Chapter Title: Names That Don't Fit
Flashback – Five Months Ago
He sat at the back of the classroom, shoulders hunched, hoodie pulled low. The boys at the front were laughing again. Loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Noah?" one of them snorted. "That's, like, a cartoon name. Baby shark type vibe."
Another chimed in, "Bet his mom still calls him 'Noey-Bear.'"
The laughter sliced through the room.
Noah didn't flinch.
Didn't cry.
But something inside him clenched.
He was smart. Sharper than all of them. But they never saw it. They just saw a boy with soft eyes, quiet words, a name that didn't scare anyone.
So he made a choice.
That day, he stopped signing his schoolwork as Noah.
Later That Week – Home
Ayla saw how sad her brother looked she then asked what was wrong
"The boys at school bully me cause of my name"
Then let's give you a new name— Ayla said
Noah—lifted his chin.
"I want something stronger," he said. "Something… that sounds like I'm not a joke."
Kalen?!
Then he nodded. Once.
"Then be Kalen. But don't just wear the name. Grow into it."
Don't let them bully you anymore.
Present – Kalen's Apartment
Ever since the disappearance of his sister, even before her death, he already grew into the name. Telling everyone he newly met that his name was Kalen not Noah.
He stood in front of the mirror, fixing the cuff of his shirt. The name Noah didn't echo in his head anymore. Not often.
He wasn't running from it—just no longer needed it.
Kalen looked into his own eyes and saw the boy who used to shrink back. Then saw the man who now walked beside Viper, handling deals, facing power.
He didn't flinch anymore.
He didn't explain himself.
And when people said "Kalen," they said it with respect.
Just the way he wanted.