Chapter 2: The Sound of Guilt

The boy gripped the heavy wheel and turned it slowly to the left.

CLICK.

The entire ballroom froze. The rich man’s smile vanished instantly. The air in the room grew heavy, suffocating. Arthur stepped forward, his eyes widening. "Who taught you that? Who are you?"

The boy didn't answer. He kept turning, his touch lighter than a feather. Another deep, heavy metallic shift echoed from deep within the safe's core. Without a shred of emotion in his voice, the boy finally spoke:

"My father built this safe."

Shock rolled through the crowd like a tidal wave. Silence swallowed every breath. Arthur’s face drained of color. Panic flashing in his eyes, the billionaire lunged forward and grabbed the boy’s small arm with a bruising grip.

"Stop!" Arthur hissed, his voice trembling.

The boy didn't flinch. He looked directly into the billionaire's terrified eyes, his expression completely calm. "Why? Is your name still inside?"

Guests stopped breathing. The livestreams were exploding with millions of comments. Then, one final, thunderous LOCK CLICK boomed from within the vault. The safe was unlocked.

The camera crash-zoomed into Arthur’s pale, horrified face. But the boy didn’t stop there. He slowly pulled the heavy handle. The safe door cracked open an inch. A gust of ice-cold, stale air escaped from the darkness inside.

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The crowd surged forward, desperate to see. Arthur grabbed the boy harder, shoving him back. "Close it! Close it right now!"

With a burst of sudden strength, the boy yanked his arm free from Arthur's grip and flung the heavy golden door wide open.