---
Three rules of surviving a criminal university:
1. Don't get caught sneaking out after curfew.
2. If you do get caught, run faster than the guy chasing you.
3. Never — ever — trust Ace when he says, "It'll be fun!"
---
11:47 PM. Boys' Dormitory — Third Floor
Ace leaned against my doorframe, twirling a stolen ID card between his fingers.
Evan, half-asleep and still typing furiously on his laptop, sighed from inside my room.
"You're going to get him killed," Evan said without looking up.
"Or make him cooler. Same thing," Ace chirped.
I was already pulling on my sneakers.
"What's the plan?" I whispered.
Ace grinned.
"Security office. We're stealing the master key."
I blinked.
"WHY would we—"
"You ask too many questions. C'mon, Pretty Boy!"
---
12:04 AM. Security Wing — Basement Level
Turns out, sneaking through a school filled with trained thieves, killers, and hackers was harder than expected.
We darted from shadow to shadow, Ace whistling a merry tune under his breath.
I, on the other hand, was calculating how long it would take for Mikhail to strangle me if we got caught.
(Answer: 0.5 seconds.)
Finally, we reached the heavy steel door of the security office.
Ace picked the lock in record time, flashing me a cocky wink.
"Easy as stealing candy from a baby!"
The door creaked open —
And we froze.
Inside, sitting casually on the desk, legs crossed and all dark danger, was none other than—
Mikhail.
Holding the master keychain in his hand.
---
"Took you long enough," he said lazily, tossing the keys up and catching them.
Ace squeaked.
I opened my mouth to explain, to lie, to cry — anything —
Mikhail stood up in one smooth, terrifying movement.
"You want this?" he asked, dangling the keys.
Ace nodded frantically.
Mikhail smirked.
"Catch me."
And he bolted.
---
12:09 AM. Somewhere in the halls
Chasing a mafia prince through dark corridors wasn't exactly on my bingo card for this mission.
But here we were.
Ace ran ahead, shouting battle cries.
I sprinted behind, gasping for air and sanity.
Mikhail, of course, made it look effortless.
He was fast, agile — deadly beautiful.
He turned a corner sharply — and vanished.
"Split up!" Ace yelled, veering left.
I groaned but went right.
The hall was eerily silent.
No sign of Mikhail.
Then, a hand shot out of the shadows, grabbing my wrist and yanking me forward.
I stumbled, crashed against a hard chest, and—
—the world tilted.
---
"Careful, Pretty Boy," Mikhail murmured, voice low and close against my ear.
My brain short-circuited.
Heat flooded my face as I realized —
Our bodies were pressed flush together, no space between us.
His fingers still curled lightly around my wrist.
His breath ghosted against my skin.
I jerked back instinctively.
Mikhail smirked.
"What's wrong? Shy?"
I cursed under my breath and tried to lunge for the keys in his hand.
He twisted away effortlessly, laughing — actually laughing — a deep, rich sound that did things to my traitorous heart.
---
The chase continued.
We danced — fought — dodged around each other like it was some deadly, intimate game.
And for a moment, just a tiny moment, it didn't feel like spy vs. mafia prince.
It felt like something else.
Something dangerous.
Something thrilling.
---
Finally, I feinted left, then dove right — snatching the keys from his hand.
"HA!" I crowed triumphantly, holding them up.
Mikhail arched a brow, amused.
"You're better than you look."
"Gee, thanks," I panted.
Before he could retaliate, Ace appeared, grabbing my elbow.
"MOVE IT, LOSERS! CURFEW IN THREE MINUTES!"
We bolted.
Behind us, Mikhail's laughter echoed through the empty halls.
---
1:00 AM. Back in my dorm
I collapsed face-first onto my bed.
Ace flopped beside me, tossing the keys onto my chest.
"See? Told ya it'd be fun!"
Evan looked up from his laptop, unimpressed.
"Fun is not the word I'd use for nearly dying."
I groaned.
My heart was still racing.
From adrenaline.
From danger.
From—
From him.
---
Mission Update:
Avoid Mikhail's attention:
Dead. Buried. Cremated.
Stay undercover:
Barely hanging on.
And worst of all?
A part of me — a reckless, traitorous part —
liked it.
Liked the chase.
Liked the heat.
Liked him.
Which was very, very bad.
Because Mikhail wasn't just any student.
He was the future king of the mafia.
And if he ever found out who I really was?
I was dead.
---
End of Chapter 4.
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