The mansion was the size of a school building.
Its white stone walls rose behind tall iron gates, wrapped in vines and glowing under soft golden lights. Columns lined the front entrance like a temple, and on the second floor, glass balconies overlooked trimmed hedges and a fountain that never seemed to stop flowing.
Nuong had never seen anything like it.
Her own world was nothing like this.
Back at the orphanage, the roof leaked when it rained. They only had two working ceiling fans, and the wooden floor groaned under every step. Most nights, dinner was rice with canned fish—if there was any meat at all.
But worst of all was the tiny room in the back, where Lida lay in bed with her bony arms and pale lips.
Cancer. Stage 3. Her coughs shook the walls at night.
There was no money for surgery. No money for a hospital bed. Just painkillers and wet cloths. And a little girl who asked every day, "Am I gonna die soon, Nuong?"
Nuong was only sixteen.
But when Somphors offered her a way out—money for treatment, cash enough to fix the orphanage roof and buy real medicine—she said yes.
Even if Somphors didn't tell her what the job really was.
They parked the two black cars under the trees, just beyond the mansion's security camera range.
Car One held Nuong, Vin (hidden under a blanket), and a silent mafia driver.
Car Two, parked further back, held Ma, the mafia boss, and Somphors, now dressed in a fake school uniform just like Nuong's.
"You said this isn't dangerous," Nuong muttered, adjusting her sleeves. "What are we even doing?"
Somphors shrugged. "Just a delivery. You go in, say you're one of her friends. Use a name from the school list we hacked. Then come back out. Easy."
"Who's the girl?"
Somphors didn't answer.
Nuong approached the mansion gates with shaking hands.
The security guard stepped forward. "Can I help you?"
She smiled nervously. "Yeah, um… I'm Rina. I'm in Dalis's class. I left my phone with her after debate club earlier. Can I grab it?"
The guard squinted. "One moment."
He pressed something in his earpiece.
Inside the mansion, Dalis—or Pisey, as her brothers called her—was lounging on a long velvet couch, scrolling through Instagram.
"Miss Pisey?" the butler called softly. "A girl named Rina from your school is at the gate. Says she left her phone."
"Rina?" Dalis blinked. "I dunno. Maybe from debate club? Let her in, I guess."
The message was passed along.
The gates opened.
Nuong stepped through.
Everything looked like a painting. Marble floors. Chandeliers. Portraits with golden frames. The air even smelled expensive.
For a moment, she felt like a ghost in someone else's dream.
Then she saw Somphors slipping through the side door—and Dalis walking into the hallway in her pajamas, confused and barefoot.
That's when everything fell apart.
Ma grabbed Dalis from behind. Somphors covered her mouth.
"W-Wait! What—what are you—" Nuong froze.
"MOVE!" the mafia driver shouted. "Back to the car!"
"This isn't—this isn't what you said—!"
Gunfire cracked behind them.
"NOW!"
Nuong ran—heart racing, throat dry—until she reached the first car.
She yanked the door open—
And saw Vin staring up at her from the floor.
"You're okay," he said, trying to smile. "I stayed hidden just like you said."
"Oh my God, Vin—no, you weren't supposed to come—!"
But it was too late. The car jolted forward. The second car tore ahead with Dalis inside, Somphors shouting orders.
Behind them, a black SUV appeared.
Piseth and Pisal. Suits. Guns. Fury in their eyes.
"GO!" the driver barked.
But the bullet hit the back tire.
The car spun out, metal screaming. The driver lost control, crashing into a concrete post.
"RUN!" he shouted. "TAKE THE KID!"
Nuong didn't wait.
She grabbed Vin's hand and ran into the night.
And all she could think was:
She lied to me.
She never said it was a girl. Never said it was a kidnapping.
I would've never done this. Never.
But it was too late.