Meanwhile, back at the apartment, Daisy stepped out of her bedroom into the quiet hallway. She spotted her mother sitting in the living room, quietly reading a book.
As Daisy approached, Selena noticed her daughter and turned her head with a gentle smile. "Yes, my dear? Do you need something?"
Daisy shook her head. "Mom, I'm heading out for a little bit."
Selena offered a wide, bright smile, giving her a quick thumbs-up. "Go right ahead! The weather outside is absolutely lovely today."
Daisy gave a small nod, looking at her mother's radiant smile. What on earth could it have been... that made my strong mother cry like that?
Turning away, Daisy walked out the front door. The moment the door clicked shut behind her, her warm smile vanished completely.
I need to see it for myself, Daisy thought, her eyes narrowing with determination.
She took the elevator down to the lobby and stepped out into the afternoon air, making a direct line for the city cemetery.
Before long, Daisy arrived at the quiet gates of the graveyard.
She spotted a few visitors paying their respects to distant graves in the distance, but her destination lay at the quiet, far-left edge of the cemetery grounds. Without a second thought, Daisy walked straight toward the exact spot where she had seen her mother standing earlier.
Mother... what kind of secret are you keeping buried here?
Reaching the secluded corner, Daisy stopped in her tracks, standing precisely where her mother had stood.
In front of her rested two stone headstones. Daisy's eyes widened in sheer disbelief as her gaze fell upon the carved names...
Elsewhere, Ethan continued walking down the sidewalk, his mind racing through endless possibilities.
Why did the Head of Loop personally approach me? What does he actually want to talk about? Is this a setup?
Pulling out his phone, Ethan searched for the location John Levi had given him—The Lake View Restaurant.
The results immediately pulled up a luxurious, five-star establishment renowned for its exquisite dining and elite clientele.
It's a very high-profile, public venue. He won't make a scene or attempt an ambush there, Ethan deduced. He had a perfect opportunity to attack me on the street with his armed men earlier, yet he chose not to. What is his actual angle here?
"If he wanted me dead, he would have made his move already," Ethan muttered under his breath, slipping his phone back into his pocket.
Realizing he had a few hours to kill before the evening meeting, Ethan suddenly remembered the small piece of folded paper Jake had handed him earlier.
Reaching into his jacket, Ethan unfolded the paper, examining the handwritten text for a few seconds.
It's an address, Ethan realized.
Deciding to investigate, Ethan turned and walked toward the main boulevard to hail a passing taxi. Raising his hand, a cab pulled up to the curb. Ethan slid into the back seat and handed the driver the address written on the paper.
The driver glanced at the paper, raising an eyebrow as he recognized the destination. "Kiddo... this address leads to a residential district for mostly middle and low-income families."
"I'm a bit new around here, so I'd appreciate it if you could take me straight there," Ethan said smoothly. "Don't worry about the pay."
The driver nodded, shifting the car into gear. "Alright, young man. You got it."
The taxi merged into the flow of traffic, speeding down the avenue.
After a few minutes of driving, the chatty driver glanced in his rearview mirror. "So, young man... visiting relatives over there?"
Ethan offered a subtle, polite smile, offering a harmless white lie. "Something like that, yeah."
The driver chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, that's genuinely surprising."
"Why do you say that?" Ethan asked.
"Usually, wealthy-looking folks avoid heading into that neck of the woods," the driver explained. "I've been driving this cab for nearly thirty years, and in all that time, you're only the second well-off guy who's ever asked me to take them to that specific address."
Ethan's eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror. "Sir... you said someone else visited this place before me?"
The driver nodded. "Yeah! He was a well-dressed, grown adult. That was my very first time driving into that neighborhood. Coincidentally, he was also going to the exact same address you just gave me."
Ethan's posture instantly straightened, his focus sharpening. "Can you tell me what he looked like?"
"Well, he was a fully grown adult man—that's about all I can recall," the driver replied, scratching his chin. "Seemed like a good guy, though. Even paid me double the fare."
"Did he mention why he was going there?" Ethan pressed quietly.
The driver thought back for a moment before snapping his fingers. "Ah, right! He mentioned something about visiting a kid."
"A kid?" Ethan repeated.
"Yeah, said the kid took a real liking to him, so he'd drop by to visit every now and then," the driver said, nodding to himself.
Ethan fell silent, absorbing every word as the city scenery shifted into quieter, modest residential streets.
Before long, the taxi pulled up along a narrow avenue lined with simple, middle-class homes. The cab slowed down, coming to a stop in front of a modest two-story house.
"Here we are, young man. This is the place," the driver announced.
Ethan paid the fare, adding a generous tip, and stepped out onto the sidewalk. The taxi sped off, leaving him standing in the quiet neighborhood.
Ethan stared up at the modest house in silence. So... a wealthy man used to come all the way here just to visit a kid?
His gaze shifted slowly toward the small wooden signboard posted near the front gate.
As his eyes read the name engraved on the board, Ethan's eyes widened in complete shock—