“No one leaves,” Iris said quietly.And almost immediately, her people spread out, blocking every exit.The room seemed to shrink at her words.What had once been a lively bar now felt like a cage, its walls closing in under the combined weight of tension and fear. The low hum of the overhead lights buzzed faintly, blending with the shallow breathing of the men sprawled across the floor. Some were unconscious. Others groaned softly, clutching bruised ribs or bloodied faces. None of them dared to move.Elise became aware of herself slowly.Pain came first. A dull ache at the back of her head, pulsing in rhythm with her heartbeat. Then the cold. The rough bite of rope against her wrists and ankles. Her fingers twitched instinctively, and panic surged when she felt resistance instead of freedom.Her eyes snapped open.For a moment, everything swam. Shapes blurred together. Figures stood in clusters, shadows stretching long across the floor. The smell of alcohol and sweat lingered in the

“Try not to get misunderstood again.”With that, Iris turned and walked out, her footsteps fading into the distance.The hallway outside the private room felt suddenly emptier.Benjamin stood where he was for a few seconds, listening to the echoes die away. The sharp tension that had carried him through the chaos finally loosened, leaving behind a quiet exhaustion that settled into his bones. Elise remained seated, her hands clenched tightly in her lap. Her face was pale, her eyes unfocused, as if she were still half trapped in the moment she had woken up tied to a chair, surrounded by strangers who had discussed her fate as casually as ordering drinks.Benjamin turned toward her. “I’ll walk you out,” he said softly.Elise looked up, startled, then shook her head. “No… I mean, yes, I want to go back. But…” She hesitated, biting her lip. “I wanted to ask if you could come with me. Just for a bit.”Her voice was quiet, almost tentative, nothing like the anger or hurt she had hurled at

Terence took another sip before replying. “You underestimate yourself.”Ryan froze. “I… I do?”“Yes,” Terence said calmly. “An internship is nothing.”Ryan’s breath caught. “Then…?”“I’ll do better,” Terence continued. “I’ll recommend you—your family actually, as a business partner to Mercury Corporations.”There was silence on the line.Then Ryan’s voice cracked with excitement. “Mercury…? You mean the Mercury Corporations?”“The very same.”Terence leaned back against the bar counter of the study, the low amber lighting reflecting faintly off the crystal glass in his hand. The place was quiet now, far removed from the noise and chaos of the club he had left earlier. Ryan, on the other end of the phone, was struggling to process what he had just heard.“That’s… that’s impossible,” Ryan said, his words tumbling over one another. “I mean, everyone knows Mercury Corporations is different. They don’t just partner with anyone. Even your family—no offense—you’ve tried to get closer before

Benjamin stood at the entrance of the Golden Front Hotel for a few seconds longer than necessary.The glass façade reflected the city lights in fractured streaks of gold and blue. Inside, the lobby was bright and immaculate, the marble floors polished to a mirror sheen. A few guests moved through the revolving door, laughing softly, unaware of how close someone had come to disappearing from this city forever only an hour ago.He rolled his shoulders once. The lingering effects of the enhancement serum still thrummed faintly beneath his skin. His knuckles were scraped raw. There was dried blood on the cuff of his shirt that did not belong to him but that was the least of his worries right now.He took a step toward the entrance.Then he stopped.Two familiar figures stood near the curb, just outside the spill of the hotel’s light. They were not dressed for the cold. They were not dressed for discretion either.His adoptive parents.His adoptive mother stood with her handbag clutched in

“Come on, Benjamin. Don’t look so dramatic now. This is business. Information flows and opportunities are created.”“Opportunities,” Benjamin repeated softly.Images flickered in his mind.Elise tied to a chair.The gang members discussing her fate like merchandise.His mother tilted her head. “Why are you staring like that?”He looked at them directly.“Did Ryan tell you what kind of information he provided?” Benjamin asked.His father scoffed. “We don’t need to know the details. The result speaks for itself.”“Yes,” his mother added proudly. “The result is that our family is finally moving up. And that's all that matters, Benjamin.”The wind shifted between them, sharp and cold.Benjamin studied their faces under the lights of the Golden Front Hotel. He had once memorized every expression those faces could make. Disappointment. Impatience. Rare, fleeting satisfaction. Tonight, there was something else there. A kind of smug relief. As if the years of careful calculation had finally p