Barry groaned softly as his eyes fluttered open, the sterile scent of antiseptic and faint hum of machines greeting him like ghosts in the dark. His head throbbed. Something was tightly wrapped around it, and his entire body felt like it had been crushed, stretched, and folded.He tried to sit up and grimaced in pain. “Ugh… what… what happened?” he murmured.White walls. Soft beeping. Tubes.A hospital. He was in a hospital.He blinked again, trying to make sense of where he was when the door creaked open.A woman in a white lab coat stepped in. Her long black hair was tied back in a bun, and a stethoscope hung from her neck.“Oh,” she said with a smile that felt oddly rehearsed. “You’re finally awake?”Barry rubbed his eyes. His vision was blurry, but her voice… something about it unsettled him. “Where am I? What happened?”“You were in a terrible car crash three days ago,” she said, walking calmly to his bedside. “It’s a miracle you’re alive.”Everything rushed back like a floodga

In the sterile, quiet hospital room where Eleanor lay motionless, surrounded by the hum of machines, Barry stood with a growing storm in his chest.“No way,” Barry said sharply, turning to Sebastian. “The Golden Cat of Good Fortune never does anything for free. He always wants something in return. Always.”Sebastian didn’t flinch. He stepped forward and gently placed his hand on Barry’s shoulder.“Barry,” he said, “he’s the only one who can revive her to full health. Look at her—” He gestured at Eleanor, her fragile body lying still, a network of wires and tubes connecting her to machines that only prolonged her existence. “Even modern medicine can’t save her. If you want her to wake up with no lasting damage—then you must meet the Golden Cat.”Barry turned away, hands clenched tightly, jaw grinding. “That would take forever,” he snapped. “You remember what happened the last time I asked for his help. It took me days to gain his favour. We don’t have that kind of time to waste!”Seba

Harold's face turned red with fury as Barry and Sebastian headed for the door. His voice rose like thunder in the room. “I’m not going to let this slide!” he bellowed. “You broke into my suite! You’ll be arrested for trespassing and false accusations!”He fumbled in his back pocket, pulling out his phone with trembling fingers and began dialing, clearly calling the authorities. “You’re going to rot in a cell, Barry! Just wait!”To Harold’s utter disbelief, Barry didn’t even glance his way. He turned calmly to Sebastian, ignoring the outburst behind him as though Harold was nothing more than background noise.Sebastian’s voice was quiet. “There must be others who could be suspects, master. Think deeper.”Barry nodded, his mind racing. “There are two people I want questioned. Eleanor’s siblings… and Mr. Halbert. Her siblings had once plotted to ruin her, and Halbert might've out of revenge for her rejection planned her accident. If anyone knows something or had a reason—they would.”

Sebastian stood patiently outside Eleanor’s apartment, leaning against the metal rail as the soft hum of the evening wind swept through the street.The sky was slowly dimming, painted in streaks of orange and purple.He looked at his watch, then toward the corner of the road where headlights approached.Barry's Honda Civic rolled up and parked by the curb. The engine gave a tired cough as it died down, and a moment later, Barry stepped out.Sebastian straightened immediately, walking briskly toward him. “So,” he asked, eyes searching Barry’s expression, “how did it go, master?”Barry looked weary and drained of energy. His shoulders sagged and his eyes were heavy, but most of all, there was disappointment etched deep in his face.“He’s not the one,” Barry said softly.He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, silver ring. It glinted faintly under the evening light as he placed it into Sebastian’s palm.Sebastian looked down at it. This ring has a special ability to de

The room cracked open with stunned silence.Lydia’s phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor with a dull thud.Elliot’s jaw dropped. “What…?” he stammered.Serena’s eyes darted to the others, seeking confirmation. “Wait… what did he just say?”“You’re lying,” Dayton said, his voice barely above a whisper. “You can’t be… Barry Sullivan is a trillionaire. You—you're just—”“A nobody? A con man? A useless husband?” Barry finished for him, his tone razor-sharp. “That’s what you all thought, didn’t you?”He placed both palms on the table and leaned in.“I suppose I should tell you the truth now,” he said, his voice calm but commanding. “I am not Eleanor's husband. Her husband died… a day before I was first brought before you all.”A sharp gasp broke the stillness. Everyone’s eyes widened. Lydia blinked rapidly. Elliot’s mouth hung open. Even Mr. Dayton's jaw slackened, his hands gripping the edge of the table.“I was a stand-in,” Barry continued, unmoved by their shock. “Eleanor was d