CHAPTER 203

**WINTER**

“Winter, are you serious right now?” Claire’s voice sliced through the air, sharp and incredulous.

“You’ve been getting messages—creepy ones—and you didn’t say a damn word?”

I exhaled, rubbing my forehead.

“Because I didn’t think it was real, okay? At first, I thought it was just some messed-up joke.”

Claire stared at me like I’d just confessed to hiding a corpse in the backyard.

“A joke?” Her tone was laced with disbelief.

“Winter, this isn’t some joke you laugh off.”

She paced the floor, one hand tangled in her hair, the other clenched in a tight fist.

“This isn’t just creepy—it’s threatening,” she hissed.

I looked down, shame crawling up my throat like bile.

“I didn’t think it would get this far... I didn’t want to freak anyone out.”

Claire stopped in her tracks, her eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made me flinch.

“Well, it’s too late for that.”

Ariel bit her lip and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. Her eyes, wide and worried, were the only softness in the room.

Harry leaned in, his brows furrowing as he read the message. His usual smirk was gone, replaced by a look I’d rarely seen—cold, focused anger.

“This isn’t just someone being creepy,” he said, his voice low but edged with fury.

“This is someone who knows exactly how to get under your skin—and they’re doing it on purpose.”

He turned back to me, his eyes blazing.

“Do you realize how easily this could spiral? People like this—they don’t just stop. They push until they get a reaction. Until something breaks.”

Clark, ever the master of poorly timed humor, chimed in.

“Well... silver lining? At least your stalker knows how to spell. Full sentences, decent punctuation. Could’ve been worse—could’ve been one of those all-caps psychos.”

He let out a weak chuckle, clearly aiming for levity.

But it landed with a thud.

The room froze.

No one laughed.

Zion whipped his head around toward Clark so fast I thought his neck might snap. The smile on his face vanished instantly.

“Do you think this is funny?” he said, his voice low and sharp, eyes locked on Clark.

“She’s being stalked. Threatened. And the first thing you say is to praise the stalker’s grammar?”

Clark’s grin faded, and for once, he didn’t have a comeback.

Claire groaned, throwing her hands up.

“I swear, sometimes I wonder how I ended up sharing DNA with a moron like Clark. The guy’s a walking Wi-Fi glitch.”

Ro, stepping up for his friend.

“Hey, that’s my buddy you’re trash-talking. Cut him some slack. At least your twin’s got some signal. You? You’re still buffering in real life.”

Claire shot Ro a withering look.

“Please. The only thing Clark’s buffering is his brain—probably ‘cause he spends too much time with you.”

Clark, who’d been quiet until now, finally threw his hands up, shaking his head with a smirk.

“Love you too, sis.”

Before the banter could spiral any further, Zion’s voice sliced through the room like a whip—cold, sharp, and unforgiving.

“For fuck’s sake, enough! I’m not here to listen to you two idiots squabble like kids. We’re supposed to be dealing with something serious.”

He took a step forward, eyes burning with barely contained anger.

“Winter’s scared—whether she wants to admit it or not. And if you can’t get your heads out of your asses and actually help, then just get the fuck out.”

Claire blinked, caught completely off guard.

Ro actually froze mid eye-roll, the weight of Zion’s words hitting harder than anyone expected.

Then Zion turned on Clark.

“And you—grow the fuck up. This isn’t recess. Someone is stalking her. Do you get that? This isn’t your little comedy hour, it’s real.”

Clark lifted his hands, trying to salvage it.

“Okay, okay. I get it. Serious tone. No jokes.”

He paused—

“…Do I still get a juice box if I behave?”

Claire groaned.

“I’m changing my last name.”

Zion ran a hand through his hair, his movements sharp and restless as he paced once, twice.

His jaw clenched tight, muscles tense beneath his shirt like a coiled spring ready to snap.

“Fucking unbelievable....Enough with the fucking time-wasting,” he said, his voice low but steely.

“We need a plan. Now.”

Zion scanned the room, waiting for someone—anyone—to drop a decent idea.

Claire cleared her throat and crossed her arms, like she was about to solve world peace.

“Honestly? Winter could just turn off her mobile data. No internet, no creepy messages. Boom. Problem solved.”

Ro shook his head, his tone smooth but confident.

“Nah, better move to block whoever it is. Cut them off completely—they might get bored and quit.”

Harry, still half-focused on Ariel, shrugged.

Clark grinned, fingers snapping.

“I say we flood their inbox. Confuse the hell out of them with memes, cat videos, and nonstop group texts. Psychological warfare, baby.”

Zion’s eyes flicked from one clueless face to the next. His jaw tightened.

“Great. So the sum of all your bright ideas is ‘block,’ ‘ignore,’ and ‘send memes.’”

Zion’s eyes flashed with impatience.

“Yeah, because the psycho sending threats is just gonna say, ‘Oh, blocked? Guess I’ll stop.’”

Claire flushed, scratching the back of her neck, avoiding Zion’s sharp gaze.

“Okay, yeah, blocking and ignoring sound kinda lame when you say it like that... "

I bit my lip, feeling a flicker of frustration rise in my chest as I listened to their suggestions.

Zion ran a hand through his hair, his frustration barely contained. I could feel it radiating off him in waves, and somehow that made me feel both scared and strangely protected.

Ariel cleared her throat, her voice soft but steady as she finally spoke up.

“I… um, actually might have an idea.”

I caught Harry’s reaction out of the corner of my eye.

His whole face lit up, like someone had just switched on a spotlight focused only on her. He tried to look casual—leaning back, pretending to be cool—but it was obvious.

His eyes were glued to Ariel, a goofy, almost goofy grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

I rolled my eyes a little. Harry’s crush was painfully obvious, and honestly, kind of sweet.

Zion exhaled—half relief, half proberly waiting-for-more-bullshit.

"I'm listening "

Ariel bit her lip, shifting nervously as she spoke, unsure if the idea was smart or desperate.

“Okay, so… maybe we start by making a list—of people who have a beef with Winter. You know, anyone who might want to get at her, who has a reason or a grudge.”

She glanced at Zion, then at the rest of the group.

“Once we have that, your guy Eric can—well, hack into their call and message records from the past few days. We cross off anyone clean, and then focus on the ones left.”

Her voice wavered just a little, but there was hope behind it.

“It’s a start,” I whispered.

The room fell into a tense silence. For now, at least, everyone had quieted down—we had more pressing matters to deal with.

I sank into the empty chair at the desk, my fingers tightening around my phone.

“This isn’t much to go on,” I admitted, giving the device a small, almost futile shake.

“But it’s all we’ve got.”

A knot of doubt twisted in my stomach. Were we blowing this out of proportion, or was it worse than I wanted to believe?

Zion stepped closer, his arm sliding smoothly onto the back of my chair. The heat of him so near sent an involuntary shiver racing down my spine.

“It’s enough,” he murmured, voice low and certain.

“We’ll figure it out.”

His fingers brushed against a few stray strands of my hair before settling gently at the nape of my neck. I held my breath, caught frozen beneath the weight of his touch.

“Let’s start the list,” Harry said, his voice breaking the silence and pulling me back from the edge of the moment.

Zion gave a slight nod, eyes scanning the room but never quite meeting mine.

“We need to be careful,” he said quietly, his tone firm.

“Whoever’s behind this can’t find out Winter talked. If they even suspect we’re onto them, things could get a lot worse.”

As he spoke, his finger traced slow, deliberate circles against the back of my neck.

The touch was soft, almost ghostlike, but it sent a shiver racing down my arms.

My breath caught, but I stayed still, caught somewhere between wanting to lean in and holding back.

Zion didn’t look at me.

His gaze stayed fixed on the screen, focused and unyielding, like this was just another move in a game he was determined to win.

“Alright,” he said, his voice calm but edged with determination.

“Let’s keep it simple. Who actually hates Winter? Who has a real reason to want to hurt her?”

Ariel didn’t hesitate. Pen poised, eyes sharp and steady, she began to speak as she prepared to take notes.

“Cindy’s an obvious one—her hatred for Winter isn’t exactly a secret.”

I shook my head firmly.

“No way. Cindy’s too clueless for something this calculated.”

Claire smirked, voice thick with sarcasm.

“Cindy probably couldn’t even organise her own thoughts, let alone a plan. Brain cells? I’m pretty sure hers are still on vacation.”

Clark leaned forward, a sly grin on his face.

“What about Sean? He’s been chasing Winter for months, and she’s made it clear she’s not interested. Rejection can be a powerful motive,” Clark said, arms crossed, eyes narrowing as he considered the situation.

Zion’s jaw tightened, his gaze darkening to something fierce and unforgiving. The tension in the room thickened as a muscle twitched at his temple.

“Nobody—nobody—dares to even think about getting anywhere near Snowflake’s pants,” Zion growled, his voice low and deadly.

“And as for Sean… I’d break every bone in his body before he even had the chance to blink.”

Ro’s voice cut in quietly, “And if he’s the one sending those messages…”

Zion took a slow, deliberate breath, but it did nothing to mask the fury simmering just beneath the surface.

“I’d make damn sure he never looked at her—or any girl—ever again. I’d ruin him.”

His gaze locked onto Ariel.

“His name’s at the top of that list. I’ll personally make sure he’s dealt with.”

No one spoke. The room had gone still.

Names kept coming as Ariel scribbled, precise and methodical.

Ro’s voice dropped, low and serious.

“Don’t forget Damien. The messages started right when he showed up. His whole vibe around Winter? Off. Tense. Suspicious as hell.”

I furrowed my brow—he wasn’t wrong. The guy definitely creeped me out.

“There’s one person we’re all forgetting,” Harry said, locking eyes with Zion.

Zion’s brow furrowed.

“Who?”

“Ethan Wilde.”