Chapter 2: The Stranger at the Gate
Arthur stepped forward, the heels of his leather shoes crunching on the wet pebbles. He knelt beside the tub, ignoring the water soaking into his tailored trousers. Up close, he could see the severe contrast: Emily’s pale, delicate skin against Leo’s bruised knuckles and dirt-smudged cheeks.
""Who are you?"" Arthur asked, his voice low, stripped of its usual corporate edge. ""How did you get past the perimeter?""
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Leo didn't flinch. He carefully reached into his wet jacket and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper, ruined by the rain. ""I came from the lower town,"" Leo said quietly. ""My grandmother used to work in the old estate gardens. She said the mineral spring under this ground used to heal sick calves when she was a girl. I just... I saw her sitting here every day, looking at the sky. I wanted to help.""
Arthur looked at the paper. It was a hand-drawn map of the estate's old water pump, marked with child-like scribbles. A boy had risked security, dogs, and rain, not for money, but because he saw a lonely girl in a wheelchair through the iron gates.
