**~Titus~**

The moment Dad called to tell me he was out, a wave of relief washed over me. Finally, the misery, the endless waiting-soon, it would all be over. "I'm so happy you're free, Dad," I said, gripping the phone tightly. "You remember the promise, right? To take me out of this place?"

"I haven't forgotten, son," his voice, cool and steady, crackled through the line. "But first, I have unfinished business. The ones who sent me to jail-they must pay."

Anger twisted inside me. That *person*-the one responsible for locking up my parents-still walked free. "Who is it?" I growled, barely able to contain the rage. "If I was there, I'd make sure they never see another sunrise."

Dad's pause was long, deliberate. "It's someone in your country. His name is Sam. I'll send you his photo."

My stomach dropped. No, it couldn't be. But as I scrolled through the images he sent, my suspicions were confirmed. It was him. That*Sam.

The one I despised. The one who dared to split the Mafians, who had the audacity to jail my parents. He had drawn out my suffering in this wretched country. My hands clenched around the phone, knuckles turning white. *He will pay for this.*

"I'll make him understand," I muttered darkly, more to myself than Dad. "I'll take away the one person he loves most-he'll feel the same pain we did."

That night, I gathered the Mafians still loyal to me. When each one answered my call with their usual hails, I cut them off. This wasn't a social call. "Tomorrow, you get Sam's girlfriend alive," I ordered, my voice cold. ". She'll learn the meaning of fear when she meets Tiger."

---

**~Sam~**

The air was crisp, the sun barely peeking over the horizon as I stood outside waiting. Julius arrived early, his usual grin stretched wide across his face. "Man, I'm gonna miss you," he said, pulling me into a tight hug. I could feel the sadness in his voice, though he tried to hide it.

"I'll miss you too, bro," I replied, slapping his back. "Just take care of Linda while I'm gone, yeah?"

Julius nodded. "You got it." But his smile faltered as my dad's car honked. Time to go.

I turned to my mom, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and climbed into the car with my dad. As the engine roared to life, I glanced back at Julius, waving at me, his hand dropping slowly as we drove off.

At the airport, Dad hugged me, squeezing my shoulder in that way only he could-like he was giving me one last dose of strength before I left. "Take care of yourself, son."

"I'll be fine, Dad," I reassured him. "It's just a vacation, after all."

---

**~Titus~**

While Sam was playing the role of a dutiful son, my boys were already moving. They'd told me he was heading abroad. I couldn't help but laugh at the irony-while Sam was thousands of miles away, enjoying a vacation, we'd be tearing apart his life right here.

"Perfect," I muttered, pacing my small room. "While I deal with the girlfriend, Dad will deal with him."

When the boys arrived at the orphanage, they knew better than to storm in. They waited, blending into the shadows near the gate, pretending to be idle teens. Patience, after all, is key in this game.

---

**~Julius~**

Watching Sam's car disappear in the distance, a heavy sense of loneliness settled in. Another long, boring holiday stretched out before me. Without Sam, the days would drag. I thought about Adaobi-strict parents, zero chance of her sneaking out for fun.

I sighed. "Well, at least I've got Linda to check on," I muttered, kicking my scooter into motion. Sam's request echoed in my mind: *Look out for her.*

When I arrived at the orphanage, I noticed a group of guys hanging around, aimlessly loitering near the gates. They didn't seem like they belonged, but I shrugged it off. Not my business.

Inside, the receptionist gave me a knowing smile. "Hey, where's your friend?" she asked, playful as always.

"He's... busy," I lied, though the truth gnawed at me.

She chuckled, clearly amused. "Well, some friend you are."

Linda came out shortly after, her skirt clinging tight around her legs. Her face lit up for a second, but when she saw it was me and not Sam, the light dimmed. She gave me a disappointed look, moving toward me hesitantly. "What's going on?" she asked.

I didn't sugarcoat it. "Sam left for the U.S. this morning. He asked me to tell you."

Her face froze, eyes blank as if her mind had shut down. I could see the disappointment etched into her expression, the hurt she was too proud to admit.

"Want to go for a ride?" I offered, desperate to change the mood.

She hesitated but eventually nodded. As we left the orphanage, I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Those same boys were still there, their laughter fading as their eyes locked onto us.

We reached the scooter, but just as I was about to start it, something was wrong. One of the tires was flat-deliberately sabotaged. My heart dropped.

"Linda," I whispered, turning toward her. "We need to run."

Her eyes widened, fear taking over as we sprinted, hand in hand. But it was useless. They surrounded us in seconds, their bikes forming a wall of menace.

"Just give us the girl," one of them growled. "Save yourself the trouble."

Linda clung to me, trembling. I pushed her behind me. "You want her? You'll have to go through me first."

They smirked, exchanging glances. "Looks like he's asking for a fight."

I ripped off my shirt, exposing muscles honed from years of working out. Linda gasped, but I had no time to bask in her awe. The first thug rushed at me, and I slammed his head into the nearest bike. But more were coming. I fought hard, swinging at anything that moved, but they overwhelmed me. A bottle smashed over my head, warm blood trickling down my neck.

"Run!" I shouted at Linda, but she stayed frozen, tears streaming down her face as the thugs closed in.

The world started spinning, darkness creeping at the edges of my vision. I couldn't protect her like this. I crawled toward her, every muscle screaming in pain, but my strength was slipping away. The last thing I saw before everything went black was one of them grabbing Linda, his hand tightening around her waist as she let out a terrified scream.

Then-nothing.

---