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"YOUR YOUNGEST SON, FELIX, his IQ is incredible. I have not seen someone with such intelligence before. He will surely bring your family great power and wealth if properly trained." That were the exact words that Felix heard from an old man who was talking to their parents on his 6th birthday.

     Ever since then, everything in Felix's life changed.

     Felix grew up as a smart boy. Kids his age were playing puzzles and reading picture books, but Felix, as young as seven, could already memorize an entire chapter of a classical book he read once.

     His family loved him, and everyone who would meet him would praise him, stating that he was his family's greatest jewel. His parents would even invite guests over, showing off their son who was extraordinarily different from the rest.

     Because of how special Felix was, his grandfather even declared him the heir even though he was the youngest among four children. For a while, Felix felt that specialness, but what was once an act of pride and love eventually turned into greed. His family wanted more from him. He was forced to attend classes day and night at the age of nine, had a private tutor, and was even sent to attend lectures at a university when he was only twelve. He was also being guarded almost 24/7 because of his family's fear that something would happen to their precious jewel, and for the longest time, Felix thought that it was normal.

     Felix grew up knowing that he was the best because of how his family treated him. Even though he was treated unfairly, snatching away his only chance to enjoy his childhood, Felix acted like the perfect child for them. But as time passed by, Felix ended up learning a different...personality, and that personality became his coping mechanism. That's how he developed his two-faced persona.

     When Felix turned fourteen, president Janus Sinclaire visited their mansion and gave him an invitation to enroll in J.S High. Since J.S High is a school where a lot of heirs study, Felix was forced to enroll despite his vocal disapproval.

     Felix didn't want to enroll in J.S High because he knew that he wasn't going to learn anything there. But for the sake of his parent's wishes, he eventually agreed.

     When he officially became a student of J.S High, he hid his other personality and studied as a regular student before getting recruited by Crazy 8. Felix was set to graduate without making a name for himself. After being praised his entire life, he decided that he was going to live as an invisible boy without any known achievement as an act of rebellion against his family. It was the least he could do after everything they'd done to him.

     That was supposed to be the plan, but then...

     "What's your name kid?" A boy asked during the first day of his second year in J.S High.

     That boy was none other than Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire.

     Max was a powerful heir that Felix once met at a gala. Felix always thought of himself as greater than the rest, but when he met Max, for the first time in his life, he felt less than him, and that feeling excited him.

     Max was the only boy who Felix could never be able to run past. He was always going to be above him, and that realization made him understand something important...

     He wasn't as special as his family thought he was.

     Max took him as a friend and showed him what life is really about. He showed him what failure is, failure that was nowhere near embarrassing, and then success that one can truly be proud of. He saw how Max wasn't afraid to bow on his knees and accept defeat. Max wasn't as smart as he was, and he was nowhere near perfect, yet Felix felt so little beside him.

     "Mother...father...you were wrong. I'm not special at all. There are people who are a lot more remarkable than I am," Felix once told his parents during their dinner.

     His parents laughed at that statement and brushed him off. For them, Felix was the greatest. Their son was the most special boy in the world and no one could say otherwise. But Felix felt different. Every passing day with Max and his friends, he grew to understand that no one is truly special alone. Everyone has their own kind of special, and that's what Felix grew to love about his friends.

     Max was no doubt extraordinary, but then there's Ari who's smart and tough, then Ervin who is honorable and fierce. And then there's Keigo...

     "So, you're really a member of Crazy 8," Keigo tells Felix as the two of them were waiting outside Crazy 8's base while Max was busy bargaining with Siren over their first banquet trial.

     "And you're an underling of the princes," Felix then reveals, surprising Keigo because he hasn't really revealed that to anyone yet except Max and a few members of BND, completely forgetting that the members of Crazy 8 are masters of secrets for a reason.

     The two became quiet as Felix just leaned on the wall, his arms crossed and his expression stern. Keigo continued to steal glances at him, acting like he had something to say but he didn't know when to say it.

     "If you steal a glance at me one more time, I'm going to gauge your eyes out," Felix suddenly warns, making Keigo flinch.

     Keigo clears his throat and finally decides to look at Felix. Before saying anything, he tells him, "I've been dying to tell you something."

     Felix looks back at Keigo with his right eyebrow raised, but he doesn't say anything to him, waiting for what the boy had to say.

     "You see..." Keigo paused and thought about it for a while before awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "I know this might sound strange, but my father was sent to prison because he attempted to steal money from this big company. During his case, I actually found a list of other companies who were involved in this plan," Keigo explained, confusing Felix because he didn't quite understand why Keigo had to tell him all this.

     Keigo cleared his throat again, but as he looked straight at Felix's eyes, he finally reveals, "The Campbell family was included on the list. I think someone in your family knew that my father was going to steal money and they were expecting to get a sum of it."

     Felix's eyes widened from shock after what he heard from Keigo. Keigo was a boy who he knew nothing about. He seemed suspicious for some reason, and now he's accusing his family of a crime.

     "What the fuck are you saying?" Felix asks, clenching his fist as he tried to calm himself down after hearing such a thing.

     "I-I'm not trying to fight with you or anything. You seem like a really good person and you look like you didn't know about it either, but I think you need to know that your family is—" Before Keigo could even finish his sentence, Felix suddenly grabs him by the collar and pushes him against the wall.

     Keigo was dumbfounded because even though Felix was smaller than him, his strength was terrifying. "Say one more thing about my family and I'll rip you to shreds," Felix threatens, making Keigo gulp.

     "Felix! What's going on here?!" Max suddenly shouts after heading out of Crazy 8's base, finally making Felix let go of him. "Felix, calm down. What happened here? Tell me," Max asks again as he approached the two.

     Felix took a deep breath and looked at Keigo for one last time before turning to face Max. "I don't know why you're with him Max, and I don't know why he's helping you either, but as your friend...don't fucking trust him."

     "W-What?" Max confusingly asks, but Felix ran away before Max could even ask what happened.

      Felix didn't believe what Keigo had said, or rather, he didn't want to believe him. The idea of it was just impossible. His family, the Campbell family, would never engage in illegal activities. It was ridiculous.

     They would never do such a thing because they had him. Felix was their precious jewel that would bring their family more power and wealth. That was the reason why Felix worked so hard. That was the reason why Felix portrayed himself as the perfect son

     But even though he wanted to brush it off, Felix couldn't let it go. He wanted to know the truth, so when he confronted his grandfather about it...

     "It's true," he reveals to him. "But we didn't get anything, and we didn't really help them do it. Mr. Kawanishi said that he'll give us 10 percent if they successfully got the money, but in exchange, we'll invest in their company. Nothing happened, so we weren't included in the case."

     "Nothing happened? Mr. Kawanishi was sent to prison. You knew the plans from the very beginning, you're an accomplice!" Felix answers back, and that was the first time that Felix had ever raised his voice at anyone in their family.

     And his grandfather was not thrilled about it one bit.

     "How dare you...after everything I have done for you, you accuse me of a criminal?!" His grandfather shouted in a complete rage, making the hair on Felix's skin stand.

     Felix couldn't say anything. Even though he sacrificed so much for his family, threw away his childhood, and pretended to be their perfect son, it seems that it was all for nothing. Felix was just a stupid jewel, a decoration. The Campbell family saw him as nothing more.

     "Ever since you've been friends with those boys, you've been spouting nonsense. Are they the reason why you haven't ranked high yet?" His grandfather then asks.

     "H-How did you know—"

     "Especially that boy Maximilian. That kind of heir, the kind that's always seeking attention, they're the kind you should be avoiding. What did you even expect from a boy whose mother was a monster? Now, look at you, speaking to me as if I'm not elderly. You know better than this Felix. You are not equal to anyone. You should not be hanging around with such people," his grandfather continues to say.

     "N-No, Max isn't like that. He's—"

    "Enough of this! Head to your room before I raise my voice at you again."

     Felix flinched. He wanted to say something; he wanted to retaliate, but words wouldn't come out of his mouth. Even with his tough persona, he was still scared to defy his family.

     "I forbid you to speak to those boys again or I will pull you out of J.S High. Is that understood?" His grandfather asks, and Felix gulps and slowly nodded his head.

     Since then, Felix was watched almost every second of his life. As soon as the school bell rings, he has to head home as the guards are already waiting for him at the gate. He's forced to attend midnight classes so during the day, he doesn't even have the energy to talk to Ari and Ervin.

     After years of sacrificing himself for the Campbell family, he was greatly punished for one single mistake, and that mistake wasn't even a mistake, to begin with.

     Felix had nowhere to run; he was bounded to his family. And all he could do was silently cry in his room, making sure the guards outside wouldn't be able to hear him. But as Felix was feeling hopeless, his phone suddenly rang. It was his dear friend, the boy with who he could never be equal, Max.

     Felix wanted to ignore him, he didn't want to get him involved in his family affairs because he knew that Max already had so much on his plate. But just as he was about to decline the call, something inside him broke free. His hand grabbed his phone and answered the call, and as soon as Felix heard Max's voice, tears instantly started streaming down his eyes.

     "M-Max...Please help me," Felix says with the little courage he had left in him. He wanted to say more, but then a guard suddenly entered his room, immediately making Felix end the call so he could hide his phone under his pillow.

     "Young master, here is your breakfast," the guard says as he gently placed it on top of Felix's study table.

     Felix doesn't say anything anymore and just nodded his head. As soon as the guard was gone, he glanced at his pillow, contemplating whether or not he should speak to Max again about his problems, but Felix's fear took over him, and he decided to let it go.

     Felix enjoyed every moment he had with Ari, Ervin, and Max. He enjoyed being a member of Omega Society and a member of Crazy 8. He enjoys his time with everyone at the cafeteria, and for the first time, he wants to use his skills and his genius to rank up for his friend's sake. For the first time, Felix used his intelligence for himself and not for his family.

     Felix wanted to hold on to all of that memory, so to keep studying at J.S high, he was willing to ignore his friends. Because knowing them, they'll definitely understand him.

     "Guys...I miss you so much," Felix says, reaching out to wipe the tears off his face. He hugged himself in his bed as he was locked inside his room, but then, he suddenly heard the door to his balcony open. Felix thought that it was because of the wind, but then a familiar voice calls out...

     "Felix?"

     Felix's body freezes, and for a moment, he thought he was hearing things. But when he turned around, he saw a man standing in front of him, a man who Felix had also dearly missed.

     "A-Ari?" He calls out, and at that moment, Ari runs to him and embraces him, his warmth telling Felix that he was real and that he was there for him.

     "Whoever made you cry like this...I'm going to make them pay. I swear it," Ari tells him, hugging Felix even tighter.

     Felix couldn't say anything, but after a while, the emotions came rushing in on him as tears finally start pouring out of his eyes and he finally wrapped his arms around Ari too. W-What are you doing here? How did you get in?" Felix then asks, and Ari pulls away and looked straight at his eyes before saying, "Max planned it. He said you asked for his help, so we came here as soon as we could."

     "M-Max? Why did—" Felix couldn't believe that a single phone call would trigger such a thing. He couldn't believe that he had friends who are willing to do all this for him. Felix couldn't be happier.

     "Alright, I'm here to kidnap you so let's go. We'll plan something out later," Ari says, grabbing Felix's hand so they could leave. But as Ari takes a step, he noticed that Felix wasn't moving.

     "Felix, what's wrong? Let's go," Ari tells him, but Felix pulls his hand away and shook his head, surprising Ari.

     "I can't," he tells him. "I can't leave. I'll just lead you to the exit, and after that, I'll explain everything to my grandfather. Just don't—"

     "Oh please, cut that bullshit," Ari suddenly says, instantly making Felix stop talking. "Who the fuck am I talking to right now, a 5-year-old kid who lost his mommy? No! You're Felix fucking Campbell, a gaffer, a member of the 4th strongest brotherhood, and the smartest guy in our entire school. Why are you acting like a bitch right now?" Ari tells him, and the soft expression on Felix's face instantly changed into something that Ari is more familiar with.

     "You're calling me a bitch when you can barely fucking walk! How are you even going to get me out you piece of shit," Felix angrily fires back, and a smile instantly appears on Ari's face.

     "There's my best friend," Ari states, reaching out to wipe the tears on Flix's cheeks, making Felix's face turn completely red. Afterward, Ari pulls out an earpiece from his pocket and explains, "I sprained my ankle because I had to jump from the window to your balcony."

     "What?!"

     "But if you're wondering how we're getting out, well, here's the solution," Ari tells him, putting on the earpiece and pulling out an extra so he could give it to Felix. The two of them turned it on, and as soon as it was on, a voice suddenly spoke. "Ari! You finally turned it on! What the heck happened? Did you get caught?"

     "K-Keigo?" Felix asks in shock, surprising Keigo as well.

     "Wait, Felix? You finally met up with Ari? That's great! Now we can just plan how you two are going to escape," Keigo explains, now looking at the screen in front of him so he could look for a route that his friends can use.

     Ari and Keigo started talking to come up with an escape plan, but as Felix listened to them, Felix couldn't help but shed another tear. After what he did to Keigo, Keigo still helped out to save him. Felix wanted to say sorry, but before he could even say anything, Ari turns back to him and said, "Alright, we're getting out from the balcony. That's the only way. Keigo's going to give us the signal, and then we're going to jump."

     Felix didn't say anything and just took a deep breath. When Ari saw his reaction, he furrows his brows and tells him, "Are you seriously still hesitating right now?"

     "Ari, you don't understand, if I disobey them, they'll pull me out of J.S High, and I don't want that to happen," Felix explains, but Ari looked like he didn't care about that one bit.

     "Felix, have you learned nothing from Max? Max has done the impossible, and we watched him every step of the way. For heaven's sake, we infiltrated your mansion without getting caught! What are you so afraid of? You have us, and we will never lock you up or shit on you like what your family has," Ari explains, and Keigo, who could hear everything, was nodding his head to agree to it as well.

     "Listen carefully Felix, you're the heir to the Campbell family. You hold their future in the palm of your hands. They should be afraid of you, not the other way around," Ari tells him, and Felix's eyes widened in shock. He hasn't thought of it in that way before. Felix has always been the one who would just follow his family because they would always proudly show him off. But thinking about it, if he went against them, they'd definitely fall apart.

     "This isn't J.S High anymore Felix. Remove your mask and show them who you really are. The Felix I know won't take crap from anyone, so screw the Campbells. Tell them who's boss." Ari tells him, while Keigo supported them on the other side of the earpiece.

     Felix didn't say anything for a while, but then a menacing grin appears on his face, a grin that even made the hair on Ari's skin stand. "Screw the Campbells," Felix declares, making Ari laugh in delight.

     "Alright, looks like Felix has finally had his character development, now let's get out of here. I'll turn the alarms off on the first floor, you can escape from there," Keigo then instructs.

     Felix was confused as to how Keigo was able to have access to his house's security system, but he decides to interrogate him about it later after all this is over. "I appreciate the plan, but we're heading out from the front door," Felix declares.

     "W-Wait, what?" Ari asks in shock. "I know I was trying to uplift you, but this isn't what I meant. We can escape for now, and then you can confront your family when I'm not—"

     "Stop being a baby princess Ariel. Let's go," Felix says, grabbing Ari's hand before banging on the door. A couple of seconds later, the guard opens the door for Felix, and as soon as he showed himself to the little one, Felix kicks him in the groin area, instantly making him drop to the floor.

     The other guard was surprised, especially since he didn't expect to see another boy come out of the room, but before he could do anything, Felix glares at him and tells him, "Lead me to my grandfather's study."

     "Y-yes, sir...I mean...young master," the guard says, surprised by Felix's sudden attitude change. The guard then leads Felix to where his grandfather was like what he instructed, Ari just quietly following behind them, trying his best not to trip because of the sprain in his ankle

     The guard was about to knock on the door, but Felix pushes him away and barges inside the room. Inside was his grandfather who was reading a document, and sitting in front of him were his parents.

     "Felix?" his mother asks in shock.

     Felix walks inside the room with Ari who just awkwardly waves at them.

     "What's going on? Who is this boy?" His father then asks, complete confusion implanted on his face.

     Felix doesn't say anything as he approached them, but as soon as he was facing his grandfather, Felix suddenly grabbed him by the Campbell necklace that he was wearing and tells him, "I'm sick of pleasing you old man. I'm tired of being your precious little jewel."

     "Felix!" His mother quickly scolds, but Felix didn't listen. Even Ari was left speechless.

     "I have wasted my youth, only to be a part of your display. But I am not a pretty little thing that you show off for people to look at. I am Felix Campbell, and I am the heir to this empire. If you wish that I lead this family in the future..." Felix pauses and grips the Campbell emblem before pulling off the necklace that his grandfather was wearing.

     With fire in his eyes, he throws the emblem away and tells him, "Then stop pulling my strings and watch me."

- END -