The Keeper’s Burden

The rain didn't just fall; it scoured the city, turning the Chinatown block into a blurred, monochromatic smear of neon and asphalt. Inside the sedan, the silence was heavy, broken only by the rhythmic slap of wipers. On the center console, the State Bar Association’s notice sat like a terminal diagnosis. Forty-eight hours. That was the window to produce the chain of title for the Wong family’s building or face summary suspension. If he complied, he handed the developers the keys to the neighborhood. If he didn't, he was finished.

Leo stared at the darkened storefront of the shop. He reached into the glove box, pulled out his firm-issu

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