Pete turned to the chair and picked up a thick manila folder. He stepped forward and handed it over.
Adrian took it with his uninjured hand and flipped it open.
Inside were several sheets of paper— filled forms, scanned certificates and identification documents, and photographs at different points of the young man's life. He scanned the first page, which contained the most recent information, typed neatly in black font.
Name: Felix Reed.
Age: 24
Current Residence: Ashvale, a small town in Oregon, several hours away from New York.
Occupation: Artist, Owner of Meow's Coffee, a cat cafe and coffee shop.
Adrian's gaze paused at the attached photo. It was the same boy from the picture, Jack had slipped into his hand before running off.
Felix had the same tousled black hair, soft features, and gentle smile. This time, he stood in front of a wooden table in a cafe, feeding a small black cat treats. Even through the image, there was a warmth that radiated from him.
"Twenty-four," Adrian murmured. "He's older than he looks."
He continued to flip through the pages, taking in every detail.
Felix had grown up in foster care after losing his parents in a tragic car accident at the age of six. With no other family, he had been placed in the foster care system and moved through multiple homes across the state before aging out. Every guardian he stayed with had good things to say about him and was sad to see him go. He got into a local college in the same state, studying fine arts on a scholarship.
Adrian's brow lifted slightly at the next line.
Upon graduation, several of Felix's art pieces had gone viral online. One of them had even been sold at a high-profile charity auction for an impressive amount. With the money, he's purchased the old brick compound that now houses his cafe in front and the house behind it.
With the rest of the money he earned, he had renovated both and also offered subsidies and scholarships for students still in the system. He now had 6 cats. Two were adopted from the local shelter, and four others he'd rescued from the street. All his neighbours adored him, and he had a good relationship with the high schoolers in the town. Many of them liked to hang out in his shop after school. He helped them with assignments and offered painting lessons too.
Simple. Hardworking. And kind.
There was nothing unusual in the file. No police record. No strange financial activity. No red flags.
There was no sign of ties to any criminal group.
Nothing that explained why Jack had asked Adrian to protect him in his stead.
Adrian shut the folder and looked up. "Is this all you found?"
Pete nodded. "Yes, sir. He seems clean. We check everything. No known associates. No connections to local gangs even. And nothing linking him to Boss Jack".
Adrian was silent for a moment, thumb brushing the edge of the folder.
"How does Jack know him?" he asked quietly.
Pete hesitated. " We don't know. There's no link in the system. No foster homes in common. No shared school records. Not even overlapping cities."
Adrian nodded thoughtfully.
"Could he be related to a fallen comrade?"
"I'll check in that direction," Pete said.
He took his phone out of his pocket, texting someone. "Should I send someone to keep an eye on him?"
"No," Adrian said sharply. "He seems really important to Jack. I'll go myself."
Pete blinked. "Boss… You?"
Adrian's gaze darkened. "My uncles don't know I survived, do they?"
Pete shook his head. "Yes. We kept the news of the rescue quiet and let one of the assailants go back to report that they successfully drove your car off a cliff. And that the odds of your survival are slim. Your uncles sent someone to kill the man after paying him. We tried to rescue him, but they had also poisoned the beer he drank with them. So the man still died."
Adrian sighed. "Keep it that way, so they'll leave their guard down. They're the ones who presented me with this chance and can't blame me. Have there been any updates on Jack?"
This time, Pete nodded. " His phone was found by the beach, but water ruined all the circuits. Now we can confirm he indeed jumped off the cliff."
"Get more men to join the search," Adrian said.
He swung his legs over the edge of the hospital bed, pain flashing through him like lightning. Pete stepped forward, alarmed.
"You've not yet recovered."
"In about a month, book me a flight to Oregon. "
Meanwhile, in Ashvale…
A quiet town far away, a young man lounged on a wooden rocking chair in a blooming garden. He wore an oversized sweater, a steaming cup in one hand, and a fat white cat sprawled across his lap. Five other cats played around him, chasing butterflies.
Felix Reed tilted his head, using his Bluetooth earpiece to speak into a call.
"Why'd you decide to open a shop in the middle of nowhere?" the voice on the other end asked.
Felix smirked. "It's not the middle of nowhere. It's a small town that's peaceful and quiet. What about the profile I told you to build for me?"
"Already done. From now on, you are a hardworking orphan who won scholarships through school and made enough money from your art to buy a house and shop. A paragon of inspiration."
"Good," Felix said, stretching lazily. "I'm a role model for the younger generation."
"Tsk tsk, I can't see it."
"What part of it is a lie. Am I or am I not an orphan? Did I not get scholarships?"
"I paid for your college."
"Exactly, I didn't pay a dime. And I also bought the house with money from my art."
"That's not where all your money comes from, though."
"Well, not everyone needs to know that," Felix said, sipping his drink. "What if they get scared? I just want to share my coffee with the world."
"Aren't you the romantic?"
Felix laughed.
"What about the people I told you to find?" he asked, his voice getting serious.
"No information."
"No information? They're dead?"
"No. Even if they had died, there would still be records, paper trails. But I can't find anything, it's like someone erased them."
"So you can't find anything. Not even at the house?"
"Nope. I've got people to go there. The house and the nearby ones have been sold and demolished long ago, now there's a mall there. I can't find who sold the house. And all the old neighbours had moved away. So I'm still trying to track them."
"Oh, I see," Felix leaned back, his gaze turning distant. "Sorry for the trouble."
"Don't feel bad. I'll find them. I'm the best in the game after all."
Felix rolled his eyes.
"When are you coming over?" Felix asked, softer now. "I made new additions to the menu. Oh, and there's this pastry shop nearby. Their cakes are delicious."
"No thanks. I'm scared you might poison me."
"It was one time."
"And I spent the rest of the night in the bathroom."
"Who asked you to keep expired milk around?"