Chapter 1 - The Diner
Noah held the heavy glass door of the diner open for the elderly woman.
The small restaurant smelled strongly of stale coffee and fried onions.
Margaret shuffled inside and slid into a booth in the far corner.
She kept her torn gray coat pulled tightly around her fragile shoulders.
Noah sat directly across from her and handed her a laminated menu.
"You can order whatever you want," he told her with a warm smile.
Margaret stared at the young man with intense calculation.
He was not checking his phone or looking around for an audience.
He just looked genuinely concerned for a stranger's well-being.
The waitress came over and poured two cups of steaming black coffee.
Margaret ordered the most expensive steak on the diner menu.
She expected the teenager to flinch at the high price.
Instead, Noah simply nodded and ordered a cheap plate of french fries for himself.
"Why are you being so kind to a beggar?" Margaret asked softly.
"My mom raised me to help people when I can," Noah replied.
Margaret took a slow sip of her coffee.
She decided it was time to push the test a little further.
Suddenly, Margaret gasped loudly and clutched her chest.
Her coffee cup shattered on the floor as she slumped sideways in the booth.
Noah leaped out of his seat with absolute terror in his eyes.
He pulled out his phone and immediately dialed emergency services.
"Hold on, Margaret, an ambulance is coming," he shouted desperately.
Before the dispatcher could even answer, a massive black SUV screeched to a halt outside the diner window.
Four men in sharp black suits rushed through the diner doors.
The biggest man grabbed Margaret's arm and tried to pull her toward the exit.
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"Hey, let her go!" Noah yelled, charging forward to protect the old woman.
The large man turned around and pulled a heavy black pistol from his jacket.
