#### Scene 1: *The Boy Left Behind*
It was a storm unlike any other—lightning ripping through the night sky, its thunder howling like a beast in pain. Rain lashed the ground, drowning the streets in roaring streams. Underneath a flickering streetlamp, a small figure stood trembling.
Alexander "Alex" Veyron, only five years old, was soaked to the bone. His frail hands clung desperately to the frayed edge of his coat, his wide brown eyes staring at the shadowy figure before him. It was his father, a man whose face Alex could barely recognize anymore—a cold stranger in a crumpled suit with whiskey-stained breath.
"You're just dead weight, Alex. I can't drag you down anymore," the man muttered, his voice breaking with exhaustion—but not regret. Beside him, Alex's mother avoided looking at the boy, clutching her purse tightly, as though her child's gaze was something infectious.
Alex didn't cry; he didn't beg. He just stood there, frozen, clutching his stuffed wolf—a ragged toy with one button-eye missing—trying to make sense of the words being thrown at him. "Please… I'll be good," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the rain.
His father scoffed. "Good doesn't feed us, boy. And we're out of options."
With that, they turned away, vanishing into the rain-soaked night without a second glance. Alex stumbled forward, his small legs splashing through the cold water as he chased after them. "Mama… Papa!" he cried, but his voice was lost in the cacophony of the storm.
It was as though the world itself had spat him out, leaving him alone on the cracked pavement of a desolate alley. His stuffed wolf slipped from his grip, swept away by the water, leaving him with nothing but the cold and the sound of his sobs.
Hours passed, and as the rain finally eased, Alex huddled against the wall, shivering and hungry. His parents had never returned. They were gone—forever.
---
#### Scene 2: *The Fall of the Luthien Family*
Far across town, in a mansion too grand to belong to the humble city around it, another storm was brewing. Eleanor "Ellie" Luthien, just 7 years old, stood in the corner of her father's ornate office. The warmth of the crackling fireplace did little to soften the icy scene before her.
Her parents were seated across from her uncle, Sebastian Luthien, a man whose crooked smile masked his venomous intentions. "It's simple, Charles," Sebastian said smoothly, addressing Ellie's father. "Sell me the controlling shares of Luthien Industries. You can retire in peace. You know it's the only way to save the company."
Her father slammed his fist on the desk. "Never! This company is Ellie's legacy. I won't let you have it, Sebastian!"
Ellie clutched her mother's hand, her wide blue eyes darting between the arguing men. She didn't understand everything, but she knew enough—her family's company was in trouble, and Uncle Sebastian was no savior.
Sebastian's smile faltered for just a moment before he stood. "You're a fool, Charles. And fools don't last long in this world."
That night, tragedy struck. The Luthien family car—on their way back from a desperate meeting with lawyers—swerved off a cliffside road. The wreck was brutal, the impact instant. Only Ellie survived, waking up in a hospital bed with bandaged wounds and a heart shattered into pieces.
Her world collapsed further when Sebastian appeared at her bedside days later, donning a mournful expression as fake as his crocodile tears. "Ellie, my dear niece," he cooed, brushing her hair back. "Your parents… they're gone now, but don't worry. I'll take care of everything."
And he did—everything except her. With forged documents and backdoor deals, Sebastian seized control of Luthien Industries. Within weeks, Ellie was cast out of her family mansion, left with nothing but the clothes on her back.
She wandered the city streets, clutching a locket with a picture of her parents inside. But the girl who had once dreamed of running an empire now knew only hunger, pain, and betrayal.
---
**End of Chapter 1**
Two broken children, abandoned by those they trusted the most, set adrift in a cruel, unforgiving world. Yet, destiny had other plans for Alex Veyron and Ellie Luthien—their lives would intertwine in ways neither could imagine, forging an unbreakable bond that would one day bring the world to its knees.