Santiago pushed open the door of the café, the bell above jingling softly. The place was half-empty — a few patrons sipping coffee while working on laptops. He scanned the room with his eyes before spotting the man he was looking for.

In the far corner booth sat a figure dressed entirely in black: black dress shirt, black cap pulled low, and dark glasses that hid his eyes. He looked unassuming, almost like a regular trying to avoid attention.

Santiago walked straight over and slid into the seat opposite him without greeting. The tension between them was immediate and thick.

"You have some fucking nerve showing your face after what you told me," Santiago hissed, keeping his voice low but venomous.

"Yesterday? The breach happened yesterday and you waited until I screamed at you to admit it? Do you have any idea what kind of danger you’ve put me in?"

The man in black lowered his head slightly, fingers tightening around his untouched cup of black coffee. "Young Master... I’m truly sorry. I take full responsibility. When I first noticed the anomaly, I thought it was a minor probe. I didn’t realize how deep it went until I ran the full diagnostic. By then you had already called me in panic."

Santiago leaned forward, eyes blazing. "Panic? Silas Vane called me by my real name to my face! He knows. He knows who I am. And you’re sitting here telling me it was a ’minor probe’? How the hell did this happen? I trusted you with my protection. My father trusted you!"

The man swallowed hard, voice shaking. "I know. I failed you. The breach came through a secondary encrypted server we use for overseas communications. It was sophisticated — military-grade stealth. They didn’t take everything, but they accessed enough to link your alias to the Rocco family bloodline. I’m close to tracing the source. I swear to you, I’m very close."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a thick manila folder, sliding it across the table. "Here. Everything we have so far. The breach details, the partial logs, and the latest report on your main objective."

Santiago snatched the folder and opened it, flipping through the pages while still glaring at the man. "Talk. Tell me exactly what I’m looking at. Don’t make me read through your excuses."

The man leaned in, speaking quietly. "The breach occurred approximately 26 hours ago. Whoever did it was careful — they covered their tracks well, but I found a ghost signature in the metadata. It might be connected to Vane International’s private intelligence unit."

Santiago’s jaw clenched as he continued scanning the documents. "And my main objective? The reason I came to this cursed city? The person I’ve been searching for, what progress have you actually made?"

The man nodded eagerly. "The second section of the file has everything, Young Master. We’ve narrowed down the groups actively searching for him. One of them has direct ties to the underworld figure known only as ’The Emperor.’ Their movements match the timeline of his disappearance perfectly."

Santiago turned to the second section. As his eyes moved across the lines, his entire expression changed. A bright, dangerous smile spread across his face — wide, almost feral, showing all his teeth. His eyes lit up with genuine excitement and hope for the first time in days.

"This..." he murmured, tapping the page. "This is what I needed. The connection is clearer than I hoped. There are real leads on where he might be. You’ve done well here."

The man in black exhaled in visible relief. "Thank you, Young Master. Does this mean... my previous sins are forgiven?"

Santiago closed the folder slowly, still smiling. "Continue digging, dig deeper than you’ve ever dug before. Find out exactly who ordered that breach and who else is searching for him. If you deliver both names and solid leads within the next forty-eight hours, your previous failure will be forgiven. But if you slip again..."

He let the threat hang in the air.

The man bowed his head deeply. "I won’t fail you again, Young Master. I swear on my life. I will bring you the information you need to find him. I know how much he means to you."

Santiago stood up, tucking the folder securely under his arm. "See that you do and stay invisible. Silas is already on alert, I won’t tolerate another mistake."

Without another word, he turned and walked out of the café, the bell jingling behind him. He climbed into his waiting black car and drove off, mind racing with the new information about his lost connection he was searching for.

He never noticed the figure in the grey hoodie sitting two tables away — the one who had been observing their entire meeting.

Minutes ticked by.

Finally, the man in black — Santiago’s contact — emerged from the restroom area, adjusted his cap, and walked out of the café. He glanced around once, then headed toward a silver sedan parked further down the street.

The grey hoodie figure stood up slowly, dropped a few bills on the table, and slipped out the door. He moved carefully, keeping his distance as he approached his own dark vehicle parked across the road.

As the black-clothed man started his engine and pulled away, the grey hoodie did the same. He merged into traffic three cars behind, maintaining a careful tail.

Inside his car, the grey hoodie pulled out a burner phone and dialed a number. The line connected after two rings.

"It’s me," he said in a low, gravelly voice. "The meeting just ended. Santiago left first. I’m now following the contact, he’s heading east on Meridian."

A female voice replied on the other end. "Good. Do not lose him. What did they discuss? Could you hear anything useful?"

The grey hoodie kept his eyes fixed on the silver sedan ahead. "They argued at first. Santiago was furious about a security breach, then Santiago got excited when he read the second file. Something about his main objective... his friend, I think. He smiled like he won the lottery."

The female on the phone let out a satisfied chuckle. " Keep following the contact and see where he goes. If he leads us to any safe house or meeting point, report immediately." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Understood," the grey hoodie replied. "What about Santiago himself? Should I switch targets?"

"No. Stay on the contact for now. Santiago is too well-protected, and we already have eyes on him from another team. This man in black seems like the weaker link. Squeeze him if you get the chance."

The grey hoodie nodded to himself, changing lanes smoothly to keep the silver car in sight. "It’s looks like he’s heading toward the industrial district. I’ll stay back — he hasn’t spotted me."

"If he makes any calls or stops, I want to know every detail. This could be the break we’ve been waiting for."

The line went silent for a moment before the deep voice added, "And remember — if Santiago really is the Rocco heir like the boss suspects, this whole game just got much bigger. Don’t fuck it up."

"I won’t," the grey hoodie said firmly. "I’m on him."

He ended the call and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. His hands tightened on the steering wheel as he followed the silver sedan through the flowing traffic.

Up ahead, the man in black remained oblivious, driving steadily toward whatever destination awaited him.