5. Alex

Alex attends swimming trials at the loch to help his friend Vincenzo's sister Belladonna, where he encounters Ophelia Winters competing. After the trials, a call from his father Cain upsets him deeply, and when leaving, Ophelia intercepts him in the forest demanding to know if he was at the tarn the previous night, hinting at some unresolved incident between them.

Alex and Vincenzo jog to the loch for Belladonna's swimming trials, arriving late from a forgotten night that began in the Nightshade library and ended at a Snakeroot party. Alex reflects on his twelve-year friendship with Vincenzo, dating to when their fathers made shadowy deals in New York. At the trials, Alex reconnects with friends Sara Hamilton and Mura Sayari, then meets Colette DuPont, a member of the Luxembourgish royal family. Ophelia Winters arrives to compete, and though Alex finds her attractive, he dismisses her as trouble and expects her to leave within the month. During the women's races, Ophelia excels, winning both her heat and the final despite the cold water, while Shawn Miller fawns over her afterward. Alex receives a call from his father Cain Green, who criticizes his pre-course assessment score and pressures him about CEO training, calling him a "deadbeat son." The conversation deeply wounds Alex, who harbors resentment about his father's absence throughout his life. Leaving the trials upset, Ophelia pulls him into the forest, demanding to know if he was at the tarn the previous night and threatening him over something he allegedly did. Alex denies involvement and leaves, but their charged exchange reveals unresolved tension between them and suggests Ophelia suspects him of interference in her affairs.