At that mont Valentina laughed again, and for a mont, the tension that hovered earlier in the air began to soften.
Then, with surprising maturity for his age, Luca straightened up and greeted Raymond properly. He placed his small hands together and gave a respectful little bow.
"It’s really nice to et you, sir," he said earnestly. "For real. And... thank you."
Raymond’s brows lifted slightly. "Thank you for what?" he asked, his tone even.
Luca nodded quickly. "Yeah. For taking care of my sister. And for making her smile like that again. I don’t know what you did, but..." he turned to glance at Valentina, his eyes glowing "I haven’t seen her this happy in a long ti."
He looked back at Raymond, straight-faced now.
Raymond managed to curve a small smile, though it never reached his eyes.
His gaze lingered on the boy before him so cheerful, so innocent-looking, so eager to please and yet, to Raymond, he was a storm wrapped in a child’s skin.
But he had to play along. For now.
"You seem like a strong young man," Raymond said quietly, his voice low and steady, like the calm before a hurricane. "And it feels like you truly want to protect Valentina."
Luca straightened his posture with pride and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! I really do. I always have."
At that mont Raymond’s head tilted slightly, eyes narrowing just for a second before softening again.
"That’s good," he said. "That’s not a bad thing at all. Just... don’t ever do anything that might hurt her. That’s all I’ll say."
The words were calm. But the weight behind them was steel.
Luca blinked, sensing the seriousness in his tone. He nodded again, slower this ti. "I won’t. Never. I’ll keep protecting her always."
Raymond’s smile thinned. "Good," he said. "That’s what you’ve been doing all this while, isn’t it?"
"Yes," Luca replied imdiately, his voice clear, unwavering.
"Then," Raymond added, "thank you. I an it."
Luca’s face lit up at the praise. He looked proud genuinely proud and Valentina, standing beside them, couldn’t help but smile at the way both of them seed to be getting along, but deep down, Raymond’s stomach coiled.
His words had been rehearsed and smooth, but his mind was a battlefield of suspicion.
He’s just a boy... for now, Raymond thought grimly. But what happens next year? The year after that?
If nothing happened to Valentina this ti... if fate let her survive this cycle... what then?
Luca would grow, Luca would change, and with every new year, the unknown would deepen.
Raymond didn’t like that. Not one bit.
Luca’s presence in this tiline wasn’t an accident.
It was a signal, Sothing worse is coming.
And Raymond had already lost Valentina too many tis to sit back and gamble again.
Without wasting any more ti, Valentina reached out and gently took Luca’s hand, flashing him a playful smile. The boy bead, clearly thrilled, and the two of them began walking together toward the sprawling complex ahead — one of the largest malls in the entire country.
Raymond followed silently behind, keeping his distance, but never too far.
The mall was a giant wonderland of activity filled with fountains, glittering escalators, high-end boutiques, children’s playgrounds, indoor amusent centers, and a food court that stretched like a miniature city. The laughter of children echoed through its open design, music played gently in the background, and everything sparkled with polished glass and bright lights.
Valentina and Luca spent a good amount of ti exploring.
Luca tugged her from one shop to the next, pulling her excitedly toward the ga area, then to a mini photo booth, and even a candy store where he insisted they both try the sourest gum they could find. However Raymond stayed near, mostly quiet, a silent shadow to the pair his eyes calm, but constantly scanning.
It wasn’t just Luca he was watching.
It was everything.
Every person that passed, Every corner. Every reflection. He missed nothing.
Ti passed quickly, and the late afternoon sun began to slip from the sky. As they made their way toward the exit, Valentina held a few bags snacks and small accessories they had picked up. Luca looked tired, but deeply content.
That’s when Raymond finally stepped forward.
"There’s one more thing," he said casually, directing them toward a sleek, high-end toy shop near the exit. "Luca, you’ve been great company today. I want to get you sothing. My treat."
Imdiately Valentina raised an eyebrow. "You really don’t need to "
But Raymond waved her off gently. "It’s nothing. Just a small gift."
Then Valentina couldn’t help but smiled warmly. "That’s thoughtful of you."
Raymond’s expression didn’t change, but inwardly, his focus sharpened.
The mont they entered the store, an assistant gave Raymond a subtle nod the kind of signal that confird everything had been handled.
Earlier, he had arranged it in private: every toy on the central display every robot, remote-controlled car, hover drone, and plush doll had been fitted with a discreet, near-invisible micro-cara. The audio channels were clear, encrypted, and routed directly to a monitoring system only he and Benjamin had access to.
Each cara had a life of about thirty days more than enough to study Luca’s patterns, behavior, and if anything... abnormal erged.
Raymond didn’t care which toy Luca picked. Whichever it was, the rest would be returned quietly, the caras stripped.
He wasn’t here for sentint, he was here for surveillance.
After a mont, Luca stood in front of a polished shelf filled with sleek model jets and glowing digital puzzle cubes.
He stared for a few seconds... then turned and looked at Raymond.
"Thank you, but..." Luca gave a small shrug, a half-smile on his face. "I’m not really a toy kind of guy."
Valentina blinked. "You’re sure? These look pretty cool."
"They do," Luca said, "just not my thing."
At that mont, Raymond’s expression stiffened just slightly but enough for anyone paying attention to notice. He was genuinely taken aback.
What kind of child doesn’t like toys? He stared at Luca, who stood calmly in the center of the glossy, vibrant toy store, surrounded by blinking lights, miniature robots, animated plush animals, and high-end remote-controlled gadgets... completely unbothered.
Raymond stepped a little closer, keeping his tone light and his face pleasant.
"Luca," he said gently, "all children like toys. It’s normal. I’ve never t a child who didn’t."
Luca simply looked up at him with a calm, matter-of-fact gaze.
"I’m not like most kids," he said simply.
Raymond raised a brow, still maintaining the smile. "Well, there are so many beautiful ones here. Maybe not this shelf, but sothing else. A car? A drone? A transforr, maybe? Take your ti and look around."
He motioned toward the rest of the store.
Luca glanced briefly, then shrugged again. "They’re cool. But I just don’t like them."
Raymond’s mind flared with quiet alarms.
No curiosity? No hesitation? Not even a single glance of interest?
There was sothing not sitting right with him.
Valentina stepped in gently, sensing the odd tension. She placed a hand on Raymond’s arm, her voice warm and reassuring.
"Raymond," she said with a soft smile, "Luca’s always been like this."
She glanced at the boy fondly.
"Even when he was really little, he never really liked toys. I used to think maybe he was just picky, but he’s never been into them."
Raymond didn’t answer imdiately, his eyes still watching Luca carefully.
At that mont Valentina turned back to the boy. "But," she added thoughtfully, "if there’s one thing I think Luca would like... it’d probably be sothing like an Iron Man mask."
Imdiately Luca’s eyes lit up just a little and Valentina chuckled. "A real one, though. Not those plastic or rubber knockoffs. He likes the ones that actually do things."
"The proper kind," she added, nodding at Raymond.
Then Raymond’s eyes lingered on Luca, taking note of every small expression.
At that mont, Raymond’s mind ticked like a clock that had just skipped a gear.
He had co prepared.
Very prepared, all the logistics the caras, the placent, the toy selection had been arranged days in advance. He didn’t ask Valentina about Luca’s preferences because he never imagined a child would walk into a store like this and not want a single thing.
But here they were.
And now, hearing Luca speak with such calm specificity about what he wanted, Raymond stood still, assessing.
"Yes," Luca said, nodding toward Raymond as if he were the one granting the favor.
"If I’m going to get any toy... it has to be the latest edition of the Iron Man mask. The real one."
He lifted one finger and added, "I want the two, Red and silver. The new model. With motion sensors. Voice command. The one that lights up when you wear it."
Hearing Luca words Raymond slowly turned toward the store director, his gaze sharp. The man had been standing silently in the corner, watching the scene unfold, but now Raymond’s eyes pierced into his like a quiet order.
The director hesitated for a beat, recognizing instantly the weight in Raymond’s stare a weight that made clear who held control here, even if Raymond hadn’t spoken a single word.
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