That meant he had known she would be here.
“It was the young Boss who asked me to wait for you,” Cole replied calmly, focusing on the road as he drove. His tone was gentle, as always.
“Ah… As?”
Avira Nassy bit her lip. “But how could As know?”
The fact that Theo was actually De-Theo was something even she hadn’t known. Besides, for him to know that she and De-Theo were acquainted was even more implausible…
“Forgive me, but I cannot answer that question,” Cole replied with his usual graceful smile, his narrow eyes reflecting a fleeting, enigmatic glimmer.
Because…
He knows everything about you.
Avira Nassy tilted her head slightly, puzzled, but chose not to press further.
As expected, As was shrouded in mystery…
She had known from the very first moment she saw him.
That angelic boy…
Was a puzzle she couldn’t yet solve.
In his presence, she always felt as though she were a piece on a chessboard.
As if every aspect of her life was under his control.
Her Boss had once told her that everyone has a pair of wings.
White symbolizes purity, red vitality and cheerfulness, blue diligence and persistence, orange gentleness, purple calmness, green hope, and black…
Asake’s wings were black.
That mysterious, profound color… radiated a fatal allure.
If that boy focused his attention on someone, it wouldn’t matter who—they would never escape.
Lively, melodious piano music flowed through the grand hall, a resplendent world that seemed completely separate from the darkness outside.
Asake sat quietly on a sofa, sipping red wine.
His head rested on one hand, his eyes lowered slightly. In his deep purple gaze, smoky, dreamlike shadows seemed to swirl. The light outlined the sharp lines of his jaw, exuding a languid nobility that made him look like a god.
Even though there were many girls nearby, staring at him in a daze and debating whether to approach him for a dance, none dared to summon the courage to truly step forward.
Because his presence carried an innate nobility—so lofty that even touching him felt like a desecration.
But even so, just watching his every gesture and movement was enough to leave them utterly captivated.
“You’ve changed, Yan.”
Holding a wine glass, Theo sat down beside him.
Changed?
Asake’s lips curved slightly, his eyes flashing with a glimmer of intrigue. “How so?”
“Joining Eastwest’s basketball team is proof enough, isn’t it?”
And…
The thin lenses of Theo’s glasses glinted briefly as he elegantly swirled the crimson liquid in his glass. “You seem to be acting more and more like a normal person.”
He had known Asake since they were children. Naturally, he understood Asake’s personality better than anyone else.
Asake had always been the distant and aloof boy, perched high above everyone else.
He wore a mask of undeniable perfection, never once revealing even the slightest trace of his true emotions in front of others.
But just now, he had clearly been deep in thought.
There was an unmistakable aura about him, a sense of being in control of everything, yet also of pursuing something with unyielding determination.
Even amidst the fragrant perfumes and glittering glamour of those around him, nothing seemed to catch his eye.
It was a side of him Theo had never seen before.
How curious.
Could Asake possibly have something he desperately wanted, yet had not obtained?
“An interesting metaphor,” Asake said, a faint smile curving his lips. The fragmented light reflected off his wine glass and danced along the edges of his smile, as fleeting and stunning as a blooming flower. “Lately, I’ve started feeling something laughable—this thing called ‘possessiveness.’”
The desire to make her see only him. The need to have her smile only for him. The yearning to turn her into something that belonged solely to him.
It was absurd. And yet, here it was—this ridiculous feeling.
Theo adjusted his glasses. “So, there’s a girl capable of stirring your heart?”
“Unfortunately, that girl doesn’t like me yet.”
Asake chuckled, his unfathomable gaze flickering like eerie candlelight, carrying an indefinable depth. “But I’m in no hurry…”
Lowering his lashes, he swirled the crystal-clear wine in his glass, watching the uneven ripples it created. They surged and ebbed but were ultimately confined by the walls of the glass, unable to escape.
A shallow curve appeared on his exquisite lips. “Because in the end, she will undoubtedly belong to me.”
Theo paused for a moment.
What struck him wasn’t the girl’s attitude but the tone of Asake’s voice—so authoritarian, so self-assured.
*Unfortunately, that girl doesn’t like me yet—but I’m in no hurry…*
*Because in the end, she will undoubtedly belong to me.*
That kind of unwavering confidence was almost as if he had already decided the outcome long before it was even written.
And yet…
Was there a hint of possessiveness behind those words, as though Asake was declaring his claim?
How intriguing.
Behind the lenses of his glasses, Theo’s stunning eyes flickered with a curious light.
Who could it be…
Who had managed to shake the untouchable world of this boy?
Could it be…
—
Aspiring to reach the national league was an uphill battle for Eastwest.
According to the rules, teams had to progress from the regional qualifiers to the city championships, followed by the north-south league competitions. Only then would they earn a spot in the national finals, the pinnacle of the tournament.
