Chapter 1 - The Shadow in the Rain
Nathaniel watched through the cracked glass as Grace distributed the food.
The children ate with a quiet, desperate hunger that made his chest ache.
He had built an empire by calculating risks and maximizing profits.
Yet standing in the cold rain, he felt entirely powerless.
He watched Grace wipe a smudge of dirt from little Lucy’s cheek.
The warmth in the room was a stark contrast to the decaying walls around them.
Suddenly, the heavy front door of the apartment building banged open.
A man in a cheap gray suit walked into the hallway, followed by two massive security guards.
The children froze, dropping their plastic forks in terror.
Grace immediately stood up and positioned herself between the men and the kids.
"You have no right to be here, Mr. Vance," Grace said firmly.
Vance smiled a greasy, unpleasant smile and pulled a folded paper from his jacket.
"Actually, I have every right," he replied smoothly.
"This building was just sold at a private auction an hour ago."
He slapped the eviction notice onto the peeling paint of the wall.
"You and these street rats have until tomorrow morning to vacate the premises."
Grace’s face turned pale as she read the signature on the document.
"This is illegal, you cannot throw children onto the street in the middle of the night," she pleaded.
Vance laughed coldly and gestured for his guards to step forward.
"The new owner doesn't care about your sob story, sweetheart."
Nathaniel leaned closer to the window, his eyes narrowing at the logo printed on the eviction notice.
It was his own company's logo.
Before Nathaniel could step inside to intervene, his cell phone vibrated violently in his pocket.
May you like
He looked at the screen and saw a text from his Chief Financial Officer.
The message read, "Do not interfere with the eviction, or your mother will pay the price."
