Chapter 5

• SANDRINO’S POV
• The reception room of the Elite Bar was suffocating, weighed down by an invisible pressure thick enough to choke the air out of every trembling body present. Managers, security personnel, and other staff stood in a stiff row, backs straight as if their very spines were being held in place by fear alone. Their eyes flickered with sheer dread, sweat sliding down their temples as they awaited the inevitable storm about to befall them.
• And they had every reason to be terrified.
• The little prince of the Luciano Corporation—my son—had gone missing in their bar.
• Seated on the black leather sofa, my expression remained eerily composed, my face a sculpture of ice that betrayed no emotion. But beneath that frosty exterior, my silent fury was a smothering weight, pressing into the chests of every person present, making knees weak and hands clammy. No one dared to breathe too loudly, lest they draw my attention and become the first casualty of my wrath.
• Calvin, my reckless, idiotic younger brother, knelt before me in a disgraceful heap of snot and tears.
• “Brother, I’m sorry! It’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have brought Prince to a bar! If anything happens to him, I won’t live any longer!”
• Before he could blubber another word, my foot struck his chest with a force that echoed through the room. The sickening crack of bone splitting upon impact made everyone’s stomachs churn, and some of the weaker-willed staff members visibly flinched.
• Luckily, our parents were still overseas on holiday, and have not heard that Prince was lost. If they were to find out, then it would not be settled with a simple kick from his me, Calvin could even be roasted alive.
• Calvin coughed violently, clutching his ribs, but in an act of foolish loyalty, he forced himself upright and resumed kneeling, his back straight despite the pain.
• The tension in the room stretched unbearably, thick like molasses. No one dared to even whisper. They knew the consequences of speaking out of turn.
• Then—knock knock.
• The sound was soft yet deafening in the eerie silence. Every head snapped toward the door.
• The bar manager, standing closest, hesitated before pulling it open. At first, there was nothing—just an empty hallway. But then, as he lowered his gaze, his entire face drained of color. His mouth fell open in disbelief.
• “L-Little master…” he stammered, barely above a whisper.
• The room collectively held its breath.
• “Little Prince?! Heavens! Prince! My precious baby, where did you run off to?!”
• Calvin scrambled off the ground, his pain forgotten as he lunged forward and scooped the small boy into his arms, clutching him as if he would disappear again at any moment. His voice cracked with relief, his emotions spilling over.
• The staff, who had been frozen stiff, finally exhaled. Murmurs erupted in hushed tones:
• “He’s safe… he’s really safe!”
• “I thought we were done for…”
• “Heavens, if anything had happened to him…”
• Some even wiped at their brows, their hands coming away damp with sweat. Others exchanged exhausted glances, sharing an unspoken agreement that they had narrowly escaped hell itself.
• Meanwhile, I rose from the couch, walked over, and grabbed Calvin by the collar before yanking him away from my son. He barely had time to protest before I turned my attention to the little boy standing before me.
• “What happened?”, I said as I embraced him tightly.
• Prince didn’t say a thing. Instead his tiny hands reached for mine, pulling with urgency. His large eyes, still slightly red from exhaustion, pleaded silently.
• Something had happened.
• And then—I smelled it.
• A faint scent clung to him, one that shouldn’t have been there. It wasn’t just the strong stench of alcohol from the bar—it was something cooler, something softer. A delicate, almost intoxicating fragrance, like wildflowers blooming atop a frozen mountaintop.
• My heartbeat faltered for a split second.
• Prince, impatient with my hesitation, pointed toward the staircase leading to the upper floors. He made hoarse, desperate sounds, tugging harder at my hand.
• Without hesitation, I scooped him into my arms and followed his direction. Calvin, despite his battered state, exchanged glances with the bar staff and hurried after me.
• Minutes later, we stopped before a storeroom door on the top floor.
• Prince wiggled free from my grasp and immediately began pounding on the door with all the strength his small fists could muster. His desperation was palpable, his face twisted with frustration.
• The staff hesitated, exchanging uncertain glances. Calvin furrowed his brows.
• “Little Prince, what is it? What’s inside?”
• Expressionless, I gave a simple command. “Open the door.”
• The bar manager nearly tripped over himself in his rush to obey. “Yes! Right away, sir!” He turned to a female manager, his voice sharp. “Sara! Where’s the key? Hurry up!”
• The woman—Sara—flinched, her face momentarily flashing with something suspicious. “O-Open the door…?”
• Something was off.
• The second the lock clicked open, the door creaked, revealing the dimly lit interior.
• A woman lay unconscious on the ground.
• Gasps filled the air.
• A staff member let out a strangled noise.
• Sara’s face turned ghostly white.
• Calvin took a sharp breath. “What the hell—?!”
• The murmurs were instant.
• “Who is she?”
• “Did someone lock her in here?”
• “Was she attacked?”
• “What’s going on? Why is there a woman in there?” The head manager raged not waiting for me to speak a word.
• “I.. l don’t know! There wasn’t anyone in there when I last checked!” Sara suppressed the guilt in her heart and explained.
• “Can you all leave the silly explanation for later and get this woman to a hospital!!”, Calvin yelled.
• Before anyone could step closer, Prince rushed forward and shielded the woman with his small frame, his arms spread out protectively. He bared his teeth at the approaching staff, a fierce snarl on his tiny lips.
• “President Luciano, this…” The manager felt helpless; he didn’t understand at all how this situation had come about.
• I glanced at Sara’s guilty expression, then at the ladder leading to the open skylight. I put the pieces together.
• Dismissing everyone, I walked forward and picked the unconscious woman up in my arms.
• The scent I had noticed earlier engulfed me fully. Soft. Cool. Familiar.
• Prince, watching me closely, relaxed slightly. His expression told me everything—I had passed his unspoken test.
• If he had been strong enough, he would have carried her himself.