Cassian chuckled, a slow, humorless sound as he closed the cryptic book and set it aside. His fingers ran over the smooth leather cover one last time before pushing it away.
“This gift is... quite interesting.”
His gaze flickered to the mirror across the room, and he strode toward it.
The face that greeted him was calm, composed—normal.
The pale complexion from earlier was gone, replaced by the usual light tan of his skin. No lingering sickness, no trembling.
Amazing.
Whatever that book had done to him—it had worked.
A tool. A weapon.
Cassian’s lips curled into a small smirk. And now, it’s mine.
He turned away, heading for the door. The tray of breakfast was waiting just outside, left neatly by the maid as he had instructed. He bent down, picking it up effortlessly.
Then, something flickered in his mind.
The diary.
His eyes narrowed. He hadn’t taken the time to properly go through it—not in the depth he should have. And now, with the academy looming ahead, he needed to be prepared.
If he was going to pretend to be Cassian Starfall, then he needed to know every piece of the puzzle.
He placed the breakfast tray on the desk and reached for the diary instead, flipping it open.
Pages upon pages of calculated details.
A list of names.
At first glance, it seemed harmless—just a record of classmates, maybe even friends. But as Cassian’s eyes skimmed through the contents, his fingers curled tighter around the book.
What the fuck?
In the middle of the pages—twelve names.
All girls.
Each name had four carefully written entries beneath it:
- Which Mask? (What type of boyfriend Cassian Starfall was to her?)
- Why They Are Useful? (Why was she worth keeping around? What did she provide?)
- The Mind Game? (What story or plot had he fed her? What lies had he spun?)
- His Next Step? (What was his next move? How would he manipulate her further?)
And at the very bottom of everything, scrawled in neat, deliberate script—
"They think they own a piece of me—my heart, my time, my loyalty. Fools. They’re just names on a list, tools in my hand, and when I’m done? I don’t even remember their faces."
Cassian sat back, exhaling sharply.
His fingers drummed against the paper, his mind racing.
So this was the kind of person Cassian Starfall was.
It wasn’t just about fitting into the academy or blending into his life. No—Cassian Starfall was a master manipulator. A man who treated relationships as a game of strategy.
And these girls?
They weren’t lovers.
They were pawns.
Cassian pinched the bridge of his nose.
“…Sh*t.”
This was so much worse than he’d thought.
It wasn’t just about pretending to be Starfall.
It was about playing a role in a game he didn’t even know the rules to.
A slow, bitter chuckle escaped his lips.
“Dice, huh?” he muttered. His eyes flickered back to one of the notes. Apparently, Cassian Starfall had been using a dice system to determine which girl he would spend time with each day.
Fucking unbelievable.
Cassian leaned back, rubbing a hand over his face.
He wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or disgusted.
Six girls. Six different versions of himself.
And now, he was expected to keep up the act.
Cassian’s jaw clenched.
One wrong move, and they’d know something was off.
One misplaced word, one slip of the tongue—
And this entire carefully constructed mask would crumble.
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His grip tightened around the diary.
He needed to be ready.
He needed to learn the rules.
Cassian stared at the diary, its aged pages holding secrets he never asked for. His grip tightened around the leather cover as a slow exhale escaped his lips.
‘In this world where power reigns supreme, I have only two choices—play my role flawlessly or maybe die in cell. One wrong move, and they’ll know something is off. I have to outplay the original, or I won’t win the control to flawless power which comes with the name’
One misplaced word. One slip of the tongue.
And this entire carefully constructed mask would crumble.
He needed to be prepared.
He needed to learn the rules and make it his own.
And more than anything—
He needed to make sure he played this game better than the original ever did.
‘But I am look forward to it, this is so interesting’
Cassian leaned back against his chair, dragging a hand through his dark hair before exhaling sharply.
"Let's roll the dice, shall we?"
He reached toward the desk drawer, fingers brushing against cool metal before pulling out the small six-sided die. It held the dice in his palm, unassuming. Innocent.
Yet, to Cassian Starfall, it was anything but.
This was how he chose.
Not with emotions. Not with preferences.
Just random chance.
Cassian rolled the die across the polished wooden desk, watching it tumble before finally settling—
Four.
His hazel eyes flickered down to the number, his expression unreadable.
"Four… huh."
He grabbed the diary again, flipping through its pages until he reached the list. His gaze locked onto the name beside the number.
### Name: Clara
- Mask: Fun and entertainment, gamer, and hacker.
- Usefulness: Homework, hacking skills, covering for him academically.
- Mind Games: Feeds her ego, claiming she’s the only one who understands his “complex mind.” Gaslights her into proving her intelligence to him.
- Next Step: Manipulate her into hacking confidential data for him.
Cassian read the entries over again, his lips pressing into a thin line.
Gaming and hacking?
I know neither.
He had only touched a game console just the night before he didn't know much, and let alone sat in front of a screen pretending to understand lines of code.
His fingers curled around the edge of the diary.
‘I’m so fucked, or so am i?’
His gaze flickered back to the dice resting on his desk, the small number four staring up at him like a silent executioner.
Cassian Starfall had treated this like a game—literally rolling dice to decide which girl he’d entertain next.
And now, Cassian Drayven was trapped playing along.
Hm…. way out.
No way around it.
Cassian exhaled sharply, forcing himself to focus.
‘Alright…interesting’
If he had to play the role—then he gladly would.
He reached for the diary again, flipping through past entries. He needed details. Patterns. Anything he could use to imitate Starfall convincingly.
The notes on Clara were painstakingly thorough.
- She loved a challenge. The more difficult something seemed, the more determined she became.
- She thrived on validation. If she felt needed, if she felt like the only one who could solve a problem, she’d devote herself completely.
- She had a weakness for being “the smartest person in the room.” Cassian Starfall had used that against her—always keeping her at arm’s length, always making her feel like she was just on the verge of earning his full approval.
Cassian laughing
This guy really was a piece of Sht…
But…
That also meant ‘Clara was predictable.’
And if she was predictable, ‘i can control the situation.’
Cassian let out a slow breath, closing the diary.
‘Alright. I got it all in control’
Just then, A sharp knock interrupted his thoughts.
Cassian barely had time to react before a familiar voice called from the other side of the door—
"Brother?"
It was Sky.
The toddler’s voice was muffled by the wood, but concern laced his words.
"Why did you run to the washroom?" Sky’s voice was softer now, questioning. "And why did you tell the maid to send me alone? I thought we were going together?"
Cassian stared at the door for a moment before sighing.
He wasn’t ready for this conversation.
But Sky wouldn’t leave without answers.
Cassian stood, pushing the diary aside.
He forced his expression into something normal before walking over to the door and pulling it open.
Sky looked up at him, his round blue eyes scanning his face.
Cassian offered a faint smirk. "Didn’t want you to wait, kid."
Sky didn’t look convinced. "But you look tired… pale. Are you sick?"
Cassian exhaled through his nose. "I told you. Probably the cold."
Sky narrowed his eyes, lips pressing into a pout.
Cassian flicked his forehead. "Don’t make that face."
Sky huffed but let it go. "Okay, but you have to eat your breakfast now. And we’re still going together, right?"
Cassian sighed. "Yeah. Give me five minutes."
Sky nodded and finally let go of the topic. "Okay! Don’t take too long!"
Cassian watched as the toddler scampered away down the hall.
Once Sky was gone, Cassian turned back to the room, his gaze landing on the diary once more.
The mask was set.
The game was waiting.
And Cassian had no choice but to play.