Chapter 15: The Declaration
"Otherwise what?"The sharp, commanding voice fell like a blade across the cafeteria floor.
Silence.Forks froze mid-air. Conversations died mid-sentence. The buzz of student chatter faded into a breathless pause.
Every eye turned.Celina stood up instinctively from her table, flanked by Becky and Rose. All three stared toward the source, stunned by the tension that had suddenly blanketed the room.
Miles remained seated at his round table, calm as ever, his gaze locked onto the trembling boy before him. His posture didn’t shift, but his eyes were ruthless—unflinching, cold, like a silent storm rolling across an open field.
Ben Halworth, the rich boy who had strutted over with so much arrogance moments ago, now felt his confidence unravel. His throat tightened, words barely forming. His bravado cracked in the face of those eyes.
"I– I meant..." he stammered, trying to salvage the confrontation, "It won’t be good for you."
"Huh?" Miles tilted his head slightly. "Not good for me? What will you do?"
His voice, calm yet laced with steel, cut through the air. Another question. Another blow.
"I am—" Ben tried again.
But Miles didn’t let him finish. "I know. You’re Ben Halworth. Son of Nolan Halworth. Your family owns a chain of hotels in three cities, and you like to act like this campus is your personal playground."
Ben’s eyes widened. Miles wasn’t bluffing.