Ryan stood on the quiet street long after Adrian’s car disappeared. The sound of the engine faded, but the weight of the meeting stayed heavy on his chest. The night air felt cold, even though the weather was not. His heart was still beating too fast, like it wanted to jump out of his chest.He looked down at his hands. They were shaking.“Adrian…” he whispered again.He said the name like it might disappear if he said it softly enough. But it did not disappear. The face, the voice, the smile, everything stayed clear in his head.Ryan slowly turned around, looking at the street again. The streetlight flickered once, then stayed on. A cat crossed the road and disappeared between two houses. Somewhere far away, a car horn sounded.Everything looked normal.But nothing felt normal.Ryan remembered the way Adrian stood. Calm. Confident. Like a man who knew he was in control. That was what scared Ryan the most. Adrian was not hiding. He was not scared. He was not in a hurry.That meant he

The house was quiet that afternoon.Not the peaceful kind of quiet. The heavy kind.Ava was sitting on the edge of her bed, slowly brushing her hair. She was fully healed now, but sometimes her body still felt weak. The memories had not left her. Loud sounds still made her heart jump.She stood up and walked slowly into the hallway. She wanted water. Her throat felt dry.As she stepped closer to the stairs, she heard a voice.Low. Careful. Serious.A man’s voice.Clara’s uncle.Ava stopped walking.She did not mean to listen. But the voice made her freeze where she stood.“…you don’t need to worry,” the man said quietly. “Everything is moving as planned.”Ava’s heart beat a little faster.Why was he whispering?She stayed still, holding the wall gently.Then she heard another voice. It was coming from the phone. She could not hear the words clearly, only soft sounds.Clara’s uncle spoke again.“Yes… I understand,” he said. “He is becoming a problem.”Ava swallowed hard.Who was

Deputy Cole sat inside the small office with the ceiling fan turning slowly above his head, the weather was hot and his shirt was sticking to his back, he loosened his collar and leaned back on the chair, across the table sat Commissioner Hale, a man higher than him in rank, older, experienced, and very careful with his words in public, but right now the door was closed and no one else was insideCole shook his head slowly and sighed, this whole thing is making me tired, he said, every day new problem, new drama, and that Eric boy keeps showing his face like nothing can touch himCommissioner Hale leaned back too and crossed his legs, he gave a small laugh, that boy has nine lives, he replied, or maybe he just knows how to hold people by their neck without touching themCole nodded, that is exactly it, that boy is a fraud, a complete fraud, he talks big, acts big, but behind everything he is dirty, everyone knows it, even the street boys know it, but look at us, our hands are tie

Ryan opened the front door slowly, the sun was already high in the sky, birds were singing outside, and the smell of breakfast lingered in the air, but Ryan did not feel calm, his mind was still full of what happened earlier with Clara uncle, with Adrian, with everything that was going on, he had to stay alert, he had to think fastHe stepped into the kitchen quietly, and immediately saw Mrs Harrison, Grace, moving around the counters, placing cups on the table, her hair tied back, looking calm but there was concern in her eyes, she turned when she heard Ryan enter“Ryan, where did you go?” she asked softly, her voice gentle but curious, “I didn’t hear your car, it’s already late, you were not at breakfast”Ryan froze for a second, thinking quickly, he could not tell her the truth, not now, not with her, not yet, “I… uh… went for a walk, Mum,” he said, keeping his voice calm, hiding the tension, “I needed some fresh air”Mrs Harrison raised her brow, studying him, “A walk? At thi

Ryan stepped out of the house early in the morning, the sun was still low, the streets quiet, and the air crisp, he got into his car and drove slowly at first, thinking about everything that happened, about Adrian, about Clara's uncle, about Eric, about the kidnappers, about the company, so many things were happening at once, he could hardly keep track, but one thing was clear, he could not sit and wait, he had to act, he had to find answers, he had to understand what was really going on inside his father’s company, who was working against him, and what plans were still hidden, he needed to be careful, he needed to be smart, he could not make mistakesHe parked a few blocks away from the company, observing the building, the security, the people coming in and out, taking notes in his mind, noting unusual movements, unusual faces, remembering what Adrian said, that everything started with him, that everything would end with him, the words kept ringing in his head, he shook his head