The old man shook his head.
"Someone a few years older than me," Madison pressed. "He played with me when I was little."
Her grandfather paused, thinking for a moment, before eventually sighing. "I'm sorry, Madison. I don't remember anyone like that."
Madison nodded, turning her attention back to her breakfast, though her mind was elsewhere. She picked at her food, the same questions looping in her head: Who was that boy? Why doesn't Grandpa remember him? Was my mind just playing tricks on me?
"Is there anyone else I can ask?" she murmured to herself. "Someone who could tell me about my mother?"
The old man caught her words. As Madison stood up to head upstairs, he called out to her.
"Madison."
She stopped and turned back. "Yes, Grandpa?"
"There is someone," he said slowly. "Someone who knows more about your mother than you do."
Madison's heart skipped. Someone who knows her better than me? "My father?"
He shook his head. "No. It's someone you already know—at least a little."
"Who?"
"Ethan," the old man replied.
Madison stared at him in disbelief. "Ethan? Daisy's brother?"
Her grandfather nodded. Madison knew Ethan held some pieces of the puzzle, but the idea that he knew her mother better than she did felt impossible. "How? How could he know her like that?"
"He'll tell you himself," the old man said firmly. "And if he hesitates, tell him that I sent you."
Madison didn't wait. She turned and hurried toward the gate. "Driver, take me to Daisy's house!" she called out, sliding into the backseat before the door was even fully open.
As the car pulled away from the mansion, Madison leaned against the window. Her thoughts were a blur of two faces: her mother's, and that mysterious boy from her past.
Elsewhere
In a dimly lit room, several screens flickered with footage of the fight from the forest trip. A man stood by the console, a small control device in his hand.
"Focus on that one," a voice commanded from the shadows. A finger pointed to the screen where Ethan was fighting.
The technician tapped the device, and the image of Ethan surged forward, filling the main screen. "This one, sir?"
The man in the chair didn't blink. His cold, grey eyes remained fixed on Ethan's movements. The technician glanced back at his employer, and his eyes widened as he realized the gravity of the situation.
"Should we... intervene?" the technician asked.
The grey-eyed man remained calm, almost serene. "He will be there."
"He will? But how?"
The man stood up, his presence filling the room. "Just treat him well," he said, picking up his phone.
"Understood, Mr. Jake."
Jake walked out of the room and stepped into the morning air. He looked up at the pale sky, his grey eyes narrowed in deep concentration.
Meanwhile
Madison stood in front of Daisy's apartment building, her heart hammering against her ribs. Every word Ethan had ever said about her mother echoed in her mind. She hurried into the lobby and hit the button for the elevator.
When the doors slid open, Madison rushed out so quickly she collided with a woman waiting in the hall.
"Oh! I'm so sorry," Madison gasped.
"Madison?"
Madison looked up, blinking. "Auntie Selena?"
Ethan's mother smiled and pulled her into a warm hug. "Madison! If I'd known you were coming, I would have prepared something. And where is that young man who usually protects you—Allen?"
Madison shook her head, slightly breathless. "I... I came in a hurry. Allen is busy with something else." She realized then that she hadn't even thought to call him.
"Well, come in! Daisy is just finishing breakfast," Selena said.
"Thanks, Auntie, but I'm actually here to see Ethan. If you're on your way out, don't let me stop you—I can find him myself."
Selena looked surprised. "Ethan is out at the moment, but you're welcome to wait inside with Daisy."
Madison nodded and followed her in.
"Madison!" Daisy cried out, her face lighting up.
"Hi, Daisy. Good morning," Madison said, trying to mask her impatience.
Selena smiled, checked her watch, and headed out, closing the door behind her. As soon as she reached the hallway, she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to her son:
Come home. You have a visitor. It's Madison—she needs to talk to you.
Across town, Ethan felt his phone vibrate. He checked the message and immediately turned back toward the apartment.
Is she finally coming for the truth? he wondered.
Minutes later, Ethan was standing at his front door.