Ronald and his parents (Duke’s submarine)

While Ronald's parents were congratulating him, the Duke closed his eyes for a few seconds, in a sort of trance. He opened them and rose from his seat, addressing Ronald's father.

"From now on, you'll be the CEO of the corporation. I've already signed all the necessary papers so my order will be effective immediately." Ronald's father jumped from his seat to thank the Duke.

"Does that mean we're not going back to Venezuela? What'll happen with my friends?" Ronald asked his mother, shocked by the news.

"You'll make new friends in London, honey, and you'll have the best education, which is the most important thing," replied his mom.

A beeping sound interrupted the conversations going. It came from the Duke's waist, who took a little device perched in his belt and read the message it showed.

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave you now," said the Duke with an evil smile. He sat down in his chair, which pulled him back to the dark tunnel. The fireplace slid back to its place. Ronald and his parents remained sitting, stunned by the news and events of the dinner.

"Well," the Duke's assistant looked at them, his admiring gaze focusing on Ronald, "would you like me to show you around the submarine?"

Ronald and his family stood up and followed the man through a long hallway. The harsh sound of the submarine's machines reverberated through the narrow hallways; an interesting background sound to the pale, almost cadaveric, faces of the submarine's workers, who were tracking the visitors with sad eyes.

They reached the control room, and the submarine's captain received them with a cold stare. His attention abruptly snapped to one of the screens, where Ronald managed to glimpse a powerful storm and a ship sailing next to them. The captain barked orders in something that sounded like Russian and grasped Ronald by the shoulders.

"Don't worry," he said in broken English, "We know how important you are to the Duke. Nothing will happen to you."

"Let's get going!" the Duke's assistant cut in,

"I need to get you to your chambers."

Blinking red lights and the sound of a siren blaring took them by surprise as they were leaving the room. The Duke's assistant grabbed a phone hanging from the hallway's wall and stood still listening.

"It's OK," he reassured them with a nervous smile,

"It's just a normal submersion."