All Chapters of When Loyalty Burns: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

The fire was much worse than last time. Thick black smoke billowed outward, filling the first-floor lobby with the choking stench of burnt materials.Dozens of merchants crowded the entrance, stomping their feet and cursing.When Robert Hoffman, the mall manager, spotted me, his eyes lit up. He rushed over and grabbed my arm. "Samuel! You're just in time! Get in there and fix the electrical system!"He spoke as if it were only natural, like he was ordering one of his own employees around.He happened to grab my right arm—the one that had been broken by the merchants. The bone had never healed properly, and it still ached whenever the weather turned damp or rainy.The moment Robert yanked it, pain shot through my entire arm, as if someone were driving nails through it from the inside out. Cold sweat instantly broke across my back.I gritted my teeth, pulled my arm free, and stepped back. "I'm not your mall's electrician. I can't fix it."Robert froze, his face turning bright red.

The moment the explosion rang out, every trace of Robert's fake politeness vanished.He stepped forward, snatched a stainless steel thermos from the service counter, and swung it viciously at my shoulder.The impact landed with a dull thud.My entire body lurched sideways. It felt as though someone had slammed a sledgehammer into my shoulder, and my whole arm went numb instantly.The thermos bounced off the floor and rolled twice.Its lid popped open, splashing hot water onto my pant leg. I flinched from the burn."Don't push your luck!" Robert pointed at me and yelled, "You're fixing it today whether you like it or not! If this entire building burns down, do you think that million dollars will be enough to cover the losses? You couldn't even pay for it with your life!"The merchants who had been pretending to plead with me moments ago changed their tune in an instant. Their eyes bloodshot, they closed in around me like a pack of animals ready to devour their prey."How can you

Several of the electricians crouched on the floor, shaking their heads repeatedly.Ace wiped the black soot from his face. "The wiring is buried way too far out of the way. Touch the wrong wire, and the whole thing could explode. There's no way we can do this."Kaleb clutched his multimeter, his hands trembling. "I just tested the three-phase circuit. Two sets are reversed. Anyone who connects them is dead."Aaron crouched at the far end. "This isn't about money anymore. It's about staying alive."Lying on the floor with Harper in my arms, I listened to them and curled my lips into a faint smile.The iron rod was still suspended above my hand, only a few inches from coming down.Robert had gone completely rigid. He stood frozen in place. He looked down at me. His face still wore its vicious expression, but his eyes were filled with panic.Looking at him, I suddenly felt like laughing. He'd been the one threatening to cripple my hand just moments ago.Now that the workers had ad

It was Captain Gerry Ward.He was the fire captain who had clapped me on the shoulder after the last fire and told me, "If you'd been two minutes later, the whole building would've burned to the ground."I recognized him immediately.The tension that had been coiled tight inside me suddenly snapped—and released.For three months, relatives I'd borrowed money from had avoided me. People who'd once worked alongside me pretended not to know me. Even Harper's teachers looked at me strangely.Everyone thought I'd been at fault.He was the only one who'd stood beside me with a hand on my shoulder back then and spoken those words.He stood there with two firefighters behind him.The crowd, which had been noisier than a packed marketplace moments earlier, fell silent.Dozens of people turned to look at him in unison.Captain Ward swept his gaze across the scene. His eyes landed on the scattered banknotes on the floor, then shifted to my hand, swollen to twice its normal size.His br

The paramedics crouched beside me.My right hand was secured in a splint. My knuckles were swollen and purplish, and even the slightest movement sent stabbing pain through them.Harper sat beside me while a nurse applied antiseptic to the scrapes on her knees. She bit her lip without crying, her little hand clutching the hem of my shirt the entire time.Just then, one of the police officers handling the case walked over."Mr. Booth, we've completed our preliminary investigation. We'll recover the full million dollars they extorted from you previously and return it to you.""We'll also hold them accountable for illegally surrounding you today, holding your daughter hostage, and assaulting you.""You can also seek compensation from them for your subsequent medical expenses, lost wages, and emotional distress. They bear full responsibility."I murmured an acknowledgment, my face expressionless.So what if I got the million dollars back?My wife wasn't coming back.The doctor had