Light, Camera, Action
It was the biggest event ever held the grandest one in the world.
Lights flashed, cameras clicked, reporters and celebrities filled the hall. Everyone came to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event. The host was one of the world's richest men my adopted father, the owner of Sky High, a new company known for charity and kindness.
Five years ago, my father, Mr. Kin, rose from nothing to become one of the most powerful men in the world.
He adopted me after my parents died in a car accident.
My name is Alex.
Cars of all kinds filled the entrance black cars, luxury brands, government escorts.
Important people from around the world gathered here tonight for Sky High's grand opening.
Sometimes I wonder why I was the one chosen from the orphanage. Why me? But I stopped asking when I turned sixteen. My new life was already far from anything I could have imagined.
Tonight was supposed to be a special day a day the world would remember. My father was hosting the biggest charity event ever, broadcast live around the world.
Since being adopted by a man like him, I had to be perfect a good student, a polite son, and the best at everything. I study at Royal Academy, a school for children of government leaders and celebrities. Out of everyone there, I'm ranked third. But even with that, I never really had friends. Maybe it's because I'm the adopted son of a powerful man. Maybe that's enough reason for people to keep their distance.
Still, today was huge. I wore a black suit and walked around greeting my father's friends, shaking hands and smiling. But my father wasn't there. Everyone noticed.
He was still in his office upstairs.
As I walked near the wine section, I looked around at the sons and daughters of CEOs, governors, and politicians. But something felt off. The host of the event my father was missing.
Then a guard walked up to me, tapping my shoulder.
His face looked pale. His eyes didn't meet mine.
"Your father, Mr. Kin, is asking for you," he said quietly.
The way he looked at me made my stomach twist. Still, I nodded and walked toward the elevator.
Meanwhile, deep in the parking garage, two shadows moved quietly a boy and a girl trying to break in through the elevator.
"Hey, sis," the boy whispered, "you sure about this? We've never done something like this before robbing a place full of guards and cops."
The girl smirked. "If we ever want to stop living on the streets, we need to take risks. We're in the richest man's building. One watch from his office could feed us for a year. We just take one. That's it."
The boy sighed and nodded. He always followed her lead.
Their names were Awol and Nico twin orphans, famous for small-time thefts and street scams. Tonight, they aimed higher than ever.
At the same time, a young girl dressed as a cleaner pushed her cleaning cart down the hallway toward my father's office. She wasn't really a cleaner just another thief trying to sneak in.
None of us knew that we were all walking into the same room.
Fifth Floor Sky High Headquarters
The twins reached the top floor.
"Who gave you this info again?" Awol whispered.
Nico paused. "An old contact from the street. Don't ask too many questions."
The "cleaner" opened the office door first. What she saw froze her in place.
Blood.
A gun on the desk.
And no one inside.
She ducked behind the table as she heard the elevator doors open. The twins stepped out.
Awol bumped into Nico. "Why'd you stop?" He looked past her and saw it too.
Blood everywhere.
"We need to leave. Now," Nico hissed.
But Awol moved closer to the desk, staring at the gun. "What's this doing here?" he said, picking it up.
Before they could move, the office door opened again.
It was me.
I froze. A girl dragging her brother. A boy holding a gun.
Blood on the floor.
And a shattered window behind the desk.
I ran to the window my breath stopped.
Far below, on the street, lay my father's body. Lifeless.
My heart stopped.
I turned around, shaking, picking up a shard of glass to defend myself.
"Drop the gun!" I shouted. "Now!"
Nico raised her hands. "Listen! This isn't us! We don't know what happened!"
"Then why is he holding the gun?!" I yelled.
Awol pointed it toward me. "Kid, calm down! We don't even know what's going on here!"
Before anything else could happen, the fake cleaner leaped out from hiding and tackled Awol to the ground, grabbing the gun.
"You're all going to explain what's happening," she said sharply, aiming the gun at them.
Nico started to cry. "We were just supposed to steal something, not get trapped in a murder scene!"
Then blinding light flashed through the window. A helicopter hovered outside.
Police sirens echoed.
The next thing we heard was a voice shouting:
"Hands in the air!"
And just like that, the biggest night of my life turned into a nightmare.
The News
Breaking News:
Today at Sky High Company, tragedy strikes.
The founder and charity king, Mr. Kin, has been assassinated.
Reports say four young suspects were arrested at the scene.
Everything happened too fast.
Before I could even breathe, the cops dragged us out of the Sky High building like criminals.
The media was everywhere cameras flashing, reporters shouting, people screaming.
I could barely hear anything. It felt like a nightmare.
They threw us into the police car, one by one me, the twins, and the girl who pretended to be a cleaner.
The world outside was chaos.
My father was gone.
And somehow, everyone thought we did it.
The news spread across the whole city in minutes.
Every screen, every phone, every headline:
"The son of the charity king arrested for his father's murder."
We were locked inside a small cold cell.
No one said a word for a while.
The room smelled like rust and rain.
The police didn't even look at us.
After a few minutes, the cleaner girl stood up and laughed.
"What the hell is going on here? Someone better explain," she said loudly.
Awol glared at her. "Can't you shut up for once?"
Nico crossed her arms. "We don't need to keep quiet, Awol. Can't you see? We've been set up!"
I snapped. "You guys killed my father, and now I'm trapped here with you criminals!"
Before any of us could argue more, the cell door opened.
A man in a gray coat walked in, holding a tablet.
"My name is Detective Wu," he said. "I'll be handling your case."
"Case?" I shouted. "What do you mean case? My father is the one who's dead! Why am I here with these thieves?"
Awol yelled back, "Who are you calling thieves, you rich brat?"
The detective didn't even flinch. He turned his screen toward us.
"None of you know what's going on, huh? Maybe this will help."
He played a video a live news report.
> "Breaking news: The son of Mr. Kin, owner of Sky High Company, has been arrested for ordering his father's assassination. The suspects include known street thieves and an ex-convict posing as a cleaner."
My chest went cold.
Our faces were all over the news.
My name. My father's name.
The whole world already thought I was a murderer.
Nico looked at me with sharp eyes.
"So it was you," she said, grabbing my shirt. "You're the one who gave me the information about Sky High!"
Awol turned to her, shocked. "Sis, what? Don't tell me this rich kid is the one who set us up?"
The cleaner girl Aura started laughing quietly.
"So that's why my mission didn't make sense," she said. "They told me not to ask questions. Just go in, grab something, and leave."
I took a step back, shaking. "What are you people talking about? I didn't know any of you! Now the news says I killed my father? This is insane!"
For a few seconds, everything went silent.
Then Detective Wu began reading from his file, calling our names one by one.
"Nico and Awol street thieves. Known for stealing and scamming to survive. No parents, no home."
"Aura the girl disguised as a cleaner. Multiple arrests, psychological trauma, and past time in a mental hospital."
"And finally… Alex Kin the adopted son of the late Mr. Kin. Orphaned at a young age after his parents died mysteriously."
He paused, then looked straight at me.
"Now," he said, "the world thinks all of you are murderers.
And you, Alex… they believe you hired these three to kill your father for his fortune."