Harry crouched behind a stack of rusted metal drums, his chest heaving from exhaustion. Blood trickled from a cut above his left eye, and his knuckles were raw from punching through a chain-link fence to get inside the warehouse district.After six hours of following leads, bribing informants, and chasing shadows, he had finally found the right building.Through a broken window, he could hear voices echoing from inside the cavernous space."Boss ain't paying us to babysit a crying princess," one of the thugs was saying, his voice rough and impatient."She ain't crying, though," his partner replied with cruel amusement. "Still got that smart mouth running."Harry peered through the window and saw Alice tied to a chair in the center of the warehouse, her face bruised but her posture defiant. The two men from earlier were circling her like predators."You know what your problem is, sweetheart?" the taller thug said, backhanding her across the face. "You don't know when to shut up and lis

The Anderson estate buzzed with hushed conversations as Alice sat in her father's study, her arms crossed defiantly while he paced behind his desk. The cuts and bruises from her ordeal were still visible on her face, but her father seemed more concerned with damage control than her wellbeing."You will tell anyone who asks that there was a misunderstanding," Mr. Anderson said firmly. "A miscommunication between security personnel and yourself. Nothing more.""A misunderstanding?" Alice's voice rose with disbelief. "Father, I was kidnapped. Tied up in a warehouse. Nearly killed.""You were never in any real danger," Mr. Anderson waved dismissively. "These things get blown out of proportion. The important thing is maintaining the family's reputation."Mona lounged in a nearby chair, filing her nails with obvious boredom. "Honestly, Alice, you're being so dramatic. A few hours in some dusty building and you're acting like you survived a war zone.""I could have died," Alice said quietly.

The university's main lecture hall was packed for the annual mock trial debate, with Professor Williams presiding over what had been advertised as a challenging intellectual exercise.Harry sat at the defendant's table, aware that Frank's supporters filled several rows behind him."Today's case," Professor Williams announced, "concerns complex international business law and corporate ethics. Mr. Adams will be defending against charges of corporate malfeasance."Marcus, one of Frank's loyal followers, stood at the prosecution table with obvious confidence."Professor, surely someone of Mr. Adams' limited background can't be expected to understand the intricacies of international corporate law."Several students snickered, and Harry heard whispered comments about his "poor scholarship boy" status."I mean," continued Derek from the audience, "this is graduate-level material. Maybe we should find someone more... qualified?"Frank sat in the back row, his expression one of polite concern.

Harry was walking back from his evening classes when Marcus intercepted him near the campus parking lot, flanked by two other students Harry didn't recognize."Well, well," Marcus sneered, blocking Harry's path. "Look who's still pretending to belong here.""Get out of my way, Marcus," Harry said calmly, though he noticed the strategic positioning of the other two students."Or what?" one of the unknown students taunted. "You'll cry to your rich girlfriend again?""Yeah," the other added with cruel laughter. "Maybe she'll come rescue her pet charity case."Harry tried to step around them, but Marcus shoved him hard in the chest. "We're talking to you, loser. Don't you have any manners?""I have plenty of manners," Harry replied, his voice steady despite the rising tension. "I just don't waste them on people who aren't worth my time."Marcus's face flushed red. "Not worth your time? You're nobody! A scholarship fraud who doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air as real students!"T

Harry had grown tired of being followed. For three days, the same faces had appeared wherever he went—a man in a leather jacket at the coffee shop, another in a baseball cap at the bus stop. Instead of trying to lose them, Harry decided to turn the tables.He led his current tail, a stocky man with graying hair, into the university's oldest building where the library archives were housed. The narrow corridors and maze-like layout would work to his advantage."You know," Harry called out as he walked deeper into the stacks, "if you're going to follow someone, you should probably learn how to be subtle about it."The man's footsteps behind him faltered. Harry turned a corner and pressed himself against a wall, waiting.When the man rounded the corner, Harry grabbed him by the jacket and slammed him against the metal shelving."Who sent you?" Harry demanded.The man's eyes went wide with panic. "I don't know what you're talking about, kid.""Sure you don't," Harry said, tightening his gr