"I..." Zarek started, his voice unusually rough.He cleared his throat, maintaining his dignity while offering a genuine concession. "I apologize, Tinny. My... parameters were overtightened yesterday."Tinny blinked, genuine surprise crossing his face before a warm, familiar grin broke through his serious expression. It was the first time he had ever heard the unyielding Zarek Riggs actually utter an apology."Apology accepted." Tinny tossed his bag toward the door. "Just... let Shaw drive the standard sedan today. I don't want everyone at the academy thinking I'm hiding behind an active military escort."Zarek managed a faint, almost microscopic nod. "The standard sedan. But the localized tracker stays active on your terminal.""Deal," Tinny laughed, turning on his heel and heading toward the foyer. "See you tonight, big brother!"As the automated doors slid shut, Zarek remained at the head of the empty table. The quiet hum of the manor’s automated systems was the only sound left

"You're wearing my jacket!" Valerius shrieked, his voice hitting a glass-shattering register that echoed off the high rafters of the gymnasium.He pointed a shaking finger at Tinny’s chest, his bloodshot eyes bulging so far out of their sockets they looked ready to pop. The sheer absurdity of the sight had completely unhinged him. He wasn't just angry anymore; he looked like a lunatic who had entirely lost his grip on reality."Look at you! Look at what you did!" Valerius screamed, taking a staggering step forward, spit flying through the air as he gestured wildly. "That was a custom, limited-edition winter-blend piece! The silk was harvested from high-sector bio-domes! The silver thread was micro-woven by hand! And you... you lower-sector parasite... you cut it up! You shredded it into gym shorts?!"The surrounding students gasped, their heads snapping back and forth between the two like they were watching a tennis match. Realization swept through the gym floor like wildfire: Tin

"Cancel my afternoon briefings with the transit board," Zarek commanded smoothly, turning back toward the private elevator bank without acknowledging the regional director’s bewildered expression. "Have the primary armored transport pulled around to the executive sub-level immediately. I am coming.""Right away, Master Zarek. I will have the perimeter cleared for your arrival," Shaw replied, cutting the feed.The elevator doors hissed open, and Zarek stepped inside, his dark eyes locking into a cold, predatory focus as the lift plunged toward the garage. If House Vance wanted to turn a schoolyard tantrum into a diplomatic crisis, Zarek was more than ready to show them exactly how the Riggs handled their assets.The air inside Principal Sterling’s grand administrative office was thick with institutional tension and the faint smell of antiseptic.Director Vance had arrived minutes prior, his presence instantly overtaking the room. He stood near the grand desk, his face a tight mask of

Principal Sterling looked like he wanted to dissolve into the floorboards. He glanced at Director Vance, waiting for the powerful patriarch to push back, to threaten a lawsuit, or to leverage his immense corporate weight.But Director Vance stood frozen, his face a pale, rigid mask of frustration. He remembered Zarek's unspoken warning from the night before: ‘If you push against Tinny, Zarek will burn the entire Vance infrastructure to the ground.’"Sterling," Director Vance finally forced out through clenched teeth, his voice shaking with a volatile mixture of rage and sheer political survival. "Drop the administrative charges against the Blackwood boy.""Dad?!" Valerius gasped, his bloodshot eyes practically bulging out of his head. "What?! He broke my nose! He ruined my shirt!""I said quiet!" Vance roared, slamming the tip of his cane against the floor. He looked directly at Zarek, his eyes burning with silent, desperate hatred. "My son... will accept a medical leave for his i

"Don't look so miserable, Zarek," Tinny laughed, casually snatching the crisp, spare Blackwood tactical coat from Shaw's hands.He threw it over his shoulders. The heavy, high-density fabric instantly swallowed his lean, scarred frame, hanging down to his knees like an oversized cape."The plan worked perfectly. We wanted them to open the gates, right? Well, they're open. Wide open."Zarek didn't stop walking. His tall, imposing figure was already clearing the threshold of the principal's office, his measured steps echoing sharply down the quiet corridor. But his voice drifted back, laced with a cold, icy administrative bite."The objective was a subtle penetration of their domestic ledger, Tinny," Zarek murmured, his dark eyes fixed straight ahead as he navigated the glass-walled hallway. "It did not require you to reduce a multi-million credit, high-sector asset to gym shorts, or stand in your undergarments in front of an academic board.""Hey, adaptation is a lower-sector skill,"