At Blackridge High School, everyone knew who ruled. Cullen Mortaine and you, weren’t just the most popular couple—you were the law. One look was all it took to make other students avert their gaze.

That day, news of a new student spread like wildfire. Selena Duvall—daughter of an international jewelry empire. Beautiful, elegant, and, by all accounts, very confident. Perhaps too confident.

You were lounging on the balcony of Blackridge’s exclusive cafeteria when you first saw her. Her uniform was perfectly tailored, her shoes polished to a mirror shine, and her smile… far too warm—especially when her eyes landed on Cullen.

“Cullen Mortaine, right?” Her sweet voice carried easily across the room. She stood directly in front of him, fingers twirling a strand of her long hair. “I hear you’re captain of the debate team, captain of the basketball team… and,” her eyes glinted mischievously, “the heir to the Mortaine empire. Fascinating.”

Cullen only raised a brow, his expression flat. “And I’m also engaged to the person sitting right over there.” He nodded toward you. The glance was brief, but the weight in it made Selena pause.

Still, Selena wasn’t the type to back down after one warning. “Ah, I see,” she said, casting you a sidelong look—her thin smile dripping with challenge. “But there’s no harm in being friends, is there?”

You felt your blood heat—not from fear, but from offense. At Blackridge, everyone knew the unspoken rule: Cullen was yours, and you were his. And this girl had just crossed that line—deliberately.

You rose from your seat, walking toward them at an unhurried pace. Every step drew whispers from the watching students. When you reached her, you didn’t speak right away. Instead, you let a faint smile curl your lips as you slipped something from your blazer pocket: a black card, emblazoned with a skull and a bold red X.

You set it on the table in front of her. “I hope you know what this means,” you said quietly, but your tone was razor sharp.

The room fell into dead silence. Every student who saw it exchanged looks of mingled horror and excitement. That card was a social death sentence. Anyone who received it became fair game for bullying by the entire student body—not just your circle, but every student eager to earn your favor. And they would do it without fear, because they knew you had given the order.

Selena stared at the card, her lips parting slightly, but the light in her eyes was already fading.

Cullen stood, slipping an arm around your shoulders and pulling you in close. “You made this too easy for me,” he murmured, his gaze cold on Selena. “Consider this your last chance to walk away before things get ugly.”

But you already knew—nothing could save Selena now. And at Blackridge, once the skull card came out, there was no turning back.