She stretched out her hand, a silent but fierce invitation, eyes blazing with determination and hope. "So, I'm asking you one more time—will you join me? Ally with each other, combine our strengths, hunt this thing down, dodge the punishments, and keep ourselves in this twisted game together till the end?"
"I accept the alliance," Alessandro declared firmly, slamming his hand decisively over hers. The sound echoed just enough to punctuate the moment, a promise sealed.
"Me too," Samira added, sliding her hand on top of Alessandro's with a confident smile that spoke of unshakable resolve.
Rafael's voice rumbled softly, a low purr as he placed his hand over Samira's. "Sounds like a better plan than the one I had brewing in my head. Let's save our fights for the games themselves. Let the strongest win there, not among ourselves."
"I agree," Elijah said at last, voice steady but cautious as he slipped his hand beneath Thalia's. He was careful to avoid touching Rafael's hand again—after the previous night's shark-like grip had left him with lingering chills. He pressed his lips together, trying to stay composed, then added quietly, "And... I got the clue."
Thalia's breath caught, her eyes lighting up like a firecracker. She bounced slightly where she stood, excitement bubbling up like a spring. "Gamó nai, Snakebite! That's the spirit! Finally, we've got something to work with."
Elijah's grin stretched wide, pleased by her enthusiasm. "So... do I get a kiss for that? Anywhere I want?"
Thalia rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a small smile. She got on her toes, cupped his face gently, and guided his head down before planting a quick, warm kiss on his forehead. "There. That counts." Then, with a sly sideways glance at the others—who were shooting Elijah daggers—she added, "I'll kiss you too... when you start bringing in some clues about the millionaire. Sound motivating enough to keep you going? That offer stands for all four of you. No mouths, though—forehead and cheek only. Neck if the clue is juicy enough."
Elijah's grin turned cheeky as he clapped his hands in approval. "Now that's motivation, love."
"We'll be hunting down every clue there is," Rafael vowed, eyes gleaming with determination. "All of them."
"That's the kind of talk I like to hear," Alessandro beamed, breaking into a little celebratory dance, lightening the mood.
Samira smirked playfully at him. "I'm sooooo going to make you eat my dust for those kisses."
"But wait, what if the Lions win and you get the clue instead of us, love?"
She hummed thought at Elijah's question, "Well, let's make it in a way you'll cheer if you win or if I win. If I win, I give a kiss to all four of you. How about that?"
"Sounds like a win-win," Alessandro purred, Rafael and Samira agreeing with him.
Thalia still held Elijah's face in her hands, tilting it down so his focus was locked on hers. "Tell me. The clue?"
Elijah's grin grew wider. "It's juicy."
Thalia pouted, curiosity sharp. "The clue, Snakebite."
Elijah recited carefully, every word crisp and clear. "'For nineteen brutal weeks, the millionaire endured the longest pre-entry assessment on record. Four days and a half have passed since its end—and twenty lives were lost at their hands.'"
Thalia's eyes widened, a wild grin tugging at the corners of her lips. "Shit."
"Nineteen weeks?" Rafael gasped, horror flickering across his face. "That must've been the very first pre-entry assessment out of all of ours. Did anyone last night even mention nineteen weeks when we were talking?"
"No," Samira shook her head slowly. "Not many shared details. The longest I heard about was Amirah's—fifteen weeks. Whoever gave us this clue probably wanted us to think hers was the longest."
Thalia released Elijah's face, rubbing her temples. "Yes, but though mine started fifteen weeks ago, it ended seven weeks ago. So, it wasn't the longest, only one of the earliest. It lasted eight weeks. I can't even begin to imagine how someone could survive nineteen fucking weeks straight without breaking. Who got into the drawing room the earliest yesterday?"
Rafael raised his hand without hesitation. "Me."
Thalia turned to him sharply. "Then you saw more people come in after, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
"Who looked the most drained?" she pressed. "Because whoever it is, they must be exhausted. Four days and a half by midnight last night—that's nearly five days since their assessment ended. They're probably a mess. We got time to rest; they didn't. We have to catch that."
Elijah's mind was already racing. "How about this," he began, voice calm but sharp, "at breakfast, we watch our own teammates' reactions closely. I'll watch the Serpents, Love focuses on the Lions, Casanova on the Eagles, Cleopatra on the Bears, and Baby Shark on the Sharks. We cover a lot more ground this way."
"Fuck, I hate to say it—but that's a brilliant plan, Snakebite," Alessandro groaned, sighed, then clapped his hands with a sharp snap, eyes gleaming. "This is juicy information about the millionaire. When the others get wind of this clue, they'll definitely feel unsettled as hell. I mean, think about it—twenty out of twenty-four contestants lost in that pre-entry assessment. That's not just brutal; that's downright terrifying. Whoever this person is, they're dangerous as hell. If they killed their competition then, they won't hesitate to do the same here. That's probably the highest kill count we've seen—unless there's some even worse monster lurking among us."
Rafael snapped his fingers, a sharp, decisive sound cutting through the air. "Exactly. We need to keep our focus razor-sharp. And more importantly, we have to win the clue in today's game. Since the next clue's going to be up for grabs in a fight, it's probably even juicier than this one. Then, once we've got it, we meet up, lay it all out, and watch each other's reactions carefully."
Samira nodded, clapping her hands in agreement. "Sounds like a solid plan. But we better move now—if we hang around too long, it'll get obvious that we're allied. People will start sniffing around."
"Nah," Thalia giggled, tossing her head with a carefree smile. "They'll probably just see you half-naked, strutting around me like peacocks and assume you're all just competing over me. Besides, everyone saw the obvious hostility between Casanova, Snakebite, and Baby Shark last night. Nobody is going to suspect an alliance here—not with all that drama."
Samira chuckled, shaking her head. "True. And honestly? That was happening. Still is, actually."
"Alright, alright," Thalia clapped her hands, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet, excitement bubbling over. "Fuck, that was such a good clue. I'm starving after that run. Breakfast's going to be at the same table we used last night. The last one to get there has to flirt with the billionaire when he comes to collect us for today's game." With a laugh that sounded like pure joy, she took off running—light and fast, like a cheetah in full sprint.
The others growled in mock disgust and dashed after her, their laughter and shouts filling the air like kids playing tag, caught up in the moment of camaraderie and competition.