Chapter 71: One Step Ahead

"NIKOLAI WOLFHART!"

Mikhail’s voice boomed through the room, startling Nikolai upright on the velvet armchair.

He blinked innocently at his twin, quickly straightening his back as his elder twin glared down at him. "Yes... Mikhail?"

"Where. The. Hell. Have. You. Been?"

Mikhail repeated the question, each word laced with icy frustration, his jaw clenched as he stepped further into the room.

"I’ve been looking everywhere for you. What exactly have you been up to?"

Nikolai immediately raised both hands in surrender. "Whoa, calm down, bro," he said, easing himself carefully out of the armchair in an attempt to calm his furious-looking brother. "I wasn’t wasting away my time, I promise. I was busy securing our prize. I found a way to guarantee we get closer to Miss Dawson."

Mikhail narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Start talking."

"See, the problem with your plan is that it takes way too long. Sure, being nice, polite, patient, and playing the perfect gentleman who swoops in to save the damsel in distress might work eventually, but who knows how long that’ll take? And you know me, patience has never been my strongest suit. I like seeing results. I want progress now. I don’t want to wait—"

"Enough rambling already and tell me what you’ve actually done," Mikhail cut in sharply, his patience wearing dangerously thin.

Nikolai cleared his throat dramatically, taking a small step forward while maintaining a cautious, self-satisfied grin. "As I was saying, I’ve come up with a custom-made trap to pull Starlight Dawson right into our orbit. And to make it even better, I already secured the Headmistress’s official permission, so everything is completely legitimate. Well... on paper, at least."

Mikhail’s irritation slowly faded as he folded his arms across his chest, his curiosity finally piqued. "I’m listening."

Nikolai’s grin turned positively wolfish.

"Miss Dawson has officially been placed in the Student Corrective Conduct Program," he declared. "And you and I have been appointed as her designated student supervisors."

"What in the world is the Student Corrective Conduct Program?" Mikhail asked with a deep scowl, uncrossing his arms. "Do we even have such a program at the Academy?"

Nikolai couldn’t help letting out a short laugh, his tense posture relaxing a little.

"How can you and that girl ask the exact same question with the exact same tone and expression? Are you two mind-linked already or what?" He shook his head. "Of course there isn’t such a program at the Academy. That’s why I said it’s a custom-made trap."

Genuine surprise flashed across Mikhail’s face.

Usually, his twin brought nothing but unnecessary trouble and chaos, leaving Mikhail to clean up the aftermath. This was actually the first time Nikolai had come up with something that sounded remotely strategic.

Suspiciously strategic.

Crossing the room, he joined Nikolai in the lounging area and took a seat opposite him.

"Then sit down," Mikhail ordered, leaning forward with sharp, focused interest.

"And start from the beginning. Explain exactly how this so-called program is supposed to work and how it’s supposed to help us get closer to Starlight Dawson."

Nikolai’s grin stretched from ear to ear. "Gladly."

He spent the next several minutes explaining every detail of the plan. The more he talked, the more animated he became. He gestured wildly with his hands as he broke down every detail of the arrangement. He explained how they would use Starlight’s previous public incidents as leverage to justify her placement in the "Student Corrective Conduct Program," presenting it as a disciplinary measure designed to help her adjust to academy life and improve her conduct.

He went on to explain how Starlight would be required to meet with them regularly, how they would strip a few nonessential classes from her schedule and replace them with mandatory morning and evening review sessions. Every one of her activities and interactions would now be monitored by them. Most importantly, it would give them a perfectly legitimate reason to stay close to her without attracting suspicion or raising unnecessary questions.

For once, Nikolai had thought of everything.

Mikhail remained completely engrossed throughout the explanation, listening with an intensity that only grew stronger as each piece fell into place. By the time his brother finished, surprise didn’t even begin to describe what he was feeling. He was stunned beyond words.

For the life of him, he couldn’t understand what had possessed Nikolai Wolfhart to suddenly start using half of his brain. This was the sort of plan Mikhail would’ve expected himself to come up with after days of careful considerations.

Seeing Nikolai be the one responsible for it felt almost surreal. Overcome by a surge of unexpected pride and respect for his brother, Mikhail shot to his feet, crossed the distance between them, and pulled him into a fierce, tight hug, clapping him hard on the back.

"You did good, bro. You did really, really good. I’m so fucking proud of you."

Nikolai froze.

For a brief moment, he genuinely forgot how to breathe. His brother had told him countless times that he loved and cared about him, and he had always backed it up through his actions, no matter how many headaches Nikolai caused or how much trouble he dragged into their lives.

But this? This was the first time Mikhail had ever said he was proud of him. Warmth spread through his chest so quickly it almost hurt

A ridiculous grin threatened to split his face in half. "Well..." Nikolai cleared his throat, trying and failing to hide how pleased he was. "Obviously. You have to be proud of me."

Mikhail laughed and finally released him before dropping back onto the sofa. "Honestly, I still can’t believe you actually came up with this," he admitted, shaking his head. "You really outdid yourself this time, Niko. I mean that."

Nikolai’s grin widened even further.

"When exactly does this program start?"

"Tomorrow morning," Nikolai replied, his eyes gleaming. "The Headmistress agreed to let us take her first-period slot, and since she doesn’t have any late-evening classes, we’ll oversee her then too. It gives us complete control over her schedule without making it look suspicious."

Mikhail leaned back against the sofa and let out a long breath, a rare, genuine smile still firmly fixed on his face. "Wow. Do you even realize what you’ve done, Nikolai? This puts us one step ahead of everyone else trying to get close to her."

Nikolai’s smile immediately faded.

He frowned. "What do you mean everyone else?" he asked. "Are other people interested in her too? I thought it was only the two of us."

Mikhail’s expression darkened.

"Did you not get any message from Father?"