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CHAPTER THREE
[—𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋—]

The encounter with Aiden went by smoothly, the two of you exchanging numbers, you handing him some cash that could last him a few weeks or so if used wisely which he reluctantly took, even though there was evident greed behind his gaze before ultimately leaving the crime scene for an unfortunate soul to discover.

Although you were thankful for the calm reaction your newly acquired friend expressed, you were slightly puzzled by how unfazed he acted towards the whole ordeal. Was he used to this kind of scene, you wondered. You mentally took note to look into that further, considering you would need to get to know almost everything about your victims, allowing you better chances of success.

As of right now, you were sitting in a cafe owned by the campus you had began attending, mindlessly sipping your favorite beverage while waiting for your first class to start which was actually in three more hours, precisely 10:30 am.

You had no idea why you even bothered to wake up so early.

But just as the question struck you, a man alongside his small group of friends walked in, followed by a small ringing sound signaling another customer to have entered, reminding you of why you quickly woke up and made your way here in the first place.

One of your victims—Leon. You learned that he mostly came by early morning on school days to grab a coffee and lazily sit around engaging in light conversation with his friends, and just as you were quietly observing his interactions from afar, you could clearly see how happy and relaxed his overall composure was, always smiling and laughing to his friends' words. But beneath it all, although you were sitting quite a distance away, you noticed how his eyes weren't sparkling with a sense of joy. Apparently, from what you presumed, this man was putting on an act, lying about his emotions for the benefit of others.

You had a vague idea as to why.

After some digging, you discovered that this Leon had recently broken up with his girlfriend after finding out about her secret affair with his best friend, the two of them ending things on a rough note while he and his now ex best friend were practically strangers to one another. You guessed he was probably really upset with how everything turned out, but not wanting to burden his other friends, he decided it best he pretended to be over the betrayal which left him scarred.

You honestly thought he was being too considerate. Perhaps you could use that trait of his to your advantage. With the prospect of a new advantage for you to use, you couldn't help but grin.

And so, you continued to discreetly watch the interactions between the group of friends, taking note of every gesture and reaction presented by Leon until it was about time to leave for your first class which, coincidentally, was shared with your target. How convenient.

You made sure to gulp down the remains of your drink before taking your leave, making sure to make yourself as noticeable as possible while walking past Leon's table, taking slow strides but maintaining a passive look so as not to look desperate.

As you made your way out, just out of the corner of your eye, you were able to catch a glimpse of Leon glancing at you. Within the short span of time, you were able to witness his brows knit together, as if recalling a certain memory, then eyes widening, before quickly diverting his gaze elsewhere, slightly irking you.