“We've finally found you, Young Master,” A breathless, excited voice said from the other end of the line. Declan’s pupils widened for just a second and his breath caught in his throat.Then reality kicked in. “Another scammer,” he muttered to himself as he ended the call. Slipping his phone back into his Walmart uniform pocket, he looked down at the gift box in his hand. A smile spread across his face. Today was Valentine's day. Laura had been so sweet about it too. She'd told him not to worry about her taking her out - she knew money was tight and didn't want him spending what little he had. “Save it for something important,” she'd said. “We can celebrate any other day.”But how could he not worry? He wanted to surprise her. Three months ago, she'd told him she wanted a Dior bag and a Lululemon two piece set while they were window shipping downtown. The price tag had made his stomach drop - two thousand, eight hundred dollars on a ten dollar an hour wage. But he'd worked every

The woman's voice cut through the tension in the yard "Clear them out. All of them!"Her bodyguards moved instantly. The hired thugs saw them coming and their faces went white. They dropped their weapons and within seconds, all of them had scrambled away.Tom and Clarke stared with their mouths hanging open. Mark took a step back, his earlier confidence completely gone. Clarke's face had gone pale and her hands trembled at her sides.The woman turned to Declan and her entire demeanor changed. The ice-cold authority vanished. She bowed deeply, her voice soft and respectful. "Young Master, forgive me for arriving late. Please, allow me to escort you out of here."She extended her hand, waiting for his permission.Declan hesitated for a moment, his heart still pounding from the confrontation, then he stepped toward her. Her hand was warm when it touched his arm and she guided him gently to her side with the care of someone handling something precious. He could feel the eyes of his adop

Manager Liu waited until Carlos and Laura were gone before turning back to Declan. He bowed deeply. “Young Master, I sincerely apologize for that disturbance. I should have handled the situation better from the start,” Declan shook his head, “It's not your fault. You handled it well,” "You're too kind, Young Master." Manager Liu said as he straightened, relief washing over his face, "If I may, I'd like to assign two plainclothes bodyguards to stay with you during your time in Boston. For your safety and convenience. They'll be discreet." He paused. "I'd also like to provide you with several outfits. Quality clothing that will ensure no one looks down on you again. Especially after what happened tonight,”Declan raised an eyebrow. The offer was tempting. After years of wearing cheap clothes from dollar stores, the idea of having quality outfits was quite appealing. But then he remembered what the security guard had said earlier. Old money intentionally wore understated clothing and

The room went dead silent. Everyone stared at Declan with their mouths hanging open. The server stood frozen, clearly caught off guard. “Did he just say premium?” Someone whispered from the back, “Is he actually serious right now?”Carlos recovered first. He let out a laugh but it sounded forced, “Premium? You? Do you know how much that costs?”“Does it matter?” Declan replied, his voice completely calm. Laura shifted in her seat, her eyes wide, “There’s no way you have that kind of money. What did you do? Rob a bank or something?”“Or did you max out credit cards?” Louis added. Everyone began talking over each other, demanding answers. Declan just stood in the hallway, looking completely unbothered by all the noise. The server cleared his throat loudly, “Sur, I should inform you that the premium tier for a party of your size would be approximately eighteen thousand dollars. That's before tax and gratuity,”More gasps came from the fraternity members. Someone actually choked on