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Sister Talia led Dan and the children into the lounge.
"Would you like something to drink, child?"
She greeted him warmly. She'd always cared deeply for Dan—especially since, unlike many others, he still came back to visit after leaving. Not many did.
"Alright kids, time to go. I need to talk to Sister Talia alone for a bit."
The kids giggled and left the room.
Except Little Orange. She clung tightly to Dan's left arm, pouting.
"Come on, Little Orange. Go play with the others for a bit, okay?"
The nun gently stroked her cheek, making her giggle.
"But Grandma Talia, I wanna stay with Big Bro Dan. I haven't seen him in so long!"
Dan smiled, picked her up again.
"Be good, okay? I'll come out and play with you in just a bit. I promise we'll spend extra time together today."
Her big shiny eyes stared at him. Then she stuck out her tiny pinky.
"Pinky promise?"
"Pinky promise."
Dan hooked his pinky with hers gently.
"No going back on it!"
She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before happily skipping out of the room.
Once the kids were gone, Dan pulled a thick envelope from his bag—stuffed with cash.
"Sister Talia, this is from me. Please take it."
The nun looked at the envelope and made the sign of the cross, murmuring a prayer.
"Child, I can't take that. Just knowing you still visit means the world to me. That's more than enough."
"No, please, take it. I know how things are here."
He slid the envelope toward her and looked out the window at the kids playing.
"There are way more children here than when I left. But nothing else seems to have changed. The place is falling apart. This isn't a lot of money, but at least it can help keep things running for a while."
Sister Talia went quiet. Her weathered eyes didn't show any emotion.
Valentine Orphanage was a public one. It had no income, relying entirely on government funding and donations. But the money wasn't enough. More and more kids were sent here, while government support shrank. The place had nearly been shut down multiple times.
But every time she looked at the kids, she couldn't bear the thought of what might happen to them if the orphanage closed. So she pushed on, praying the merciful Lord would never abandon them.
After a long silence, Sister Talia sighed.
"Child, you've given us so much. What about your own life? Are you doing okay?"
Dan scratched his head.
"My life? It's alright. I've got a great teacher, two trustworthy teammates. It's been tiring, but I feel fulfilled."
She looked at him with a smile full of pride and warmth. To her, nothing was better than knowing one of her kids was living a good life.
"That's wonderful. You're one of the Lord's blessed children. His light will always shine on you."
Knock knock knock~
Someone knocked on the door. A staff member peeked in.
"Sorry to interrupt, Sister Talia, but there's something you need to take care of."
"I understand."
The nun looked apologetically at Dan.
"I'm sorry, child. Looks like I'll have to hear your story another time."
"It's okay. I was just about to take Orange and the others to play. I'll see if there's anything else I can help with too."
With that, Dan got up and left the reception room.
"Sister, this is the official notice. They've decided that the Valentin Orphanage has to be shut down."
The staff member handed a red-sealed document to Sister Talia.
Her hands trembled as she took the file.
"Oh Lord… why is this happening? Why are they doing this? What will happen to these children if the orphanage gets shut down?"
Staring at the file, Sister Talia collapsed onto the sofa, completely crushed.
The staff member supported her gently, speaking with frustration.
"There's nothing we can do. I heard a real estate developer has his eye on this land. He wants to build a high-end spa complex here. To get his way, he bribed a bunch of officials."
Hearing that, Sister Talia's breathing grew heavy and uneven.
"Oh Lord… why has it come to this? Why do Satan's servants get to run wild, while the children of God are left with nothing?
Isn't there anything we can do?"
The staffer could only shake his head helplessly. They were just regular employees in a small orphanage—how could they possibly go up against the giants of capital?
Outside the room, Dan had heard everything loud and clear. His fists clenched tight.
"Dan, what's wrong?"
Little Orange, full of innocence, looked up at him with her adorable face.
Dan relaxed his hand, forced a smile, and scooped her up.
"It's nothing. I just spaced out for a second. What do you want to play, Orange? I'll take you!"
"Yay! We wanna play 'Eagle Catches the Chick!'"
All the kids immediately swarmed around Dan, excited at the mention of a game.
"Alright, so… who's gonna be the eagle?"
"Me, me, me!" Little Pierre waved his hand excitedly.
The whole orphanage echoed with laughter and joy as Dan played with the kids until nightfall.
Later, in the car, Dan gripped the steering wheel tightly, not saying a word.
"Dan, what's wrong? Did something happen at the orphanage?"
Kurim, sitting beside him, noticed his dark mood and asked with concern.
"…Nah, it's nothing."
Dan shook his head.
"Come on, Dan. Talk to me. We're partners, right? If there's a problem, the only way to fix it is by talking it through."
Dan glanced at Kurim, took a deep breath, and told him everything about the Valentin Orphanage.
"Ah…"
Kurim looked helpless. If it were a tech issue, maybe he could've helped somehow, but this… he was completely out of his depth.
"Sorry, Dan. I really don't know what to do here."
Dan chuckled wryly.
"It's fine. This kinda thing… isn't easy for anyone to handle."
But then Kurim added, "That may be true… but even if we can't fix it, maybe we know someone who can. You forgot about our partner, didn't you? I don't think this is a big deal for him."
Dan paused, suddenly realizing something, and smacked his forehead.
"You mean… Stark?!"
How could he forget that billionaire maniac?
"....."