The cold smile that had appeared on Daniel's face remained there for several long moments.Lily and the rest of their friends stood around him without saying a single word. Every one of them waited patiently for him to continue speaking.Although traces of humiliation could still be seen on Daniel's face, the blind rage that had consumed him only moments earlier had gradually begun to settle.The anger had not disappeared.It had simply transformed into something much more.Lily was the first to break the silence."What do you mean?" she asked eagerly as she stepped a little closer to him. "A moment ago, you said you already have a plan. What exactly is your plan?"Daniel slowly turned his head toward her."I do have one," he replied calmly.One of the boys immediately stepped forward."What is it?" he asked impatiently. "Tell us."Daniel did not answer immediately. Instead, he slowly looked around the area.His eyes carefully scanned the courtyard outside the auditorium to make sure

Daniel's expression gradually darkened.He had not imagined that every single one of his arguments would be dismissed so completely. For several long moments, neither of them spoke as an uncomfortable silence settled over the office.Then Daniel let out a cold, humorless laugh."So this is your final decision?" he asked.The Vice Chancellor looked at him calmly. "My decision has already been made."Daniel slowly nodded. "I see."He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest."I honestly believed that once you understood how serious this situation is, you would make the right choice."The Vice Chancellor remained silent, allowing him to continue.Daniel shook his head slowly."But it seems I overestimated you." His voice became noticeably colder. "Since you clearly don't care about this school's reputation... I suppose I need to remind you of something.""And what exactly would that be?" the Vice Chancellor asked, raising an eyebrow."My father." A confident smile sl

Alex followed the directions the Vice Chancellor had given him until he arrived at the university's Media and Communications Office.The office occupied one corner of the Administrative Building.Alex paused for a moment before knocking gently on the open door."Good afternoon."The man in the office looked up from his computer and smiled politely."Good afternoon. Please come in.""I was directed here by the Vice Chancellor." Alex stepped inside."The Vice Chancellor?" the man repeated as he pushed his chair back slightly. "Please, have a seat. How can I help you?"Alex sat down opposite the man's desk."He asked me to come here because I'm contesting the Student Union presidential election."Understanding immediately appeared on the staff member's face."Oh, I see." He smiled. "So you're one of this year's candidates. What exactly do you need us to prepare for you?""Flyers, posters, banners, and campaign advertisements," Alex said.The man nodded approvingly."That's exactly where

There was a few minutes of silence before Richard cleared his throat and spoke."Mr. Hale….There was actually something I wanted to talk to you about.""Go ahead." Victor nodded calmly."I've been thinking about the decision you made recently." Mr. Donovan said again.Mr. Hale frowned slightly. "What decision?"Mr. Donovan folded his hands together before answering. "The transfer of ownership, the companies, the shares."Mr. Hale's expression remained calm. "What about them?"Mr. Donovan leaned forward slightly in his chair. "I've been wondering..."He paused for a brief moment, carefully choosing his next words. "Are you absolutely certain you've made the right decision?""What exactly do you mean by that?" Mr. Hale looked at him with mild surprise.Mr. Donovan immediately raised one hand. "Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not questioning the fact that Alex is your son."Mr. Hale remained silent and simply waited for him to continue."I'm only wondering whether everything is happen

For several seconds, neither of the two men said anything. They simply stood there staring at Richard as though they were waiting for him to take back what he had just said.The expression on their faces had completely changed. The taller man slowly lowered his arms from his chest, while the other man's eyes widened with disbelief. Neither of them seemed capable of immediately processing the information Mr. Donovan had just delivered.Finally, the taller man broke the silence."Wait a moment. Did you just say that Victor Hale's son is back?"Mr. Donovan slowly nodded, his expression remaining completely serious. "Yes. That is exactly what I said."The second man stared at him for several seconds before shaking his head. "That is impossible. The last information we received was that the boy was still missing.""I know," Mr. Donovan replied calmly."We were told that after all these years, there was still no sign of him. As far as we knew, Victor had spent years searching without findi