"So, because I wanted to take things slow, she figured sleeping with you two was the next best option?" Alex said, rolling his eyes as he spoke. His tone was calm, but the edge in it was unmistakable.
His ex-girlfriend broke down in sobs. The situation was more complicated than that, but at the end of the day, Alex had summed it up perfectly.
She had tried to take their relationship to the next level, hoping to grow closer to Alex, but he had gently turned her down, believing they were moving too fast. To her, it felt like rejection. She began to wonder if Alex had only started dating her out of pressure, not genuine affection. That thought festered, and eventually, it broke her.
Confused and hurt, she turned to Alex's two friends for advice. She didn't mean for anything to happen—none of them did. But one thing led to another, emotions blurred, and before they realized it, they crossed a line they couldn't uncross.
All three of them lost their virginity that night.
"Let's go our own way starting today. I wish you all the best," Alex said calmly, turning and walking away.
He wasn't the type to fight or lose his temper over things like this. What would it solve? Was she worth throwing punches over? Worth the anger? Sure—it hurt. Being cheated on always did. But not enough to break him. Not enough to make him cry. After all, this wasn't his first life.
"…So you don't care that we fucked your girl? Didn't know you were into that kind of thing," one of them muttered bitterly.
Jealousy was a dangerous thing—it could turn friends into enemies in an instant. And in their eyes, Alex was Mr. Perfect. Smart, good-looking, athletic, talented—he could do anything. And for two guys who'd spent their lives in his shadow, that resentment had been simmering for a long time.
If they had been smarter than Alex, maybe it would've been easier to accept. But Alex outclassed them even in the things they enjoyed most. He was always one step ahead—more skilled, more capable—and it made them feel small. Powerless. And to top it off, he was dating the girl they both had a crush on.
The worst part? He didn't even seem to value her the way they thought he should.
"W-what…?" Alex's ex froze, her voice trembling as she turned toward the two. The realization hit her like a wave, they were using her, trying to get under Alex's skin.
She looked at him, afraid. Afraid he'd lash out. Afraid of what he might say. But what hurt the most… was that he didn't.
He didn't shout. Didn't flinch. He just kept walking, ignoring them all as if they were already in the past.
"Bastard!" one of the two shouted, voice laced with rage. Being ignored hurt more than any insult. Jealousy had already eaten away at him, and now, seeing the person he envied walk away without even sparing a glance, it was unbearable.
Blinded by frustration, he charged forward, fist raised. Alex turned just as the guy let out a yell, like some anime character announcing an attack. With a calm step to the side, Alex let him stumble past.
The punch missed. The momentum didn't. The guy hit the ground hard, the impact echoing faintly.
"Goodbye," Alex said with a sigh, then turned and walked away. Some battles didn't need fists to be won. Like this one. Throwing a punch would've only set him back.
"Do you need a ride?" Alex hadn't made it far from the parking lot when Diana approached him, her presence instantly drawing the stunned attention of his ex and the two so-called friends.
"I don't have gas money… and why?" Alex asked, genuinely confused as he looked at her. She was a businesswoman—busy, important. Why would someone like her go out of her way for someone like him?
"It took you almost two hours to get here. I can't just let you walk home," Diana said with a charming smile.
That smile alone was enough to leave Alex's former friends speechless. They stood frozen, watching in disbelief as Alex got into her car. The jealousy they felt toward him twisted into something darker.
'They want to kill me…' Alex glanced back at them. He could feel it, pure hostility radiating from their eyes.
He looked away just as quickly. It didn't matter. This would be the last time he'd ever see them.
"You're fast… Did you do track or something in school?" Alex asked, eyes on the passing streets outside the window, his tone casual, almost bored.
"What?" Diana glanced over, a bit confused. "Track?"
"You got from the 30th floor to the ground floor really fast," Alex said lazily, still gazing out the window. "I was uneasy in the elevator, so I kept checking the time. It took me about five minutes to get up there—people kept getting on and off. With one elevator broken, and considering how fast you showed up downstairs, I'm guessing you took the stairs."
Diana blinked, momentarily speechless.
"You would've had to leave around the same time the elevator started moving," Alex continued. "You got down a few minutes after I did, and you're not even out of breath… so yeah. I'm guessing you do track or something."
Diana laughed, amused and a little impressed.
"No, I don't do track," Diana replied with a smile. "But I do go on morning runs. I can't just sit behind a desk all day without doing something to stay active."
Alex nodded in agreement. "I do some running too…"
Diana glanced away, a little awkwardly. She could tell what he was getting at. The fact that she had sprinted down from the 30th floor without breaking a sweat had sparked something in him.
He wanted to challenge her. To test himself. And she could see it in his eyes.
"You're really not bothered by everything that happened?" Diana asked, hoping to change the subject. She had no interest in racing Alex, and thankfully, it worked—he just shrugged and turned his attention back to the window.
"What's the point of fighting?" he said lazily. "For my pride? If anything, that would've given her even more power over me. Yeah, maybe the hurt'll catch up to me later… but I'll get over it. It's not the end of the world."
Diana glanced at him, quietly studying his face before turning her eyes back to the road.
"By the way, can you send me your schedule, reports, and all that? I want to know what I'm walking into," Alex said casually.
"Go home and relax," Diana replied, shaking her head. "I don't want to hear any excuses tomorrow about being late."
"Either way, I'm not sleeping tonight," Alex said with a shrug. "And since I don't have any homework today, I might as well treat this like my 'workwork.' Besides, my mind tends to wander, I'd rather focus it on something useful."
Diana sighed, knowing she couldn't argue with that.