It was nothing more than an ordinary sigh, barely louder than the sound of someone releasing a breath after carrying a heavy burden. Yet the moment that sigh escaped Xavier’s lips, the atmosphere throughout the marketplace changed so dramatically that everyone’s heart began pounding against their ribs.Every gaze immediately shifted toward him.For several seconds, nobody dared to speak. Even those who had been loudly mocking the silverware vendor moments ago instinctively quieted down, because there was something deeply unsettling about the calmness in Xavier’s expression. He did not look furious in the conventional sense. He wasn’t shouting, threatening, or making a scene.That was precisely what frightened them.“Why would anyone even think of bullying Little Lola?” Xavier murmured, almost as though he were asking himself the question.The vendor heard every word.Her face instantly drained of what little color remained, and regretful tears welled in her eyes. Just moments ago, she

*****“Please, sister, I’m completely lost here,” she pleaded, practically grabbing the sleeve of the elderly woman beside her. “Could you please explain what is going on? I feel like everyone received a chapter of the story except me!”Her words immediately resonated with the rest of the uninformed crowd.“I’m dying to know what happened as well!”“Please, somebody shed some light!”“What did this man do?”“And why does everyone suddenly look like they’ve seen a ghost?”The questions poured out from every direction, and before long, the curious voices dominated the surrounding area.Surprisingly, nobody became annoyed by the constant questions.If anything, the atmosphere became lively again, those who knew what had happened appearing eager to recount Xavier’s legendary feat.After all, the silverware vendor had spent the past several minutes acting as though she were the queen of the marketplace, bullying a helpless child and demanding an outrageous sum of money from anyone who dare

*****Little Lola had a father who did not care about her.That man was a gang leader with several subordinates under his command, yet despite having enough men around him to intimidate almost anyone in the market, he had never used that strength to protect his own daughter.He had never provided her with a proper home, given her food, or offered her the faintest safety.Instead, he had treated her as though she were nothing more than a convenient source of income.Little Lola would wake before most people had even opened their eyes and spend the entire day moving around the marketplace, desperately searching for anyone who needed help.And whenever she finally managed to scrape together a little money, money she had earned with her tiny hands and exhausted body because she wanted nothing more than to buy herself something simple to eat, her father would swagger into the market with several of his men.Then they would take everything.Every hard-earned bill and coin.Sometimes, they w

*****The Silverware Vendor remembered Madam Tush’s fate, the woman who had once been one of the most feared vendors in the marketplace and who had also made the catastrophic mistake of crossing Little Lola.Madam Tush had fallen, her influence had vanished, and her husband had been dismissed by the Myron family.Their entire household had gone from being untouchable to being practically disgraced overnight.And now she had unknowingly stepped into the exact same pit.Her stomach churned.“I…” She finally turned toward Xavier.The smugness that had previously made her look unbearable was nowhere to be found.Instead, she forced an awkward smile onto her face, but the expression was so bitter and unnatural that it looked more like she was trying to smile while swallowing poison.“I didn’t know it was you, sir,” she stammered. “And I… I didn’t know Little Lola was with you.”The change was so dramatic that it was almost comical.This was the same woman who had just been threatening a six

*****Back then... long before the silverware vendor mastered elaborate scams and learned how to squeeze every last coin from frightened victims with practiced ease, she had been nothing more than an ordinary drifter with nowhere to call home, no stable source of income, and no future worth looking forward to.Life had beaten her down without mercy.She slept wherever she could find shelter from the rain, often going to bed with an empty stomach while her children cried themselves to sleep beside her.Every sunrise brought the same desperate question… would they eat today, or would hunger win again?She had survived by doing whatever work the marketplace threw at her.From dawn until dusk, she labored like a beast of burden.When trucks arrived loaded with merchandise, people called for her to unload them.When customers bought bulky goods, she was summoned to carry them.She scrubbed filthy stalls, swept rubbish from the walkways, hauled construction materials for workers renovating