Chapter Two-Hundred and Eighty-TwoCharles burst out laughing, the sound sharp and echoing against the diner's greasy walls. He looked down at Adrian’s worn rubber flip-flops, his face twisting into a sneer of absolute, high-society mockery.“The debt on my family’s boardroom?” Charles scoffed, leaning his hip against the edge of the laminate table. “You broke scholarship parasite. Your little phone trick at the port didn't just freeze your node—it woke up the actual owners of this island. You don't have a database to hide behind anymore, Adrian. You are just a hobo sitting in a grease trap with a bankrupt family.”The two housing officers didn't even glance at Adrian. The lead officer reached out, his thick fingers aggressively grabbing Martha’s wrist. He twisted her arm back with a brutal wrench, tearing the diamond bracelet straight off her skin.Martha shrieked in total agony, her face turning a deep, humiliated purple as her fingernails scraped against the plastic table. “My brac

Chapter Two-Hundred and Eighty-Four Donald laughed and then turned towards the car. “Martha, Adrian is just a scholarship student you have forgotten. He probably won’t know that much about the elite world.” He sighed after giving Adrian a look. The rain turned into a heavy pour as Donald's silver sedan rolled into the fenced parking lot of the Lohans Logistics staff compound. The area looked nothing like the grand palaces back in the Capital. It was a bleak, functional complex of grey concrete barracks and metal shipping containers meant for middle-grade harbor crewmen. Donald turned off the engine, sighed, and looked back at the family with an expression of polite, heavy-hearted pity. "Well, it is not a luxury hotel, Andrew," Donald said, his tone smooth but carrying that faint, inescapable edge of condescension. "But for people who are currently facing an emergency city eviction notice, it is a dry roof over your heads. I will have my security guards leave your names on the g

Chapter Two-Hundred and Eighty-SixThe silver sedan pulled up in front of the Platinum Tower. Luxury cars filled the entrance. Gold decorations covered the building, and security guards stood at every corner. This was where the island’s most powerful people gathered.Donald Lohan stepped out and straightened his designer coat. He looked proud as he took in the sight. “Stay close to me, Andrew,” he said, tossing his keys to the valet. Then he turned to Adrian, who stood beside the car in dirty garden shorts and worn rubber flip-flops. “You, errand boy. Walk behind us. I don’t want anyone thinking I brought a beggar to a gathering of true-blood families.”Donald laughed at his own joke, and Martha quickly joined in. “You heard him, Adrian! Stay back. We’re about to meet the most powerful people in the world. Don’t ruin this opportunity with your appearance.”Lina said nothing. Her face burned with embarrassment. She hated the way her parents treated Adrian, but her corporate access keys

Chapter Two-Hundred and Eighty-EightThe transit platform was packed despite the rain. Martha stood beneath the shelter, holding her soaked mink coat away from her body. Every few seconds, she complained about the smell, the crowd, or the dirty pavement.“This is ridiculous,” she snapped. “I have never ridden a public bus in my life!”Andrew glanced at her. “Then today is your first time.”“Shut up!”A battered silver bus finally pulled up. Its doors opened with a loud hiss, and the conductor leaned out. “Central Citadel! Last stop! Please board quickly!”Martha climbed aboard with a look of disgust. Lina followed, then Andrew and Adrian. The bus was nearly full. They squeezed into the available seats near the back, while Adrian remained standing beside the door.Martha immediately covered her nose. “Does this bus even have air conditioning?”The conductor gave her a tired look. “It doesn’t, ma’am. If you’d like, you’re welcome to wait for a newer bus.”A few passengers laughed.Marth

Chapter Two-Hundred and NinetyBy dawn, the rain stopped, but water still dripped from the roof of Citadel Transit Lodge. The courtyard remained wet, and cold air crept through the open windows of the communal kitchen.Donald sat at a table with Andrew beside him. His phone rested between his hands, its screen filled with unanswered calls. Seventeen attempts to reach his legal team, and not one person bothered to respond.“They’ve abandoned me,” he muttered, the words tasted bitterYesterday, Platinum Tower revoked his clearance, stripped Lohan Logistics of its privileges, and erased the company from its shipping records. Guards dragged him out in front of everyone, and Andrew followed the family as they left the building. They travelled together on a crowded public bus to Central Citadel, with Donald sitting among ordinary passengers while strangers stared at the man whose company once commanded respect.The humiliation continued at Citadel Transit Lodge. Eleanor made a spectacle of