"Hey! No helping him!" Xavier sneered, stepping forward to block Jake. "The agreement was for him to take the shot.""He was too stubborn to do it with his eyes open. Now, when he misses, and he will miss, all of you are going to be bundled out of here in handcuffs. You’ll spend the rest of your miserable lives working in a cage to pay off that debt."Adrian’s lips curled into a calm, dangerous smirk. "The agreement is to hit the apple, right?""He’s even smiling!" John shook his head in disbelief. "He’s really going to put his friends behind bars just to pretend he’s a hero. You’re a monster, janitor.""I’m doing them a favor," Adrian said softly. "Don't worry," Xavier mocked, leaning against the bar. "I’ll ask the prison guards to put you all in the same cell. You can spend the next forty years together talking about how 'brave' you were. Now, shut up and take the shot, loser."Adrian fell into a deep silence. He didn't look for the target, he felt the room. He sensed the angle of

Someone handed him the black cloth. Xavier tied it around his head with jerky, angry movements. He pointed a shaking finger at John. "You! Stand by the wall. Place the apple on your head."John turned pale, his jaw dropping. "Me? Xavier, please, I'm your teammate...""I am the leader of this team!" Xavier screamed, the blindfold hiding his crazed eyes. "You refuse me, and I will kick you out of the association tomorrow! Stand there now!"It was clear to everyone that Xavier was no longer thinking straight. His mind was a storm of fury and bruised ego. John, seeing he had no choice and fearing for his career, walked slowly to the wall, praying for his dear life. He placed the apple on his head, his entire body trembling far worse than Gerald’s ever had.Xavier notched the arrow. Unlike Adrian, who had calculated the angles of the room, Xavier aimed his bow straight ahead. Adrian’s calculating eyes traced the line of the arrow. He saw the tension in Xavier’s shaking arm and the sligh

The following morning, the sun pierced through the narrow windows of the Global corporate tower, casting long, sharp shadows across the polished floors. Inside the staff locker room.Adrian stood in front of his locker, his movements fluid as he took off his expensive silk shirt and put on the heavy, blue fabric of the janitor's uniform.The door creaked open, and Mrs. Gable, the elderly cleaner he had helped the day before, stepped inside. Her face, usually lined with exhaustion and worry, was transformed. Her eyes were bright, and she was clutching a letter to her chest as if it were made of gold."Michael!" she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "You won't believe it. I just came from the HR office. They... they told me the board reviewed my file. They gave me a bonus of thirty thousand dollars to take care of my son’s medical bills. And my salary... It’s been doubled!"Adrian turned, a small, genuine smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "That’s incredible news, Mrs

Marcus Vane stepped forward, his expensive leather shoes clicking on the tile. He looked at the workers squarely, his eyes cold and devoid of any empathy. "We have an important meeting waiting for us upstairs," he said, his voice low and threatening. "Don't make us waste our time searching these lockers one by one. Whoever took the necklace, return it now, and perhaps we can move on with our day without involving the police."The silence that followed was heavy. The janitors looked at each other, confused and insulted. Adrian, leaning casually against a metal beam, finally stepped into the center of the room."None of them took anything," Adrian said, his voice calm and steady. "I can vouch for every person in this room. They aren't thieves."Why would they steal anything after making so much money last night? "It’s a lie!" Fiona shouted, pointing at Adrian. "One of you thieves stole it! I know how you people operate. Once I catch you, I will make sure you all rot behind bars!"Adria

"Do you have any idea the difference in power between you and Marcus? If you added three zeros to your salary, it still wouldn’t be enough to look him in the eye. Watch your mouth, boy."Adrian didn't flinch. He didn't even look at her. "Before we throw her out," he said, looking at the other board members, "let us at least check the CCTV footage to confirm she was the one. It takes five minutes.""What for?!" Fiona screamed, her voice filled with panic. "We’ve already found proof! There’s no need to waste more time!However, the other executives began to murmur among themselves. "He has a point," one of them said. "If we're going to involve the police, we need a clear chain of evidence. It protects the company from a lawsuit."Marcus growled under his breath, but he saw the other board members nodding. "Fine. Let’s get this over with. To the security hub."The group marched out of the basement in a tense procession. The wealthy executives in their tailor-made suits walked in front, w