sadness in their eyes.
It was still difficult to talk about Loki.
Later, during lunch, another problem began to arise.
Diana sat down next to Luis.
A bit too close.
—Hello, Luis.
Luis looked up from his documents.
—Hello.
—You’re working too hard.
—Someone has to do it.
Diana smiled.
—You could take a break.
Bella watched the scene from the next table.
—Is it me, or is Diana trying to get close to Luis?
Ana María followed her gaze.
—It’s not you.
Jessica noticed it, too.
And she wasn’t the only one.
Because Luis seemed increasingly uncomfortable.
A few hours later, the members of the research club gathered in the student council room.
Theo had been invited to provide support; Jessica was explaining some clues regarding the case when Bella intervened.
“There’s something odd.”
Everyone looked at her.
“What’s going on?”
Bella placed some documents on the table.
“I’ve been tracking the movements of certain people over the past few weeks.”
Resell crossed her arms.
“And?”
“Diana kept appearing near key locations right before specific incidents occurred.”
Silence filled the room.
Luis slowly looked up.
“What are you saying?”
Bella shook her head.
“I’m not accusing her. I’m just saying we should investigate.”
Theo looked at the documents.
“Bella is right.”
Jessica felt a chill run down her spine.
The meeting ended in the afternoon.
As the others left, Resell remained by the window.
Jessica approached her.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re terrible at lying.”
Resell sighed.
Jessica smiled faintly.
“Does this have something to do with Theo?”
Resell remained silent.
That was answer enough.
Jessica chuckled softly.
“He’s just a friend.”
“A friend who showed up from London to protect you.”
“Yes.”
“And who hugged you the moment he arrived.”
Jessica crossed her arms.
-Are you jealous?
Resell opened her mouth to respond, but no answer came out.
This made Jessica smile even more.
-You’re definitely jealous.
-I’m not.
-It’s obvious.
-Jessica…
-Shut up, spy.
The young woman started walking away down the hallway.
But before reaching the corner, she turned back one last time.
-By the way…
I like that you care about me.
And she continued walking.
Resell remained motionless, her heart beating faster than usual.
That same night…
Bella was reviewing the documents related to Diana again; things still didn’t add up—there were too many coincidences and too many unexpected appearances.
There were too many lies.
Then, she found a recent photo; the image was blurry, but it was enough—it showed Diana talking to an unidentified person near the parking lot, a person wearing a black hood—and on their wrist… the symbol of a black circle appeared, with a red line running through it.
Bella felt her blood run cold.
—It couldn’t be…
The conspiracy had become even more dangerous.