After Maria calmed down a little bit, Ryan gently took her hand and led her to the velvet sofa by the fireplace. The tension between them was thick, but for a moment, everything paused. They sat in silence, letting the flickering firelight cast moving shadows across their faces. Ryan leaned forward, elbows on knees, fingers laced, and exhaled.
"So, you know Felix, right?" he asked calmly, eyes fixed on the flames.
"You mean the most feared mafia boss after you? The man everyone avoids even whispering about?"
Ryan nodded. "Yup. That's Felix."
Maria's curiosity flared. "What about him?"
Ryan tilted his head back, closing his eyes for a second. "You know how I've been busy these past few days with the doctor, and then I suddenly show up with a homeless boy out of nowhere? Well... there's a reason behind all of it."
Maria remained silent, waiting for the truth she had been suspecting all along.
"I made a deal with Felix," Ryan said, his voice calm but sharp. "We're selling him our latest creation. For millions."
"What kind of creation?" Maria asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ryan turned toward her, his lips curling into a dangerous smirk. "A drug."
Maria blinked. She didn't flinch—yet.
"It's not like marijuana, cocaine, or any typical street junk," he continued. "This one is handcrafted by one of the best doctors in the country. It's... different. Powerful. And its side effects are what make it so valuable."
Maria's heart sank. "Why would it be so expensive?" she asked, though her instincts already told her the answer.
"Because it works. Because it manipulates memory, emotion, adrenaline—everything. One dose and you're sharper, faster, more focused than you've ever been. At least... that's what we're claiming."
Maria stared into Ryan's eyes, searching for a glimpse of conscience. All she saw was ambition.
"That doctor again," she muttered to herself and sighed.
"Did you say something?" Ryan asked, his voice light.
"No, nothing," she replied quickly, frowning as thoughts flooded her mind.
Then she asked the question she had been holding in since the boy arrived. "If you've already tested the drug, why bring a child into this? Why him?"
Ryan chuckled. "Good question, sweetie."
"Cut the crap, Ryan," Maria snapped. "Stop with your romantic little phrases and tell me—why the hell did you bring that boy here?"
Her voice thundered through the walls, sharp enough to pierce the heart of anyone nearby. One of the bodyguards peeked in from the hallway, confused, but Ryan raised a hand to wave him off.
Maria stood, hands clenched. "You're planning to use him, aren't you?"
Ryan sighed, leaning back. "Calm down, Maria. I was going to tell you everything—don't get aggressive."
"You're going to use a child as an experiment for that drug?" she said, voice rising with fury. "You're insane."
"It's not like I'm torturing him," Ryan replied, annoyed. "I'm just giving him a small dose. Just one. It's for our future—for your happiness."
"My happiness?" Maria spat the words like poison. "Are you fucking listening to yourself? You're justifying experimenting on a kid—for me?"
"I'm not going to torture him," Ryan repeated. "Not physically, not mentally."
Maria's voice shook with rage. "Ryan, you don't know what that drug does. You don't even know if the effects are temporary or permanent. You're trusting a criminal doctor who no legitimate hospital would touch."
Ryan tensed. "What are you saying?"
"You know why no one would work with him?" Maria said, eyes blazing. "Because that monster raped children. Hundreds. He escaped the cops and ran straight to you. And you, like an idiot, let him in."
Ryan's face dropped. The silence between them became deafening.
"You let him stay here," Maria continued, her voice cracking. "And now you're giving him access to that poor boy."
She turned toward the door but stopped suddenly. Her voice turned deadly calm. "Look at me, Ryan. Look at me in the eyes."
He did.
"If you ever say my name again, if you ever come near me, I swear I'll leave this mansion and you'll never find me. Never."
Then she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Ryan sat there, stunned. Her words echoed in his ears like thunder. He had never seen her like that. She had never yelled at him. Never insulted him. Never walked away from him.
He didn't know what to believe. Maria was not like the others—she never lied to him. But the doctor had told him nothing about any criminal record. Was he being used?
Later, Ryan walked into the boy's room and found him asleep, curled up in the blankets like a stray animal finally at peace. He didn't wake him up. He simply sat on the edge of the bed and stared at him in silence.
What if this kid was just a stepping stone? What if he was more?
His mind drifted. What if he and Maria had a child of their own one day? Would he treat his son like this boy? Would he drug him for money?
He sighed and left the room.
Ryan entered his suite, undressed slowly, and stepped into the steaming shower. The water hit his skin, but it didn't wash away the guilt. Not yet.
He wanted things to work. He wanted to give Maria the world, but at what cost?
The truth was, he couldn't turn back now. He had made a deal with Felix—the devil in a business suit. If Ryan pulled out, there would be consequences. Fatal ones.
He closed his eyes, leaned his head against the wall, and let the water pour over him. But the sound of Maria's voice wouldn't leave his head.
"You're nothing but a fucking bitch like that shitty doctor of yours."
He was starting to believe it.