The Language of Luxury

The hunt begin

UNKNOWN COMPUTER WORKSHOP

The workshop was hidden behind an old electronics repair shop, its faded sign giving no hint of what really happened inside.

Lawrence stepped through the metal door as it clicked shut behind him.

Rows of computers filled the room. Multiple monitors glowed in the dim light, displaying lines of code, video frames, and encrypted files.

A young man in his late twenties looked up from one of the screens.

"You came alone?"

Lawrence nodded.

"You said it was urgent."

The young man sighed before motioning him closer.

"It is."

Lawrence stopped beside the desk.

"What have you found?"

The hacker turned one of the monitors toward him.

On the screen was the blurred frame of the video that had ruined Anabelle's reputation.

"I've been tracing where this video first appeared."

"And?"

"It wasn't uploaded from an ordinary device."

Lawrence frowned.

"What does that mean?"

The hacker typed a few commands.

"The first upload was routed through several proxy servers in different countries. Whoever did this knew exactly how to hide their tracks."

"So you found nothing?"

"I didn't say that."

Another window appeared.

"I couldn't trace the uploader..."

"...but I found something stranger."

Lawrence leaned closer.

"What?"

"This video has been maintained."

"What do you mean?"

The hacker pointed at the screen.

"Most viral videos spread naturally. This one didn't. Every time someone tried to report it or remove it, another copy appeared from somewhere else."

Lawrence's expression darkened.

"So someone wanted it to stay online."

"Exactly."

The hacker clicked another folder.

"I also found signs that someone has been deleting records connected to the original upload."

Lawrence folded his arms.

"So there are two people."

"Maybe."

"One spreading the video..."

"...and another cleaning up after it."

The hacker nodded.

"Or maybe it's the same person."

Lawrence remained silent.

His instincts told him otherwise.

The hacker suddenly smiled.

"I think I finally found the trail."

His fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard.

A loading bar crawled across the screen.

Recovering deleted files...

Thirty percent.

Fifty percent.

Seventy percent.

Then...

A folder appeared.

The hacker's smile widened.

"We've got something."

Lawrence stepped forward.

"What is it?"

"I don't know yet."

He clicked the folder.

It requested a password.

The hacker frowned.

"That's strange."

"You can't open it?"

"I can..."

"...if whoever encrypted it wasn't smarter than me."

He cracked his knuckles and started typing again.

The room fell silent except for the sound of keys tapping.

Outside...

A vehicle stopped.

Neither of them noticed.

The hacker's computer suddenly flashed.

UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED.

His smile disappeared instantly.

Lawrence noticed the change.

"What happened?"

The hacker's fingers froze above the keyboard.

"We're not alone."

Another warning appeared.

REMOTE CONNECTION ESTABLISHED.

"They found my system."

"Can you stop them?"

"I'm trying."

He immediately disconnected the internet.

The warning disappeared.

He exhaled.

"I cut them off."

Before Lawrence could speak—

The lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then the entire workshop went dark.

Only the emergency lights remained, bathing the room in a dull red glow.

Lawrence slowly turned toward the door.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

Then came the sound.

Heavy footsteps.

More than one person.

The hacker's breathing quickened.

"They're here."

A violent bang shook the metal door.

Another.

The hinges bent.

Lawrence grabbed a steel rod leaning against the wall.

"Stay behind me."

The third impact ripped the door open.

Three masked men stormed inside.

One headed straight for the computers.

Another charged Lawrence.

The third grabbed the hacker.

Lawrence swung the steel rod, striking the first attacker across the shoulder.

The man stumbled back.

Another punched Lawrence hard in the ribs.

Pain shot through his body, but he refused to fall.

The hacker struggled desperately.

"Leave me!"

One attacker slammed him against the desk.

Monitors crashed onto the floor.

Glass shattered.

The room erupted into chaos.

Two of the men began ripping hard drives from the computers.

They weren't stealing money.

They were searching.

"Find it!"

One of them barked.

"Search everything!"

Drawers were emptied.

Files thrown across the room.

Every storage device was checked.

The hacker's eyes darted toward the computer.

Without anyone noticing, he quietly removed a tiny memory card from its slot.

He closed his fist around it.

One attacker saw the movement.

"You!"

He rushed toward him.

The hacker reacted instantly.

As he stumbled backward, he slipped the memory card beneath a loose floorboard beside the desk.

It disappeared from sight.

The attacker reached him a second later.

A heavy blow sent the hacker crashing to the ground.

Lawrence fought to reach him, but another masked man blocked his path.

Furniture overturned.

The workshop echoed with grunts, breaking glass, and the crash of shattered equipment.

After several frantic minutes, one attacker shouted,

"It's not here!"

Another looked around the destroyed workshop.

"We're wasting time."

The leader glanced at the unconscious hacker.

Then at Lawrence.

"Move!"

The three men retreated as quickly as they had arrived, disappearing into the night.

Silence returned.

Only the sound of sparking electronics filled the room.

Lawrence staggered toward the hacker.

Blood stained the young man's shirt.

He was struggling to breathe.

"Stay with me," Lawrence said, kneeling beside him.

The hacker managed a weak smile.

"They..."

He coughed.

"...didn't..."

Lawrence leaned closer.

"What?"

The hacker's eyes shifted toward the broken desk.

"...find it..."

His hand fell limp.

Lawrence remained frozen.

Outside...

The distant wail of police sirens grew louder.

His eyes followed the hacker's final glance.

The broken desk.

Something told him the answer was still there...UNKNOWN COMPUTER WORKSHOP

Lawrence looked at the hacker's lifeless body for one last second.

"I'm sorry."

The sirens outside grew louder.

He forced himself to stand.

His eyes followed the direction the hacker had looked moments before his death.

The broken desk.

Lawrence slowly walked over.

Nothing.

Only shattered glass, broken keyboards and scattered cables.

He crouched.

"There has to be something..."

Running his hand beneath the desk, his fingers brushed against a loose wooden panel.

He pulled it aside.

A tiny memory card rested beneath it.

Lawrence stared at it.

"So this is what you protected."

He slipped the card into his pocket just as flashing blue and red lights reflected through the broken windows.

The police had arrived.

Lawrence looked once at the dead hacker.

"I'll make sure your death wasn't for nothing."

Instead of heading for the front entrance, he disappeared through the back door.

---

THIAGO'S MANSION

The mansion had grown unusually quiet after the engagement party.

Most of the guests had already left.

Servants quietly cleared away glasses and decorations while the security team resumed their normal patrols.

Anabelle stood on the balcony outside her room.

Her phone was pressed against her ear.

No answer.

She tried again.

Still nothing.

She lowered the phone slowly.

"Dad..."

A voice interrupted her thoughts.

"You've been standing there for almost twenty minutes."

She turned.

Thiago stood at the balcony entrance, his jacket removed, the sleeves of his shirt rolled neatly to his forearms.

"I've been calling my father."

He nodded once.

"He'll call back."

"You don't know my father."

Her voice carried more frustration than anger.

"He never ignores my calls."

Thiago remained silent.

Anabelle looked at him.

"Something doesn't feel right."

"He can take care of himself."

"That's not the point."

She sighed.

"You don't understand."

Thiago didn't argue.

Instead, he walked toward the railing, stopping beside her.

The silence between them stretched.

Finally, Anabelle spoke again.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You already are."

She couldn't help rolling her eyes.

"You know what I mean."

He looked at her.

"What is it?"

She searched his face.

The same cold expression.

The same unreadable eyes.

"Why me?"

He said nothing.

"You could have chosen anyone."

She took a step closer.

"There are women richer than me."

"More beautiful than me."

"They actually love you."

"So..."

Her voice softened.

"...why did you choose me?"

Thiago's gaze didn't leave hers.

"Because it had to be you."

She frowned.

"That's not an answer."

"It is."

"No."

She shook her head.

"That's avoiding the question."

He didn't deny it.

Anabelle laughed quietly.

"I've asked you this before."

"And every time you avoid it."

"Is it because of the scandal?"

"No."

"Then because you pity me?"

"No."

"Then why?"

Thiago looked away toward the dark garden.

"One day..."

"...you'll understand."

Before Anabelle could press further—

His phone vibrated.

He glanced at the screen.

One of his security men.

He answered immediately.

"Speak."

The voice on the other end was hurried.

"Sir... Lawrence Alex was attacked."

Thiago's expression changed instantly.

"The hacker?"

"Dead."

"And Lawrence?"

"He escaped before we arrived."

Thiago's jaw tightened.

"Did you find him?"

"No, sir."

A brief silence.

Then Thiago asked the question that mattered most.

"The evidence?"

"We searched, but we couldn't find it."

Thiago's eyes narrowed.

"Keep looking."

"Yes, sir."

The call ended.

Anabelle had been watching him the entire time.

"What happened?"

Thiago slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"Business."

She stepped in front of him.

"No."

"I know that look."

"What happened?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about."

"My father..."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"...is he alright?"

For the first time, Thiago hesitated.

He didn't want to lie.

But he couldn't tell her the truth.

"He'll be fine."

"That's not what I asked."

She stared into his eyes, searching for an answer.

Instead...

He walked past her.

"Get some rest."

Anabelle watched him disappear down the hallway.

A strange fear settled in her chest.

Her father wasn't answering.

Thiago had just received a call.

And somehow...

She felt the two were connected.

---

(Next scene: Sharon's penthouse.)SHARON'S PENTHOUSE

The penthouse was silent.

Sharon stood by the window, the city lights reflecting in the glass.

A knock came.

"Come in."

Two men entered, their clothes carrying dust from the destroyed workshop.

Neither dared to meet her eyes.

"Report."

"We found the place, ma'am."

"And?"

"The computers have been destroyed."

Sharon's expression remained unchanged.

"The video."

A long silence followed.

One of the men lowered his head.

"We couldn't find the original copy."

Her eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean you couldn't find it?"

"We searched every computer, every hard drive, every flash drive..."

"There was nothing."

"The technician was trying to recover the original file before we got there."

"And?"

"He died."

Sharon remained quiet.

"What about the recovered file?"

"We couldn't find it."

"Are you telling me..."

"...you searched that entire place and came back empty-handed?"

"We believe someone may have taken it during the confusion."

Sharon slowly set her glass on the table.

"A man escaped through the back before we finished searching."

She looked at them sharply.

"You let him go?"

"We didn't know he had anything, ma'am."

Silence.

Then Sharon spoke, her voice calm enough to frighten them.

"Listen carefully."

"I don't care who that man is."

"I don't care why he was there."

"If he walked out with that video..."

"...I want it."

The two men nodded immediately.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Find him."

"And when you do..."

"...bring me the original copy."

She turned back toward the window.

"I don't want another copy appearing."

"I want every trace of that video erased."

"The only version that should exist..."

She paused.

"...is the one in my hands."

The men quietly left.

Sharon remained alone, staring into the night.

"Anabelle..."

"When the time comes..."

"...I'll destroy you with your own past."THIAGO'S MANSION

Anabelle stood by the balcony, her phone still in her hand.

She had called her father six times.

No answer.

Thiago walked into the living room just as she lowered the phone.

"You've been calling him."

She turned sharply.

"He never ignores my calls."

"He may be busy."

"My dad?" She shook her head. "No. If he can't answer, he'll send a message. He always does."

Thiago said nothing.

Anabelle looked at him.

"Something is wrong."

"He knows how to take care of himself."

"You don't know him."

Silence settled between them.

Finally, she sighed.

"Ever since you came into my life..."

"...everything has fallen apart."

Thiago's expression remained unreadable.

"I lost my job."

"My name was dragged through the mud."

"I was kidnapped."

"My father is now missing."

She looked directly into his eyes.

"So tell me..."

"...why me?"

Thiago held her gaze.

"You could have chosen anyone."

"There are women who actually want to marry you."

"There are women your family would gladly accept."

"So why me?"

He looked away briefly before answering.

"Because it had to be you."

She laughed bitterly.

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I can give."

"No."

She stepped closer.

"You're hiding something."

"Maybe."

"Does it have something to do with the video?"

His silence was enough to make her suspicious.

"I knew it."

"There is something you're not telling me."

Before she could say another word...

His phone vibrated.

He looked at the screen.

One of his security men.

"I need to take this."

He walked away, leaving Anabelle standing alone.

Only then does he answer the call, learns about the attack, and heads to his studyTHIAGO'S STUDY

The study door closed behind him with a soft click.

For a moment, Thiago stood still.

The room was silent except for the ticking of the antique clock mounted on the wall.

He glanced toward the investigation board.

Anabelle's photograph.

A printed frame from the leaked video.

A map connected with thin red lines and handwritten notes.

Nothing had changed.

Yet everything had.

His phone vibrated again.

He answered immediately.

"Report."

"Sir, we were too late."

Thiago's jaw tightened.

"Lawrence Alex was attacked at the workshop."

"The technician?"

"Dead, sir."

A brief silence followed.

"And Lawrence?"

"He escaped."

Relief flashed across Thiago's face, but it disappeared just as quickly.

"Did our men reach him?"

"No, sir."

"They arrived minutes after the attackers left."

Thiago walked to his desk.

"What were they after?"

"They ignored the cash."

"They ignored the expensive equipment."

"They searched every computer, every storage device... almost like they knew exactly what they were looking for."

"The video."

"That's our conclusion, sir."

Thiago lowered his eyes.

"What about the recovered file?"

"We couldn't find a copy."

"So either the attackers took it..."

"...or Lawrence escaped with it."

Thiago didn't respond immediately.

His fingers tapped lightly against the desk.

"So..."

"...I'm not the only one looking for the original."

"Sir?"

"Nothing."

He slowly looked back at Anabelle's photograph pinned to the board.

Everything had been under control.

He knew where the pieces were.

He knew who was moving.

Now...

Someone had entered the game without him seeing it.

Someone willing to kill for the original video.

"Keep looking for Lawrence."

"But don't let him know we're protecting him."

"Yes, sir."

"And if anyone moves against him again..."

"I want to know before they do."

"Understood."

The call ended.

Thiago remained standing in front of the board.

His eyes drifted from Anabelle's picture...

...to the frozen frame of the leaked video.

He spoke quietly, almost to himself.

"So..."

"Who are you?"

"And why is that video worth killing for?"

A knock came at the door.

"Sir," a maid called softly.

"Mr. Fredrick and Mrs. Diana are about to leave."

Thiago took one last look at the board.

His expression returned to its usual calm.

"I'll be there."

He switched off the study light and walked out, leaving the board hidden in darkness.MANSION DRIVEWAY

Thiago stepped out of the mansion just as Fredrick was about to open the car door.

"You were leaving without saying goodbye?" Thiago asked.

Fredrick smiled.

"We were waiting for you."

Thiago walked over.

"Thank you for coming."

Fredrick patted him on the shoulder.

"You're my son. Where else would I be?"

Thiago gave a faint nod before turning to Diana.

She had been unusually quiet.

"Mom?"

Diana looked at him but seemed distracted.

"Is something wrong?" Thiago asked.

She forced a small smile.

"No... I'm just tired."

Fredrick glanced at her.

"You've been saying that since we left the hall."

Diana didn't answer immediately.

Instead, her eyes wandered toward one of the upstairs windows.

The curtains moved slightly.

For a brief moment, she thought she saw Anabelle standing there.

A strange feeling settled in her chest.

"Thiago."

"Yes, Mom?"

She hesitated.

"The girl..."

"Anabelle."

Thiago's expression remained calm.

"What about her?"

Diana searched for the right words.

"I don't know why..."

"...but she feels familiar."

Fredrick chuckled softly.

"You've met her before."

"No."

Diana shook her head.

"Not like that."

"It feels..."

She frowned.

"...as though I've forgotten something important."

Silence fell between them.

Thiago studied his mother carefully.

"What are you thinking?"

Diana smiled faintly and shook her head.

"It's probably nothing."

Fredrick opened the car door.

"We should get going."

Before getting in, Diana looked at Thiago.

"Take care of her."

Thiago nodded once.

"I will."

The car slowly pulled away from the mansion.

Thiago remained standing where he was, watching until the taillights disappeared into the distance.

Only then did he turn and walk back inside.