Henry ran with everything he had, his wet sneakers slapping against the freezing slush. Every breath felt like sharp glass scraping down his throat.His cheap jacket was soaked with cold mud, and his bruised cheek burned from Rose’s slap. But he felt no physical pain; his entire world had narrowed down to one person."Hold on, Lily," Henry whispered under his breath, his vision blurring in the snow. "Please, just hold on."He cut through dark alleys, pushing his body to the limit. His cracked phone screen showed almost midnight by the time he reached the gates of Humpton Memorial Hospital.He burst through the glass doors of the entrance, slipping on the floor before catching himself on the front desk."Hey! You can't run in here like that!" a security guard shouted, pointing an angry finger. "Look at the mess you're making, you bum!"Henry didn't even turn his head. He shoved past the guard and sprinted up the stairs, taking them three steps at a time until he reached the fourth floo

The Grand Imperial Ballroom was filled with bright golden light from giant crystal chandeliers. Hundreds of wealthy business owners, foreign investors, and city leaders mingled across the shiny floor in suits and evening gowns. Tonight was the opening of the Municipal Smart-City Summit, the biggest corporate event of the year.At eight o'clock sharp, the heavy doors opened, and Rose Humpton stepped onto the red carpet beside Brandon Thorne. Flashes lit up their path as reporters rushed forward, shouting questions about Humpton Tech's bid. Rose wore an icy-blue dress, keeping a wide smile on her face as she waved politely to the cameras.Beside her, Brandon held her arm with pride, nodding to passing executives with an easy smile. But behind her calm face, Rose felt a sharp pain shooting up from her right foot with every step she took. Without the soft lambskin pads Henry used to stitch into her shoes, the hard leather was digging straight into her raw, bleeding blister."Hold your hea

David threw the shaking tablet onto the table with a loud clatter. On the screen, bright red error boxes were popping up one after another."Look at the screen, Miss Rose!" David cried out, his voice cracking with pure panic. "All forty banking servers went completely dead at the exact same time! Their firewalls think our database is infected with a virus!"Rose jumped up from the sofa, her face turning pale. "What do you mean, dead?! Brandon checked the entire system yesterday!""The city tech team just saw the outage!" David yelled, grabbing his hair with both hands. "Because Chairman Vance paused the meeting, they gave us an urgent countdown of two hours!"David leaned forward, his eyes wild with fear. "If our system fails the live test when they call our name, Humpton Tech will be kicked out for fraud! We will be banned from doing business with the city forever!""Banned?!" Eleanor gasped, rushing into the room from the hallway. "We spent millions getting ready for tonight! If we

Tires screeched against the icy road as the black limousine slammed to a stop.Two police cars pulled up right behind it, their flashing red and blue lights painting the falling snow in bright colors.Forty-five minutes remained on the clock before Humpton Tech would be called to the stage.Rose pushed the car door open and stepped out into the freezing wind. A sharp, burning pain stabbed her right heel, making her gasp and lean heavily against the car door.She had run out of the house in such a hurry that she hadn't changed her shoes. The hard leather was digging straight into her bleeding blister, but her anger was too hot for her to care.Eleanor jumped out from the other side, holding the four black notebooks against her chest like a winning lottery ticket."Open the gates!" Eleanor shrieked at the top of her lungs, marching straight toward the tall iron bars of the Vance Sanatorium.Brandon hurried after them, cradling his bandaged left hand against his chest and putting on a fa

Brandon lay sprawled across the cold floor, his head ringing like a struck bell.Bright red blood dripped from the corner of his split lip onto the marble tiles. He pressed a shaking hand against his burning cheek, staring up at Director Vance in pure disbelief.For his entire life, nobody had ever dared to raise a hand against the proud heir of Thorne Telecom.Rose stood frozen in the middle of the room, her breath caught in her throat. Her jaw hung open, and her eyes were wide with shock.She could not understand what had just happened. Why did the director of the city police just strike the most respected young master in the province to protect a penniless beggar?"Director Vance!" Brandon cried out in a shaky, high-pitched voice, scrambling backward on his elbows. "Have you completely lost your mind?! My father is Conrad Thorne!"Brandon pointed an angry finger at the officer, his face twisting with rage. "My family funds your entire department! How dare you strike me in front of