"What do you mean we will get rich?"

Liam did not move from where he leaned against the wall, arms crossed, one brow slightly raised as he looked at him like he was trying to decide whether this guy was serious or just addicted to hearing himself talk.

He scratched the back of his head, the lollipop shifting from one side of his mouth to the other. For the first time since they started talking, he looked a little embarrassed. Not ashamed. Just caught.

"You know," he said, drawing the words out, "I’m getting you in. Come on. There has to be some benefits of some sorts for me."

Liam let out a soft breath through his nose. The corner of his lips lifted slowly. This guy had zero shame and somehow it was not annoying. It was almost refreshing.

Instead of answering that, Liam straightened a little and asked calmly, "What is your name?"

The question caught him off guard more than the money talk.

"Daniil," he replied quickly, almost proudly.

It suited him. Light. A little dramatic. A little mischievous.

"Daniil," Liam repeated, nodding once like he was committing it to memory.

There was a small pause. Wolves moved down the hallway, some glancing over at them curiously. A few still stared at Liam like they had not fully processed what they were looking at.

Liam shifted his attention back to Daniil.

"How much do they pay you to be here?"

Daniil blinked.

Then he chuckled.

"You think the pack pays us?" he said, leaning back against the opposite wall like this was funny. "Bro, noooo."

He dragged the word out dramatically, shaking his head.

"It just offers protection. That’s it. Besides, it’s not like we are doing this thing to get paid. We do everything we do here because we are family."

The way he said family was not sarcastic.

It was simple. Honest.

Liam watched his face carefully. No hesitation. No bitterness. Just fact.

He nodded slowly.

That made sense. Packs were built on loyalty, not salary. Protection, belonging, shared blood or shared battles. That was the currency.

"So how do you get money?" Liam asked.

Daniil shrugged like it was nothing.

"I work at a construction site," he said. "Nothing fancy. I earn a little to sustain myself. If I need something I can’t afford, I just ask my sister."

He said it casually but there was no pride in it. No shame either. Just reality.

Liam studied him again.

Purple hair. Lollipop. Shameless mouth. Construction worker.

Interesting mix.

Daniil noticed the look and narrowed his eyes playfully.

"What? You think I look too delicate to carry bricks?"

Liam gave a quiet smirk. "A little."

Daniil gasped in fake offense.

"Wow. Disrespect. I carry heavy stuff every day, thank you very much."

Liam chuckled under his breath and then pushed himself off the wall fully.

"So," he said, tone shifting back to business, "where is Lana?"

Daniil sucked on the lollipop once more before answering.

"Go upstairs. Walk down the hallway. You’ll see a room with a blue knob. That’s where I saw her go."

Blue knob.

Got it.

Liam nodded.

"Thanks, Daniil. See you later."

He turned slightly, ready to walk away.

"See you later," Daniil replied, spinning around on his heel in a lazy half circle, clearly satisfied with himself.

He had taken maybe three steps when Liam’s voice cut through the hallway.

"Stop."

Daniil paused mid step.

He turned back slowly, eyebrows raised.

"Yes?"

Liam reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Type your account number here."

Daniil blinked.

For once, he did not talk.

He stepped closer, looking at the phone like it might disappear. Then, without overthinking it, he took it and quickly typed in the numbers.

He handed it back but did not move away.

Instead, he leaned forward shamelessly, trying to peek at the screen.

"How much you sending me?" he asked, stretching his neck like a curious cat.

Liam immediately lifted the phone closer to his own face, turning slightly so Daniil could not see the screen.

"Relax," Liam said calmly. "About one hundred dollars I should say."

Daniil froze.

"Wait. What?"

"One hundred."

For a second, Daniil thought he misheard.

His eyes widened slowly.

"One hundred?" he repeated, voice lower now.

Liam finished the transfer without reacting to the shock. To him, it was not a big amount. Just appreciation. The guy helped him. That was enough.

Daniil took a small step back.

The playful grin on his face disappeared. Not completely. Just softened into something more real.

He swallowed.

Then, unexpectedly, he gave a small bow.

Not dramatic this time.

Not joking.

"A genuine thank you, mister," he said quietly.

There was no teasing in his voice.

Just gratitude.

The hallway seemed quieter for a moment.

Liam lowered his phone and looked at him.

"No need to bow," he said. "Just don’t scam me next time."

Daniil let out a small laugh, rubbing the back of his neck again.

"I won’t," he said. "For one hundred, I’m loyal now."

"Hold up."

Liam stopped mid step.

Daniil had already started walking away again, still riding the high of that first transfer, when he heard the words. He turned back with confusion written all over his face.

Liam had taken his phone out again.

He did not explain himself. He simply typed something quickly, his expression calm, almost bored, like he was replying to a text. His thumb moved across the screen with practiced ease. A few taps. A short pause. Another tap.

Done.

He slid the phone back into his pocket without a word.

Then he turned around and walked away toward the staircase like nothing had happened.

Daniil frowned.

"What was that?" he muttered to himself.

He stood there for a second, unsure whether to ask, when his phone vibrated in his hand.

Buzz.

He looked down.

Bank notification.

The first one confirmed the hundred dollars Liam had just sent.

He grinned again.

Buzz.

A second notification.

His smile faded into confusion.

Another transfer.

From Liam.

He blinked.

That was weird.

He quickly looked up and called out.

"Mister!" he shouted down the hallway.

Liam did not stop walking but he tilted his head slightly to show he heard him.

"I think you mistakenly sent the one hundred twice!" Daniil said loudly, waving his phone.

Liam kept walking toward the stairs.

"It isn’t a mistake," he shouted back casually.

Daniil stared at him.

"And it’s not one hundred."

The words echoed in Daniil’s ears.

He frowned slowly.

What does that mean?

He lowered his gaze to the phone again.

His thumb hovered over the notification.

He tapped it.

The banking app opened.

For a second, his brain refused to process what he was seeing.

The number just sat there.

Cold.

Heavy.

Unreal.

His breathing slowed.

Then stopped.

His eyes widened.

He swallowed.

To make sure he was not insane, he lifted the phone closer to his face and counted the zeros.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Six zeros.

One million.

One million dollars.

It was not a typo.

It was not a glitch.

It clearly read $1,000,000.

His lips parted slightly.

He whispered under his breath.

"That’s... that’s one million."

He zoomed in on the screen as if the number would change if he stared at it long enough.

It did not.

It still said $1m.

One million fucking dollars.

"Holy shit."

The words came out dry and cracked.

His legs suddenly felt weak.

They shook uncontrollably, like his body did not know how to react to that amount of money sitting under his name.

He forced himself to stand still but his knees were trembling.

His heart started pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

He lifted one hand and placed it on his head, fingers digging into his purple hair.

He let out a shaky laugh that sounded half hysterical.

"What the hell..."

He looked around the hallway like someone might snatch the money away if they saw it on his face.

Instinct kicked in.

He quickly locked the screen and shoved the phone deep into his pocket as if hiding it would somehow make it safer.

Then he ran.

Not walked.

Ran.

He bolted down the hallway like a madman, nearly crashing into two pack members coming the opposite way.

"Move!" he shouted without meaning to.

He shoved past someone’s shoulder.

"Daniil! Are you out of your goddamn mind?" one of the older wolves yelled behind him.

He did not answer.

He kept running.

Another body bumped into him.

"Hey watch where you’re going!"

"What is wrong with you!"

Complaints echoed through the hallway.

Someone cursed at him.

Someone tried to grab his arm.

He slipped free and kept moving, heart racing, lungs burning, mind spinning.

One million dollars.

One million.

He had worked construction for years.

He counted coins to buy food sometimes.

He borrowed from his sister when he fell short.

And now there was a number in his bank account that could buy houses. Cars. A future.

His thoughts were chaotic.

Was this real?

Was Liam some kind of insane billionaire?

Was this a test?

Was it dirty money?

Did he just become part of something bigger than he understood?

He did not care.

Not right now.

Right now all he felt was shock and adrenaline.

He burst through the front doors of the mansion and stumbled outside into the cold air.

The world felt unreal.

Too bright.

Too loud.

The sky seemed bigger.

His breathing came out in uneven bursts as he leaned forward, hands on his knees, trying to steady himself.

He pulled his phone out again with shaking fingers.

The number was still there.

Still one million.

He laughed again, louder this time, borderline manic.

"Oh my God."

He looked up at the sky.

"I’m rich."

Then he quickly looked around to make sure nobody heard that.

Inside the mansion, Liam had no idea what chaos he had just created.

He climbed the stairs at a steady pace, his mind already elsewhere.

To him, the transfer was simple.

Daniil helped him.

Daniil was loyal in his own way.

Loyalty deserved investment.

And one million to Liam was nothing more than a strategic gesture.

Money was a tool.

He reached the top of the staircase and walked down the hallway.

Ten seconds in, he saw it.

The door with the blue knob.

He did not hesitate.

He did not knock.

He simply turned the handle and stepped inside.

The room was dim, lit mostly by the glow of a computer screen.

Cables ran across a desk that clearly had not been designed for this setup. Wires connected into a machine Lana had clearly assembled herself from parts that did not originally belong together.

Lana was sitting in front of it.

Her back was to him.

Her fingers moved quickly across the keyboard as lines of code and data flickered across the monitor.

She did not notice him enter.

She was focused.

Completely absorbed.

Pressing something on the computer she had managed to set together.