The princeling sat on a red vintage armchair. One arm propped on the right to support his head as he stared at her.

Reiju was irritated by his presence. The dick move he had pulled with Gio awakened her to the fact that an alliance with him wasn't safe.

Okay. Maybe she also got hurt a little.

A part of her had hoped that they could be friends and go through the flames of hell and watch each other's back. How wrong she was.

Reiju rolled her eyes and moved to the stairs when Dion stalked towards her. She detested how her heart thundered in anticipation as his dark grey eyes bore through her.

"What?" she asked and sneered at his Gucci black sweatshirt. Did he not have sweat glands?

"Are you upset?"

"No!" Reiju turned but Dion caught her wrist and yanked her back. She hissed, crossing her arms, and glared at him. "What do you want princeling? You made it clear what you thought of our alliance."

"An alliance is two parties working towards the same goal."

Reiju sighed, fingers spread out to pressed her temples. She met his blank gaze. "This is why our alliance can't go on. To you, it's about pursuing a goal but to me, it's more than that. My allies are my friends. I will protect and die for them and I was willing to extend the same courtesy to you. But what happened? You deceived me the first chance you get."

Dion was stunned.

For the first time in a while, Reiju saw a barrage of emotions on his face. He swallowed deeply. "Can I make it up to you?"

"Seriously?" She blinked. Reiju had expected him to get insulted or furious.

"You want a sign of trust, yes?" he asked.

She grasped for an answer but her thoughts were muddled. She couldn't over the fact that Dion Di Lauro was asking for a chance.

"Come on. I will show you something." Dion held out his hand.

Reiju bit her lip and accepted his hand. It seemed she just made another decision without thinking of the consequences. Her brother was probably laughing at her again.

Dion gripped her hand, leading her out of the walls and into the forest to the north. Instead of mangroves and stupid vines, the trees were tall and thin with the occasional palm trees, thorny grasses, and plants with big heart-shaped leaves.

She was glad that she didn't change out of her exercise clothes because the path was meant for hikers. They went on higher ground, passing through steep hills.

"Where—"

Dion stopped in front of a plant that she was too familiar with.

Coca.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed, eyeing the straight branches, green tapering leaves, and white flowers. The plant grew exclusively in South America. But it was also being cultivated in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan. "Who planted this?"

"Lorenzo," Dion replied. "Probably, his friends before him."

She counted and there were only six. So far. "Is he planning to make cocaine?"

Dion shook his head. "Even if they don't, they could chew it like in Peru and Bolivia."

"They could withstand strenuous conditions, hunger, and thirst. So, they plan to use it for graduation?" Reiju faced him, rubbing the back of her palm against her sweaty forehead. The sun battered down on them that he wondered again how Dion could breathe in his damn sweatshirt. "We should cut it down."

"Is that what you want?" he asked. He pulled out a handkerchief from his jeans and handed it to her.

Reiju wiped her neck as she twirled her hair in a messy bun. "No. I think we should make sure they don't have a lab."

"And?" Intrigue colored his eyes as he waited for her answer.

"Let's wait until graduation to make our next move." She clicked her tongue, annoyed at the fact of her repeated use of 'our' and 'we'. Dion certainly knew what to do to have her favor again. "Tell me, Dion. Why are you like this?"

"Like what?"

"Don't patronize me. I'm expendable to your cause. You can succeed even without my help," she scoffed. "I should've asked this sooner."

Dion tilted his head. "Who told you that you are expendable?"

Reiju licked her lips, fighting the smile that threatened to break out on her face. "So, you need me?"

"Desperately."

She laughed. The rich and pleasant sound echoed in the empty forest.

"What is funny?" Dion asked with a deep frown. He scratched the edge of his brow. "You are... Tu sei bellissima."

Reiju rolled her eyes. "I don't understand but... I wished you were this honest when we first met."

He held out his hand again as they traveled back to the school.

"I will find out where Lorenzo keeps the leaves he harvested," he muttered.

"Don't you have your men for that?" she asked and noticed that they weren't heading for the school but towards the ocean.

"Yes. But I do not trust that they will not get tempted."

Reiju jerked her head to his. "Is that so?"

"Are you going to Irina's party?"

The blatant way he changed the subject made her more curious but she dropped the matter. Dion had shown her his cards but that didn't mean they were ready to share each of their secrets.

"Yes."

"I see. Be careful, tesoro."

"What? Why?"

"Irina never do anything without a purpose."

"And how do you know that?"

"Well, we had... liaisons."

Reiju's brows rose. "Is that so?"

Dion slowed down when they reached the beach. He tugged her to the cliffy parts where they trudged upwards. A complaint was on the tip of her tongue but it was replaced by a gasp. Sea pinks blanketed the area, swaying as the wind blew. She could see the horizon from where she stood, appreciating the deep color of the ocean that sparkled like sapphires under the sun.

"This is beautiful," she mumbled.

"It's an apology," he said.

Reiju snorted. "I thought the coca was the apology."

"No. That was a gift."

She gaped at him but he continued talking. "I thought Irina was a good ally. But I was wrong."

Dion faced her and extended a hand. Despite his casual attire, he remained elegant and poised. He made it feel like they were about to sign a peace treaty with the world as their witness instead of the squawking birds and crashing waves.

"It is you I want by my side."

Reiju eyed his hand. She was at crossroads again. Dion had betrayed her trust once. But he was also someone she could use in the long run.

She aspired to be like her brother more, to assess the situation and plot out the outcomes of this alliance. But damn it, she was different than him.

Reiju gripped Dion's hand, hoping this wasn't a decision that would fuck her in the end.