The message from his grandmother blazed on the screen with a stark and almost unbelievable declaration. ‘I bought the whole movie house instead and prix now belongs to us.’ Max stared at the words and then looked around his small, familiar room. The worn carpet, the stack of textbooks, the faint smell of instant noodles. It felt like a dream, a sudden, jarring shift from the life he knew.He snatched up his phone, his thumb fumbling over the contact. The line connected, a faint static crackling before her voice, calm and collected, filled his ear.“Grandma?” Max asked, his voice barely a whisper. “Is that… is that true? About Prix Movie House?”“Maxwell,” Lady Roslyn replied, her tone betraying no hint of the monumental acquisition. “Yes, it’s quite true. They were rather insistent on not selling the rights to the ‘Sun-Rost’ show. A peculiar attachment, I found. So, I acquired the entire company. It seemed the most efficient solution.”“The… the entire company?” Max repeated, running

The space in the lobby of Prix Movie House headquarters was almost filled with excitement. Cameras flashed like a thousand tiny stars, shooting out a barrage of reporters, influencers and industry insiders throughout the room, each bringing their camera snippets to light as they stared at the stage where, on a giant screen, a clean and new logo for “Sun-Rost Season 2” sat.Jacob Prime strided through the crowd, a huge triumphant smile perched high above his eyes. Evelyn clutched onto his shoulder, smiling at the camera, sometimes waving a manicured hand, and Ethan Maverick, who, looking a fair bit like him and charismatic, slowly followed a step behind him, his eyes wide open for eye contact with the other friends; Jacob took advantage of his position, looking at all the faces, sensing all the attention.“Look at this, Ethan, ” Jacob excused himself from luring closer to the star. “They seem to be eating out of my hand already. The buzz if I sign. ” This was it. My big break.Ethan gr

The silence that fell after Jacob got dragged off stage was so thick, you could almost hear it crackle. Then, all hell broke loose. Reporters were shouting questions, camera flashes were going off like crazy, and everyone was buzzing. Jacob’s friends – Evelyn, Ethan, Jerry, Nicolas, they just stood there, looking like someone had slapped them all at once.Evelyn was the first to find her voice, but it was thin, reedy. “What… what just happened? Jacob! Where did they take him?” She looked around, frantic, like her brother had just vanished into thin air.Mr. Maverick, ever the cool one, just adjusted his sunglasses, though you could see his jaw was tight. “Looks like his big break just… broke.” He wasn’t exactly sympathetic.Jerry and Nicolas, usually so loud, were quiet, their eyes darting around. “Man, I don’t get it,” Jerry mumbled. “One minute he’s signing, the next he’s… gone.”At that moment, a serious-looking employee, a woman with a neatly tied bun and an even harsher demeanor,

2 men rushed him down the street, Max sidestepped the first, and let him go, then spun and caught the other man's outstretched arm, turning him around, then with a fast and vicious kick to the knee got him down. The first man, who wasn't so badly hurt, jabbed his face at Max again. When the elbow he used to shoot at his solar plexus rocked the other man dead, the guy gasped and doubled over.Another guy came over from the side and tried to tackle him. Max dropped down and swept his leg sending the guy flying. He heard a sickening thud as the man’s head hit the concrete. He didn’t stop to check.Four down. Two to go.The last two, seeing their buddies on the ground, exchanged a nervous glance. One of them, thinner but quick, pulled out a knife. The blade glinted wickedly in the dim alley light.“You think you’re tough, huh?” the knife-wielder snarled, circling. “Let’s see how tough you are against this.”Max felt a cold dread. Uncle Chen hadn’t taught him about knives. “Don’t get cut,

The officers ceased their assault on Max, directing their focus to the fresh commotion. “Oh, you want a piece of this as well, you fucking drunk?” one of them mocked."Absolutely!" “I do!” the intoxicated man muttered, attempting to inflate his chest. “You jerks!” "Attacking a kid!" The police acted without delay. They advanced on him, clubs in motion. The intoxicated man shouted in a sorrowful and muted noise, while they pounced on him. Max observed, powerlessly, as the man collapsed, moaning and reduced to a mash. The officers eventually halted, panting, their faces reddened. They paused over Max and the other man for a moment, then turned and exited, banging the cell door closed. Max was there, panting, his body hurting, each breath a challenge. The intoxicated person was softly sobbing in the corner. The following morning, the prison cell seemed chillier, the atmosphere thicker. Max was in pain all over. His ribs were howling, his back felt like a war zone. He gradually lifted