The next day, Nathan stood in front of a full-length mirror in the walk-in closet just attached to his room, adjusting the collar of a charcoal linen shirt. The fabric was light, which was perfect for the beach evening ahead. He rolled the sleeves to his forearms and checked his watch. It was 6:42 AM. He grabbed his keys.Gene was waiting outside when he stepped out of the townhouse. She wore a simple off-shoulder white sundress that caught the evening golden sky light that was usually made when the sun was dripping itself into the horizon and calling it a day. Her hair was loose and wavy, and she was barefoot with sandals dangling from her hand.“You’re early,” she said, smiling.“You’re worth being early for,” Nathan replied, opening the passenger door of the Maybach for her.She slid in with a soft laugh that floated into the atmosphere around them. Stacy was already behind the wheel, her sharp eyeing the environment. “Beach restaurant?” she asked.Nathan nodded. “The Cove. Th

It was another date at the beachfront restaurant. The place glowed warm Edison bulbs all connected by strings dangling over the customer's heads, with the waves of water from a few feet away rolling in what seemed like whispers just beyond the open terrace.Nathan sat across from Golden, one of the seven women, at a corner table draped in yellow linen. Her golden-blond hair caught the light from the bulbs above her head, while her deep brown eyes reflected the candle flame between her and Nathan. She was mid-sentence, laughing softly about a ridiculous modeling gig, when a commotion erupted near the hostess stand. A boy who seemed to be no older than seventeen, broke through the velvet rope, his trainers skidding on the polished stone floor. He sprinted straight toward their table and dropped to his knees in right in front of Nathan and his date's table with a heaving chest and his palms flat on the ground.Nathan froze, would his fork halfway to his mouth. The boy looked up with w

Aaron and John felt strangely hollow without Nathan’s presence. Three days had passed since the Larry incident at the beach restaurant, and the campus buzz on the issue had shifted from admiration, to confusion, and then to concern. Whispers followed Aaron and John everywhere they walked. People were looking at them, looking for Nathan, looking for signs of him wherever he was.“Have you seen him?” a freshman asked, clutching her phone like evidence, eyes darting from side to side. “He hasn’t been to class. I haven't seen him in even one lecture. Not even the gym.”Aaron shook his head. “No, we haven't seen him too. We don't even know where he is right now. We’ve been calling and it's just been going straight to voicemail.John kicked a stray pebble across the path. “He has not been answering his texts either. Theast message he sent was ‘Need space.’ That was really three days ago.”The girl looked disappointed. She had just gotten an admission into the school and really wanted to se

It was early evening, and Victor Moody was sat in a high-backed leather chair in his study, the room was dimly lit by a single desk lamp right in front of him, and the blue glow of his phone screen. The mansion was silent, all the staff bad longed been dismissed for the evening, only the faint tick of the grandfather clock in the hallway broke the silence.He held the phone to his ear with one hand, while his other hand held a glass of some red wine. The voice on the line was cautious, and even almost apologetic.“…the app’s metrics are clean, sir, but it’s not an app built for profit. It’s a platform for matching underprivileged kids with mentors, scholarships, and for finding small gigs to help them pull through. There are no premium tiers, and there are no ads, and even no data resale. At best it is doing to breaks after three years. At worst… it’s a money pit. I recommend pulling out now, before the PR shine wears off.”Victor took a slow sip of the wine. “I know,” he said, his

Nathan arrived at Cloven Tower just after 9 a.m. The lobby was quieter than usual as there were fewer staff in the hallways, with a few hushed conversations near the elevators by certain workers. He did not want to ask them any questions since he knew that they knew far less than him anyway. He took the private lift straight to the executive floor. When the doors opened, he found David Brune already waiting in the corridor, with arms folded across his chest and a grave expression on his face.“Nathan,” Brune said. “Glad you’re here.”Nathan nodded once. Inside the conference room, Matthew Steel stood near the window, back to the door, staring out at the city. He turned when Nathan entered. His face was drawn, with dark circles under his eyes, and his tie missing for the first time. Nathan stopped just inside the doorway. “I owe you both an apology,” he said quietly.Matthew blinked quicky. Brune gestured to the chairs. “Sit. Let’s talk," he said.Nathan took a seat. Matthew hesitate