Arranging a "chance" meeting required finesse.
Adrian couldn't use a black town car. Too subtle as a concussion.
The woman was a ghost, a digital wraith.
This required the Adrian Kain persona. The affable visionary, not the cold phantom.
He spent an hour in the lair, constructing the perfect pretext.
He scoured every article she had ever published.
He found it: a long-form piece from two years prior. A dense, insightful analysis of Elaris's decaying pre-digital infrastructure.
Brilliant. Boring. Perfect.
It's the kind of academic-adjacent drivel a man who builds the future would find 'fascinating,' his inner voice assessed.
A flawless cover.
His AI assistant, Lyra, sent a message to The Veracity Index that sounded official but nice.
It was a brilliant way to trick them using business language. Important but not demanding. Complimentary.
The mention of "philanthropic initiatives" was the perfect bait.
Ben Carter had replied with suspicion and reluctance. He'd forwarded it to Selena.
[Intercepted Comm: Ben Carter to Selena Ji. Message: It's probably a trap. Pick a place you can run from easily. I suggest The Daily Grind café.]
She had agreed. Predictable.
He knew the café. A stubborn little pocket of the analog world. A perfect reflection of her.
Now, standing in the drizzle, Adrian adjusted his collar.
He prepared to step onto the stage. The Adrian Kain persona settled over him.
He composed his face into thoughtful curiosity, put a warm light in his eyes, and walked in.
The café was small and steamy. He saw her immediately.
Tucked into a corner booth, focused with laser-like intensity on her data-slate.
She was a world unto herself.
For a moment, Obsidian watched her.
[Target Acquired. Posture: High concentration and frustration.
She is still working on my file. She is a threat. Neutralize the variable.]
Then Adrian Kain took over. He smiled.
"Ms. Ji? Selena Ji?" he asked, his voice polite.
She looked up quickly, her dark eyes wide with surprise. He could see how smart she was, the way her mind was working to figure him out.
Then a mask of professional courtesy clicked into place.
"Mr. Kain," she said. "Please. It's just Selena."
"Adrian," he answered, getting into the booth.
He was a lot closer to her than he expected.
He could smell rain in her hair. "I hope this is a good time."
"Just trying to fix some code that won't work," she said, avoiding the question.
"How can I help you?" Her voice was nice, but you could tell she was being cautious.
She was expecting something bad to happen.
Novel.
"I'll be quick," he said, leaning forward. "I read what you wrote about how the old city is falling apart."
It was… brilliant. You understand the bones of this city."
For a moment, her eyes showed that she was surprised.
He'd chosen the right article. "Thank you. Most editors found it a little… dry."
"The best ones usually are," he said with a laugh.
"You reminded me that you can't have a good future if the start is bad."
She smiled a little, but it was a guarded look.
"I'm guessing you didn't track me down to this rundown place just to talk about something unimportant."
She's not buying the charm, Obsidian noted.
She assumes a trap. She is correct.
"You're right," Adrian conceded. "Kain Industries is creating a new foundation to help people.
I'm looking for people who are brave enough to look into difficult situations.
" People who speak the truth."
This was the bait.
Selena's eyes narrowed. "And you think I'm one of those people."
"I think you're the best there is," he said, his voice serious, sincere.
"I want to fund you. An endowment. No strings attached. Enough to give you the resources to chase the big stories."
He watched her face, expecting greed, excitement, temptation. Money was the universal key.
Selena Ji just looked at him. Her face showed a deep sadness, as if she was tired of being let down.
"No, thank you, Mr. Kain," she said, her voice quiet but firm as steel.
The word felt like a physical punch to him. A data point that didn't compute.
[ERROR: UNEXPECTED RESPONSE. Recalibrating social strategy...]
He had offered her a kingdom. She had just said no.
"I… I don't think you understand," he said, genuinely thrown off balance.
"Oh, I understand perfectly," she said, a sharp, cynical fire in her eyes.
"There's no such thing as 'no strings attached' when a man like you is involved.
You don't give gifts; you make investments. And you'd expect a return."
She leaned forward. "That's how you tame a watchdog. You put a golden collar on it."
She leaned back, a faint, bitter smile on her lips. "We're not for sale.
My integrity is the only real currency I have. I can't afford to spend it."
Adrian was speechless. She had integrity. Real, unbending, infuriating integrity.
It made her magnificent. And infinitely more dangerous.
He recovered, the Adrian Kain smile feeling strained.
"You're a remarkable woman, Selena," he said, his voice full of a newfound, genuine respect.
He stood. "Thank you for the coffee. And for the… lesson."
She just nodded, her eyes already drifting back to her data-slate. He was dismissed.
As he walked out, a deep feeling of confusion came over him. His plan was ruined.
She was an immovable object, guided by principles his system couldn't model.
For the first time in a very long time, Adrian Kain didn't know what his next move was.
Inside, Selena watched him go. The encounter was bizarre. A probe. A test. But for what?
She pushed the thought from her mind. She had more important things to worry about. This damn encryption.
She was about to pack up when a small chime emanated from her data-slate.
The decryption program flashed a green notification.
[ONE ERROR CAUSED MANY OTHERS. WE WERE ABLE TO READ SOME OF THE SECRET MESSAGE.]
Her breath caught. It had worked. A window had opened.
A single line of decrypted text appeared. A fragment of a sentence from internal project notes.
"...final approval for transfer of assets to Project Phoenix must come directly from…"
The text was followed by a single name.
A name that made the air leave her lungs, that made the world fall away into a silent, roaring void.
A name that did not belong there.
A name from a ghost.
Daniel Ji.
Her father's name.