Sophia shrugged proudly, looking at the AI hologram.

  ???? ????? ??? ???? AI ????? ?????.

  “As you can see, Prototype is complete. Now I just need to input the emotion code. I’m going to make Jason fall so deeply for my charms that he’ll never escape. Hehehe.”

  “????? ????? ????, ?? ?? ??? ??? ???. ???? ? ??? ? ??? ?? ? ????? ??? ?? ???. ???.”

  Charlie laughed incredulously and shook his head.

  ??? ??? ??? ? ??? ???? ??? ???.

  “Emotion code? You’re already at that stage? Man, that’s not easy… You’re insane.”

  “?? ????? ?? ? ???? ???? ?, ?? ?? ???… ?, ?? ???.”

  Sophia continued her explanation casually. Her eyes sparkled with pride, and her expression was brimming with confidence in the world she was about to reveal.

  ???? ???? ??? ????. ??? ???? ????? ????, ? ??? ??? ??? ? ??? ??? ?? ????? ?? ? ???.

  “But actually, it’s easier than you’d think. You just set all emotional standards to ‘me’ instead of ‘other people.’ Then the AI interprets and reacts to emotions based on my feelings. As a result, Jason will be so captivated by my charm that he won’t be able to escape.”

  “?? ???, ?? ??? ???. ?? ??? ??? ‘?? ??’? ?? ‘?’? ??? ???. ??? AI? ?? ??? ???? ??? ???? ???? ?. ? ??, ??? ??? ? ??? ??? ???? ? ?? ?? ??.”

  As Charlie stared at her, dumbfounded, Sophia continued with an anticipatory smile, introducing another system.

  ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???? ??, ???? ?? ??? ? ??? ??? ???? ??? ??? ????.

  “But let me show you something that’ll really blow your mind. This is called the ‘Eye of Horus’ system.”

  “??? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ? ????. ??? ‘???? ?’ ????????.”

  When Sophia gave AI Jason a command, a spider-web-like network structure suddenly unfolded in the air. It looked like an invisible protective barrier surrounding the city, seemingly performing surveillance and detection functions over the surrounding space.

  ???? AI ????? ????, ??? ??? ????? ??? ???? ??? ????. ??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ????? ???, ?? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ???.

  Sophia added an explanation.

  ???? ??? ????.

  “Watch. This system is an intrusion detection and defense system. When someone approaches our house, CCTV and drone cameras perform facial recognition. If they’re determined not to be family, it sends a warning. If they don’t comply, it fires lasers and delivers a 1200-volt current to completely block intrusion. I’m simplifying, but I worked like crazy for a year to build this.”

  “? ?. ? ???? ?? ?? ? ?? ?????. ??? ?? ?? ???? CCTV? ?? ???? ?? ??? ????. ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???, ???? ???? ???? 1200?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???? ??. ???? ????, ?? ???? 1? ?? ?????.”

  She paused, propped her chin on one hand, and grinned mischievously.

  ??? ?? ????, ? ??? ?? ?? ????? ???.

  “Oh, and here’s the funny part. I registered Shampoo and Conditioner’s facial recognition data too! So if another dog tries to come into our house? Well… they’re toast! Hehehe.”

  "?, ??? ?? ?. ?? ??? ??? ?? ?? ???? ??? ??! ????, ?? ???? ?? ?? ????? ????... ?? ?? ??! ???."

  Charlie stared at her blankly for a long moment, then shivered as if creeped out.

  ??? ??? ??? ??? ?????, ?? ??? ? ?? ??? ???.

  “Dude… what even are you? This is really finished?”

  "?... ? ??? ??? ?? ?? ??? ? ???"

  Sophia straightened up and nodded confidently.

  ???? ??? ?? ???? ??? ????.

  “Yep. It’s in beta testing at my house right now. After tonight’s final update, starting tomorrow our house will be an impenetrable fortress. Oh, and I’ll give you special monitoring access. I turned everything off before I came here today, though.”

  "?. ?? ?? ?? ?? ??? ???. ?? ? ??? ???? ???, ????? ?? ?? ???? ??? ?? ??. ?, ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??. ??? ?? ??? ??? ??."

  Charlie’s eyes sparkled, clearly about to say something. He hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth with a secretive expression.

  ??? ?? ???? ?? ?? ???? ??? ????. ?? ?? ????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ???.

  “Hey, Sophia. Actually, I’m working on something too.”

  "?, ???. ?? ?? ?? ??? ?? ? ??."

  “What?”

  "???"

  Charlie glanced around, then lowered his voice.

  ??? ?? ??? ??? ?, ???? ?? ???.

  “I’m hacking satellites to collect solar energy. Then turning it into an energy weapon system. I even named it. ‘Sword of Heaven.’ Pretty cool, right?”

  "????? ????, ???? ??? ??. ?? ??? ??? ???? ?????. ??? ????. '??? ?'. ??, ????"

  “Sword of Heaven?”

  “??? ??”

  Sophia’s eyes widened in shock.

  ???? ?? ????? ????.

  “You’re collecting solar energy to make a weapon? Are you insane?”

  “?? ???? ??? ??? ????? ? ????”

  Charlie shrugged, completely unfazed.

  ??? ?? ???? ?? ??? ??? ????.

  “It’s just theoretical right now. And who says it has to be a weapon? For example, I could use the beam cannon to blow up incoming missiles mid-air, or supply emergency energy to disaster zones. If I do this right, I could prevent World War III!”

  "??? ??? ???. ? ???? ??? ?? ???? ???, ???? ???? ???? ???? ???????, ?? ??? ?? ???? ??????. ??, ?? ?? ?3? ????? ?? ?? ?? ???!"

  Sophia thought for a long moment, then burst into laughter.

  ???? ??? ?????, ?? ????? ? ??? ????.

  “Okay, you have a point. But… the problem is that you’re the one building it.”

  "??, ? ?? ??? ??. ???… ?? ????? ??? ? ???."

  Charlie winked playfully.

  ??? ???? ???? ???.

  “That’s why you need to monitor my research. What do you say? If we team up, don’t you think we could change the world?”

  "???? ? ? ??? ???? ?? ??. ??, ?? ?? ???? ??? ?? ? ?? ? ?? ???"

  Just then, Sophia’s classmates rushed over with urgent expressions.

  ?? ??, ???? ? ???? ??? ???? ????.

  “Sophia, some guys are looking for you.”

  “???, ?? ????? ? ?? ??.”

  Sophia looked confused.

  ???? ?? ???? ????.

  “Who?”

  "????"

  Her friend shrugged.

  ??? ??? ???? ???.

  “I don’t know. But they looked totally FBI. Black suits, sunglasses, the whole deal.”

  "?? ???. ?? ?? FBI?? ??????? ?? ??? ??????…”

  Sophia’s eyes wavered.

  ???? ??? ????.

  “There’s no one who’d be looking for me…”

  “?? ??? ??? ?? ??….”

  An inexplicable sense of dread seeped deep into her chest. She had no reason to run, but she quickly stuffed her laptop into her system bag and tried to slip away.

  ??? ? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ?????. ???? ? ??? ????, ??? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???.

  Charlie looked tense too.

  ??? ??? ?????.

  “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. I’ll go check it out first, so you should get out of here.”

  “?? ??? ? ??. ?? ?? ??? ???, ?? ?? ??? ????? ? ???.”

  Sophia didn’t wait for him to finish. She grabbed her bag and left. She peeked out and looked around. The moment she spotted agents recognizing her and walking toward her from near the faculty office, she instinctively slung her heavy bag over her shoulder and bolted toward the school gate. The agents in black suits quietly communicated their positions to each other, trying to block her escape route.

  ???? ?? ?? ??? ?? ??? ?? ??? ??? ? ??? ??. ??? ??? ??? ??? ?????. ?? ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???? ????, ??? ??? ?? ????? ??? ?? ?? ???. ?? ??? ?? ???? ??? ??? ??? ???? ??? ???? ???? ??.

  As Sophia darted through the students heading toward the exit, she tapped her smart glasses with her fingertip and called up AI hologram Jason.

  ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????? ???? ????? ??? ??? ??? ???? ? ???? AI ???? ???? ???.

  “Jason, track the locations of people in black suits near here.”

  “???, ? ??? ??? ?? ?? ???? ??? ????.”

  “Got it. Based on color patterns, four people detected. I have the ability to classify colors and determine patterns. This black color is—”

  “?, ???. ?? ??? ???? ? ?? ?????. ?? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??? ??? ??. ? ????—”

  “Enough! Stop explaining! Are you in lecture mode right now?!”

  "??! ?? ??! ?? ??? ????!"

  At that moment, Jason—her actual classmate—happened to be passing by. Hearing his name called, he stopped and looked at Sophia, puzzled.

  ???, ??? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???? ???? ???????.

  “Why’s she calling my name?”

  “?? ? ? ??? ????”

  But before he could think too deeply about it, he turned his attention to his friends.

  ??? ?? ??? ??? ??, ?? ??? ????? ??? ???.

  “Hey Kim! You know about the party tonight?”

  “?? ?! ?? ? ?? ?? ? ???”

  Just as Jason was hitting on some girls, the agents approaching rapidly collided with him, and he tumbled to the ground.

  ???? ?????? ??? ?? ?? ? ??, ??? ???? ???? ???? ??? ???? ???.

  Meanwhile, as Sophia tried to cut across the field toward the school gate, the agents shouted after her.

  ??, ???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ???? ???.

  “Sophia, don’t run! We’re your father’s colleagues!”

  “???, ???? ?! ??? ? ???? ?? ?????!”

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  But she didn’t believe them as she ran. She clutched her bag strap tighter and sprinted across the parking lot. Then, near the gate, Jared rushed toward her, frantically waving.

  ??? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ?? ???. ?? ??? ?? ??? ??? ? ???? ???? ???. ??, ?? ???? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????? ???? ????.

  “Soph, that way! Go that way! At the end of that path there’s a small gap into the woods! Hurry, run!”

  “??, ????! ???? ?! ? ? ??? ?? ??? ?? ?? ??? ????! ?? ??!”

  Sophia gasped for breath and ran in the direction Jared pointed. Her heart pounded violently. Jared watched Sophia with sympathetic eyes.

  ???? ?? ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? ????. ??? ???? ?? ???. ??? ???? ??? ???? ???? ?????.

  'Don’t worry, it’ll be okay… '

  ‘?? ?, ? ??? ??…’

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Sophia turned and ran at full speed. Near the gap, Charlie reached out and grabbed her arm.

  ???? ? ?? ???? ?? ?? ?? ????? ???. ??? ???? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?? ???? ???.

  “This way! Get through quick! I’ll hold them off.”

  “????! ?? ???! ???? ?? ????.”

  Then he suddenly changed his voice, mimicking Scar from The Lion King.

  ???? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? 《??? ?》 ? ‘??’? ?? ??.

  “Run, run away Sophia! Run away and never return!”

  “?, ???? ???! ? ??? ? ?? ??!”

  But before his ridiculous impression could finish, the agents swiftly grabbed Charlie by the scruff of his neck and dragged him to the faculty office.

  ??? ?? ????? ??? ???? ??, ???? ??? ??? ???? ??? ???? ?? ? ???.

  Sophia slipped through the gap and tried to head into the woods, but one of the pursuing agents grabbed her bag. Realizing she couldn’t escape any further, she shouted in resignation.

  ???? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???, ??? ???? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???. ? ?? ??? ? ??? ??? ??? ???? ???.

  “Why are you doing this?!”

  “?? ? ???? ???

  One of the agents, panting and out of breath, replied.

  ?? ? ? ?? ?? ? ???? ?? ??? ???.

  “Sophia, we’re not bad people. We’re your father’s colleagues. Your father didn’t come to work this morning. We’re trying to confirm if something happened to him. Can you come with us for a moment?”

  “???, ??? ?? ???? ???. ? ???? ?????. ?? ??, ?? ???? ??? ?? ????. ??? ?? ?? ?? ? ??? ????? ? ?? ??. ??? ??? ?? ? ? ? ????”

  Sophia studied the agents’ faces carefully, her guard still up. But hearing that her father hadn’t gone to work—even though she’d left the house with him that morning—shook her. Eventually, she complied and got into their car.

  ???? ???? ??? ??? ??? ???? ??? ???. ??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??? ??? ????. ?? ??? ??? ???? ?? ???.

  “If my dad didn’t go to work, why are you looking for me? Do I have to go in his place or something?”

  “??? ???? ????? ? ?? ??????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??????”

  The agent sighed and spoke cautiously.

  ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ???.

  “It’s not that simple, Sophia. Your father disappeared with an ancient artifact box he was managing at the company.”

  “?? ??? ??? ???, ???. ? ???? ???? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??????.”

  Sophia sat silently, clutching her bag and staring out the window. After a while, the van stopped in front of a quiet mansion on the outskirts of the city. The heavy gate opened, and the agents led her to the guest room in the annex. It was a quiet reception room lit by delicate lighting. A woman sitting on the sofa, sipping tea, stood up quietly.

  ???? ??? ??? ?? ?? ??? ????. ?? ?, ?? ? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?? ??. ??? ???? ???, ???? ??? ??? ?????? ????. ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??????. ??? ?? ?? ??? ?? ? ??? ??? ????.

  She wore a silk shirt that flowed smoothly along her waist, her hair neatly styled, refined long boots, and vibrant orange-coral lipstick that made her appearance even more elegant. At first glance, she could have been mistaken for the heiress of a major corporation. Her movements naturally exuded grace, dignity, and authority.

  ??? ??? ?? ???? ??? ?? ??? ?? ???, ???? ??? ???? ??? ???, ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ?? ???? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??????. ???? ??? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?? ???. ??? ?????? ??? ??? ??, ??? ??? ????? ?????.

  Eleanor turned her gaze quietly toward Sophia. Without any other greeting, she asked Sophia directly.

  ???? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???. ??? ?? ???? ?? ??, ??????? ????? ?????.

  “Sophia, I’m sure you heard on the way here, but your father stole an important ancient artifact from our foundation and ran off. Did your father leave that artifact box with you? It’s a cube-shaped wooden box.”

  “???, ??? ????? ?? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ??? ????. ?? ?? ??? ? ????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ???? ???.”

  Sophia slowly shook her head.

  ???? ??? ??? ???.

  “A cubic wooden box? I don’t know anything about that.”

  “???? ?? ???? ?? ? ? ??????.”

  Eleanor smiled lightly and offered her a cup of water.

  ???? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???.

  “Did your father tell you anything? About an ancient artifact box, or any interesting historical stories?”

  “???? ?? ?? ???? ??? ?? ?? ?????, ???? ?? ??? ?? ? ???.”

  Sophia pushed the cup away and answered curtly.

  ???? ?? ???? ????? ????.

  “I haven’t talked to my dad in a while.”

  “??? ? ? ?? ?? ? ? ???.”

  Eleanor looked at Sophia carefully, then spoke again.

  ???? ???? ??? ????? ?? ?? ???.

  “Where’s your father’s favorite place? Somewhere suitable for hiding treasure? Or maybe there’s a secret room in the basement? You must know a place only you know about. Everything I’m asking is for your father, Dr. Victor Shaw.”

  “???? ??? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?????. ??? ??? ??? ? ?? ? ??? ?? ?? ?? ??? ?? ? ???. ?? ? ?? ??, ?? ???? ??? ?? ???.”

  Sophia tensed momentarily.

  ???? ????? ????.

  Her father was not someone who would blabber about secrets. So why was this woman talking about a “secret room”? Slightly flustered, but hiding it, she replied.

  ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ???? ????. ??? ? ? ??? ‘??? ?’ ???? ?? ?? ??? ?? ?????, ? ??? ??? ????.

  “A secret room to hide things in? There’s nothing like that.”

  “??? ?? ???? ???? ?? ? ????.”

  Eleanor nodded quietly and murmured.

  ???? ??? ??? ???? ?????.

  “Sophia, your father has never missed a single day of work. But today, he disappeared. And the artifact he was managing disappeared with him.”

  “???, ? ???? ? ?? ??? ?? ?? ???. ??? ??, ??? ????. ??? ?? ???? ??? ?? ????.”

  She exhaled deeply.

  ??? ?? ?? ?? ????.

  “If something happened to your father… we’re worried, that’s why we’re asking.”

  “?? ????? ?? ?? ????... ??? ??? ?? ??? ??.”

  But Sophia couldn’t answer readily. She truly knew nothing about the box.

  ??? ???? ?? ??? ? ???. ??? ??? ? ??? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?????.

  Then Eleanor asked in a soft voice.

  ??, ???? ???? ???? ???.

  “If it’s not too much to ask, may we briefly check inside your bag?”

  “??? ?? ????, ? ?? ?? ?? ???? ?????”

  Sophia’s eyes turned cold.

  ???? ??? ??? ???.

  “Search someone’s bag? That would definitely be too much to ask.”

  “?? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ??? ? ???.”

  Eleanor sighed and nodded.

  ???? ??? ?? ??? ????.

  “Then we’ll have no choice but to report your father to the police. Stealing ancient artifacts is a serious crime.”

  “???? ? ???? ??? ??? ??? ????. ?? ??? ?? ? ??? ??? ?????.”

  “…My dad’s a criminal?”

  “...??? ???????”

  At those words, Sophia’s fingertips trembled. She hesitated, torn between confusion and fear, then finally set her bag down quietly.

  ? ?? ???? ??? ???. ??? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ?????.

  A female agent opened the bag and began searching through it. All sorts of electronic equipment, circuits, and system components were mixed together inside, but the ancient artifact box they were looking for was nowhere to be seen.

  ?? ?? ? ?? ??? ?? ?? ??? ????. ?? ?? ??? ??, ??? ???? ???? ?? ????, ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ??? ??? ???.

  The agent shook her head at Eleanor and reported.

  ??? ????? ??? ??? ????.

  “The artifact box was not found.”

  “?? ??? ???? ?????.”

  Eleanor looked at Sophia and spoke quietly.

  ???? ???? ???? ??? ???.

  “Hmm… so you don’t have it either. We were going to get it back anyway. Can’t be helped.”

  “?... ?? ??? ?? ???. ??? ?? ??? ?? ???. ?? ? ??.”

  She momentarily lowered her voice and spoke with a meaningful expression.

  ??? ????? ???? ??? ????? ???? ???.

  “While reviewing your father’s files, we learned that you suffer from a genetic disease. Usher syndrome… Our Naiman Group hospital research center is studying this syndrome. We might be able to help treat your condition. Sophia, would you consider joining us?”

  "??? ? ???? ??? ???? ??, ?? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???. ?? ???... ?? ??? ?? ?? ????? ? ???? ???? ???. ? ?? ??? ? ??? ??? ?? ??. ???, ??? ??? ?? ???"

  Sophia flinched. Memories flooded back—several times a year, her vision would suddenly blur, she’d lose her balance and collapse. The memory of foaming at the mouth and collapsing at the school hip hop freestyle event a few weeks ago was something she didn’t even want to recall. The doctor’s words—that she could eventually go completely blind— sat like a massive anxiety in the corner of her heart.

  ???? ?? ????. 1?? ? ?? ??? ??? ????, ??? ?? ???? ??? ????. ? ? ?, ?? ?? ????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ??? ?? ???? ??? ???. ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ?? ???? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???.

  Because of that fear, she was developing AI Jason to input code using only voice commands. Even if she lost her sight, she wanted to maintain her own world.

  ? ??? ???, ??? AI ???? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ? ??? ???? ???. ???? ??? ?? ????, ???? ??? ???? ??.

  The hospital had told her there was no treatment for this disease. Yet this woman was casually saying she could treat it. For a moment, her heart wavered… but she couldn’t bring herself to trust it. She didn’t want to depend on people chasing her father.

  ????? ? ?? ??? ??? ??? ???. ??? ? ??? ???? ??? ? ??? ??? ???. ??, ??? ?????... ??? ?? ? ???. ??? ??? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???.

  Sophia answered firmly.

  ???? ??? ???? ????.

  “I’ll ask my dad.”

  "??? ?????."

  Eleanor looked at Sophia with a subtle smile. She seemed to realize that Sophia knew nothing.

  ???? ??? ??? ??? ???? ?????. ??? ?? ???? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???.

  “James, take Sophia home.”

  "???, ???? ??? ??? ????."

  Then she added lightly.

  ???? ??? ????.

  “And Sophia, I’ve heard you’re a top-tier developer. Impressive award history too. How about working with us at the Naiman Group?”

  "??? ???, ?? ??? ????? ??? ???. ?? ??? ??????. ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ? ???"

  Sophia said once more, unwavering.

  ???? ??? ?? ???? ?? ?? ???.

  “I’ll ask my dad about that too.”

  "??? ??? ?????."

  Eleanor fell silent for a moment, then called over one of the agents and whispered something in their ear. Then she quietly turned away.

  ???? ?? ?????, ?? ? ? ?? ?? ???? ???? ????. ??? ??? ?????.

  The black van started carefully, and the heavy gate slowly opened. Sophia stared out the window, lost in deep thought.

  ??? ?? ????? ???? ??? ??? ??? ???. ???? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???.

  BA Heritage Foundation

  BA ???? ??

  Wesley Naiman’s mansion, Cornerstone House, was considered one of the most beautiful homes in New York. Like a quiet poem hidden in the heart of the city, it maintained its place, flaunting an otherworldly beauty with its mere presence. The exterior walls of the mansion were classically wrapped in ivy vines that completely covered the walls, and judging by the vigor of the ivy stems stretching up to the second-floor roof, anyone could deduce it had an exterior that was at least 200 years old.

  ??? ??? ??? ???? ‘???? ???’? ???? ?? ????? ???? ????. ??? ?? ?? ??? ??? ???, ? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ? ??? ??? ???. ??? ??? ????? ??? ??? ? ?? ??? ???? ???, 2? ???? ??? ?? ??? ??? ??? ????? ??? 200? ??? ??? ??? ???? ???? ??? ??? ? ? ???.

  But it wasn’t just the weight of time that made this mansion shine. Cornerstone House exuded a mysterious feeling that countless secrets and stories lay hidden within, evident from its exterior alone. Though it kept its distance from the bustle of downtown, its location near Herald Square allowed the vibrant breath of the city to occasionally drift over the mansion’s stone walls. But even so, this place greeted visitors with thorough quietness, elegance, and sometimes overwhelming dignity.

  ??? ??? ??? ???? ? ??? ??? ??? ???. ???? ???? ?????? ? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????. ??? ????? ??? ?? ?????, ??? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??. ??? ???? ????, ??? ???? ????, ????, ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ????.

  In the well-manicured garden, flowers that changed fragrance with each season bloomed profusely, and their scent rode the gentle breeze, flowing deep into the lobby. The moment people stepped into the lobby, they were warmly embraced by the luxurious scent of flowers and the warm aroma of freshly baked croissants from the bakery.

  ? ??? ????? ???? ??? ??? ??? ????? ???, ? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?? ????? ?????. ??? ?? ??? ??, ???? ????? ? ??? ? ?? ????? ??? ????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ??.

  Beneath the antique chandelier, in the mansion where soft piano melodies flowed, housemaids and butlers gracefully performed their duties. The city’s noise and the mansion’s serene atmosphere created an odd contrast, making it a gift-like house where even those who weren’t wealthy could feel sufficiently compensated with a sense of richness.

  ????? ???? ??, ??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??? ????? ???? ?? ?? ???? ???? ???. ??? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?? ??? ???, ??? ???? ???? ?? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ? ?? ? ?? ???? ????.

  However, the true secret of Cornerstone House lay not in its dazzling exterior or elegant interior, but hidden deep underground. It was the actual heart of the BA Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit foundation operated by the Naiman Group. On the surface, it was introduced as an organization for cultural heritage protection, but the reality was entirely different.

  ??? ???? ???? ??? ??? ? ??? ???, ??? ????? ??, ?? ?? ??? ?? ??? ???. ??? ??? ??? ???? ??? ??, BA ???? ??? ??? ?????. ?????? ???? ??? ?? ??? ???? ????, ? ??? ?? ???.