Chapter 4: The Betrayal
The "normal" day never happened.
The next morning, as Maxwell was coordinating the security detail, a frantic call came in from the school Arya had just started attending. A woman had shown up with falsified documents, claiming to be an emergency contact. The school, fooled by the official-looking stamps, had released Arya into her care.
It was Clara.
Maxwell’s world went dark. He didn't call the police immediately—he knew they would take too long. He tracked the GPS tag he had secretly insisted Arya wear on her backpack for safety. The dot was moving fast, heading toward the outskirts of the city, toward an abandoned industrial warehouse district.
He drove like a madman, his luxury car swerving through traffic. He wasn't thinking about his investments or his stocks. He was thinking about the girl who had trusted him.
Inside the warehouse, it was cold. Clara was pacing, her phone to her ear, screaming at a lawyer. Arya sat in the corner, tied to a chair, her eyes wide with terror but her spirit unyielding.
"You’re going to sign the authorization, kid," Clara hissed. "Once that money is in my account, you can disappear back to the streets for all I care."
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"My mom said never to trust people who raise their voice," Arya whispered, her voice trembling but defiant.
Clara raised a hand to strike her—and the warehouse door exploded inward.
