The moment the men rushed Donald, everything unfolded faster than their minds could register. What they had assumed would be a swift, overwhelming takedown immediately unraveled into chaos. Their confidence collapsed the instant they realized this was not a frightened man waiting to be crushed. Donald did not retreat. He did not hesitate. He did not raise his voice. He moved. The first attacker reached him with reckless speed, swinging hard. Donald shifted his weight with effortless control, stepping just outside the arc of the blow. In the same motion, he redirected the man’s momentum, guiding it rather than resisting it. The attacker lost balance instantly. He collided with another man rushing in from the side, and both crashed to the floor in a tangled heap of limbs and confusion. Before the remaining men could adjust or rethink their approach, Donald was already moving again. He advanced into them with deliberate intent. His movements were sharp, di

The room fell into a heavy silence the moment Thomas Lewis asked the question.“Who did this?” he said again, his voice low but commanding. “Who put your leader in that condition?”The men stood uneasily before him, still shaken from the humiliation of the night. They exchanged brief glances, as though silently deciding who would speak first. Finally, the one closest to Thomas stepped forward.“It was one man,” he said carefully. “His name is Donald.”Thomas lifted his head slowly.“Donald?” he repeated.The name struck something deep within his memory, like a distant echo refusing to fade.“Donald who?” Thomas asked.“Donald Smith,” the man replied.At that moment, Thomas’s expression changed.His fingers, which had been tapping lightly against the arm of his chair, stopped mid-motion. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he leaned back, as though trying to place a puzzle piece that had suddenly surfaced.“Donald… Smith,” he murmured again.The name rang louder now.Wasn’t that the same

The words hit Ivy like a physical blow.“If you don’t want to be dead, step out.”For a brief, suspended moment, the world seemed to freeze. Her heart thundered in her chest, each beat echoing louder than the last. Fury surged through her veins and her blood felt as though it were boiling beneath her skin. Who did these men think they were? Who had given them the audacity to corner her, to dictate the terms of her life? Her fear did not vanish entirely, but it was smothered beneath a rising tide of anger, raw and pure. Rage at being trapped. Rage at being treated like prey. Rage at the notion that anyone could claim the right to determine her fate.In one fluid, practiced motion, Ivy dipped her hand into her handbag. Her fingers closed around cold metal. The texture was familiar, reassuring in its weight. Before the man with the gun could adjust, before he could even react to her movement, Ivy drew her weapon and leveled it at him, her eyes blazing with a mixture of defiance and fury

Donald ended the call with Ivy’s father, his grip tightening around the phone for a brief moment as the line went dead. He could still hear the desperation and fear in the man’s voice, but he refused to let it shake him. Panic never solved anything, and Donald had learned long ago that clarity and speed were what saved lives. “Don’t worry, sir,” he had said firmly before the call ended. “I’ll handle this. I’ll find out who’s behind this and I’ll bring Ivy back safely. You just stay calm.” Even as he spoke, he could sense the tension in Ivy’s father easing slightly, clinging to the reassurance in Donald’s voice. “Trust me,” Donald had added, sealing the promise before hanging up.Once the call ended, Donald didn’t linger. He set the phone down slowly, his expression sharpening as his focus shifted fully to action. There was no room for hesitation, no space for doubt. Ivy was in danger, and every second mattered. He straightened, his mind already moving several steps ahead, analyzing po

The men had not expected to see a stranger—especially not someone like Donald—standing boldly in the heart of their territory. This was their den, their stronghold, a place where fear ruled and outsiders never walked in willingly, let alone announced themselves without hesitation.For a brief second, silence took over.The air felt heavy, thick with disbelief and hostility. Eyes narrowed and muscles tensed. The men sized Donald up, trying to understand who he was and how he had made it inside without being stopped.Then one of the men scoffed, breaking the silence with a short, humorless laugh. “Who is this?” he asked, stepping forward. His tone carried mockery, but his eyes were cautious. “How did you get in here?”Another man shifted his stance, crossing his arms as he studied Donald more carefully. “You must be lost,” he said coldly. “Or suicidal.”Donald stood his ground. His posture was firm, and his shoulders squared.He didn’t glance around nervously. He didn’t flinch und