The limousine pulled away, leaving Max standing on the curb, the distant hum of the charity event a beacon in the night. He hailed a cab, the urgency of the situation overriding his earlier emotional turmoil. The short ride felt like an eternity, his mind replaying Roland’s terrified face, the glint of the men’s hands going for their weapons.Finally, the cab screeched to a halt in front of the ornate, temporary gates of ‘La Orphanage.’ The place was transformed. Twinkling lights draped over every archway, soft music drifted from the main marquee, and a steady stream of impeccably dressed guests flowed inside.Max, still a little disheveled from his earlier encounter, approached the entrance. Two burly bouncers, dressed in sharp black suits, stood guard, their expressions stern.“Excuse me,” Max began, trying to sound confident, “I’m here for the charity event.”The larger of the two bouncers, a man with a neck thicker than Max’s thigh, crossed his arms. “Name?”“Max Lesley,” Max repl

The strings he'd just sung had played in the marquee, teasingly, through the attentive chatter and the clanking of champagne flutes. At the same time Max seemed to have settled into his role as host. He passed by people, handshaked and chatted with, and stopped for a moment to listen to politicians and businessmen, at least, who praised and congratulated him for the "wonderful initiative" taken at La Orphanage. Max was surprisingly good at it, acting in the game as if it were his natural charisma that was shining through. He even managed to steer the conversation in favor of the future need of the orphanage so that pledges could be slipped into their ink.In her words, Lena stayed with him, a splendid presence who immediately attracted admiring glances wherever they went. She was a delightful addition, a good comedian and a real curious person as well, even in the most discerning of guests. They worked together and were indeed magnetic in the room, with laughter echoing over the polit

Lena didn’t hesitate. The minute Max said Roland, with the shock in his face she knew something truly awful had just happened. She turned and ran back to the big marquee, her emerald dress glinting against the night.“Bucky! Bucky! ” she shouted in disbelief - through the festival music.Bucky, who'd just stepped into control of the security company under the main gate, turned swiftly at the noise of her desperate screams, saw the fear in her eyes, the fluttering jumble of her normally calm expression. He never said a word, but barked out an order into his earpiece.And within seconds a contingent of Lesley Corps security guards, grimy faced men in dark suits out of the shadows with guns holstered in their hands, broke through the darkness and ran a quick charge at Lena, his eyes looking for anything on the other side.“What is it, Lena? What happened?” Bucky demanded, his voice low and urgent.“Max! In the courtyard! Children! Kidnapped! Roland! He was… he was one of them!” Lena gasp

The Donxiote family mansion sprawled across a private estate nestled in the rolling hills outside the city, a fortress of old-world opulence. Marble statues gleamed under strategically placed spotlights, manicured gardens stretched into the moonlit distance, and the air hummed with a silent, almost palpable power.Inside, the grand dining room was a symphony of dark wood, polished silver, and hushed conversation. A long, mahogany table, laden with crystal and fine china, stretched across the room. At its head sat Domingo Donxiote, his chilling smile a permanent fixture. Around him sat his family: his stern-faced older brother, Lorenzo, who managed the pharmaceutical empire; his sharp-eyed sister, Isabella, who oversaw their illicit operations; and his youngest daughter, Sarah, a striking woman with fiery eyes and a restless energy, seated beside her father. Across from Sarah sat her father, a man whose face was etched with worry lines, his gaze often drifting to his daughter.The clin

Sarah gasped, a strangled sound of pure horror. “You… you can’t! You can’t mean… you’re going to make children work on drug farms?!” Her voice was barely a whisper, laced with disbelief. Not only was Domingo cruel, he was evil. Pure, unadulterated evil.Domingo merely smiled, his eyes fixed on Sarah, enjoying her revulsion. “Such strong words, my dear Sarah. But yes. That is precisely what I mean. They are simply… a solution to a logistical problem.”Sarah’s father slammed his fist on the desk, the obsidian surface barely vibrating. “No! I refuse! I will not be a part of this! I won’t send those children to a life of slavery on your damned drug farms!” His face was contorted with a mixture of anger and disgust. “You’ve gone too far, Domingo! This is monstrous!”Domingo went silent and lost his warm, innocent smile, replacing it with a cold, angry look, which made the room feel like a low, freezing temperature. “Impressive? Maybe not. But effective. And you my friend should behave exac