Epstein scoffed, shaking his head rapidly, refusing to let his perfect academic world be stained. "This is... this is utterly ridiculous! He is only a child! He is barely twenty years old! How could you make such aggravating, disgusting allegations against my student? Those are things only monsters do! Calloway is not a monster. He is a great student of this college, a pillar of our community, and everyone here loves him!""Call my father!" Calloway wailed, snot and tears running down his chin, completely abandoning any shred of dignity. "Principal, please! Just call my dad! He'll fix this! He'll fire all of them!"Sheriff Don closed his eyes for a brief second. He had had enough.Usually, a man in his position wouldn't waste a single breath explaining himself to a crowd of entitled, wealthy civilians. But Don had grown up as a young, poor Black kid on the south side of the city. He had faced the crushing weight of a biased justice system, and it was that exact injustice that had driv

The Principal whipped around, his chest heaving, spit flying from his lips. He pointed a trembling, accusatory finger directly at Nathan's face.The heat of pure, homicidal anger radiated from Epstein’s eyes. If this had been yesterday –if Nathan was just the invisible, worthless janitor– Epstein would have crossed the room, grabbed the young man by the throat, and smashed his skull repeatedly against the walls. The urge to do it was written plainly in the tension of his shoulders and the white-knuckle grip of his fists.But he couldn't.Epstein’s bureaucratic brain was screaming at him to hold back. He had just watched the Sheriff of Boston —a man who took orders from no one— bow to this boy in the dirt. He had watched billionaires get dragged away in chains because of him. Epstein knew, with a sickening certainty, that if he laid a single finger on Nathan right now, it would be the immediate, explosive start of his own downfall."How?" Epstein gasped, his voice raspy and broken as h

Nathan had just violently poked the bear.The smug superiority vanished from Epstein’s face, replaced instantly by a blind, towering rage. The reality of his situation —the fact that billions of dollars hinged on a piece of technology he didn't actually understand— crashed into him.Epstein lunged forward. He stepped uncomfortably close to Nathan, his hands twitching, his fingers itching to wrap around Nathan’s throat and squeeze the life out of him. He wanted to break the boy. But he knew this stupid, calculating janitor. If Epstein touched him, Nathan would just walk out the door, go straight to the Sheriff, and report the assault. The $4 billion deal would vanish overnight."Listen here, young man," Epstein began, his voice dropping into a guttural, venomous hiss. The hatred etched into the deep lines of his face was identical to the hatred Mark had worn in the courtyard just moments ago. It was the hatred of a parasite recognizing that the host was fighting back."You think you ma

The Saturday sun seeped beautifully into Nathan’s room through the window blinds, casting glorious rays of sunshine on his face. The light bounced off the shiny metals scattered around the massive bedroom, glinting off a heavy bronze sculpture on a pedestal that Dwayne had specially selected, and catching the sharp edges of the Crystal & Aluminum President M Table situated just opposite the massive king-sized bed.“Good morning, Young Master. Did you sleep well?” an automated female voice boomed softly through an invisible speaker built into the ceiling.Nathan smiled, his eyes still closed. Of course he had a gracious sleep. His dreams had been a highlight reel, reliving the arrest of Calloway and his billionaire father, playing the scene in his head over and over again. The look of absolute terror on Calloway’s face as the steel cuffs clicked around his wrists. The way his untouchable father had been dragged into the back of a police cruiser like a common thug. Justice felt exceptio

The morning breeze blowing through Beacon Hill suddenly felt pervasive. The pristine sidewalk, usually reserved for quiet morning jogs and luxury dog walking, had transformed into a tense arena. Which was unusual for the peaceful and calm residents of the estate.The little boy, still bleeding from his scraped knee, bravely took a step forward. He reached out with trembling fingers and tugged on the hem of Nathan’s wrinkled blue shirt."Mister, please," the boy whispered, his voice cracking with genuine terror. Tears streamed down his dirt-smudged cheeks. "Please just run away. My dad... he hurts people. He really hurts people. You have to go before his men get here."The little girl chimed in, weeping silently as she clutched her brother's arm. "He's going to kill you," she sobbed.Nathan looked down at the two terrified children. A soft, reassuring expression crossed his otherwise cold face. He gently patted the boy on the shoulder. "Nobody is going to hurt me, buddy. And nobody is