December 25, 2025 – Chicago Time: 8:15 PM
The silence in the office was louder than the storm outside. Michael looked at the silver handcuffs on his desk. The cold gleam of the metal reminded him of that night 15 years ago, of what his father had silenced using his police badge.
Natalia didn't take her hand off the gun at her waist. "I'm waiting for an answer, Michael. Why did Leo Cross call you before he died? And why were you lurking like a shadow on Dawson Bridge?"
Michael leaned back. There was no fear or panic on his face. Just deep fatigue... or so he wanted it to appear. As a psychologist, he knew that the best lie was one laced with a grain of truth.
"Leo Cross was my patient, Natalia," Michael said, his voice smooth and convincing. "But you won't find him in the official records. I was treating him pro bono. He reached out to me as part of a rehabilitation project for troubled youth in the city."
Natalia frowned. "Why keep it secret?"
"Because Leo was afraid. He said someone was watching him, that old issues were being dug up. I went to Dawson Bridge because Leo had been summoned there. I was trying to help him, but I didn't make it in time."
Michael stood up and walked to the window. "Did you see that key in Leo's pocket? That key was the key to a case my father closed 15 years ago. Luca D'Angelo's return to Chicago is no coincidence, Natalia. Someone wants to set the city on fire, and I'm not the one lighting the match."
Time: 10:00 p.m.
Luca D'Angelo's Headquarters – Little Italy
Luca sat in his leather chair, examining an old photograph in his hand. In the photo, his brother Vince was 19 years old; full of life and cocky. Standing next to him was a policeman with his face blacked out: Richard Hale.
The door opened and a woman who worked as a nurse at Michael's hospital entered. She was trembling. "I brought the information, Mr. D'Angelo."
Luca placed the photo on the table without looking at the woman. "Michael Hale's every move, every patient, every weakness... I want it all. His father may have saved the bastard who killed my brother. But now his father is dead."
Luca stood up, walked towards the woman and whispered, showing the terrible scar on his face: "I won't kill him right away. First, I'll take everything he has. Just like he took our family's honor."
Time: 11:30 p.m.
Chicago River Walk – Secret Meeting
Michael had convinced Natalia in his office and managed to get her to be a "witness" for now. But the real battle continued in the dark. As the rain intensified, a black minivan stopped under the bridge.
Michael opened the minivan door and stepped inside. A man with his face in shadow was sitting there. Journalist Ivy.
Ivy held out her tablet to Michael. "I used three informants to find this, Hale. A secret bank account belonging to your father. And every month, a payment was made from this account to one name: Asher Burke."
Michael scrolled through the screen. The payments had started exactly 15 years ago, the day after Vince died. "Was my father paying him to keep quiet?"
"No," Ivy said, her voice trembling. "Not to keep quiet.To watch.Asher Burke isn't a blackmailer, Michael. He's an organizer. The man who writes every dirty job in the city like a script. And your father agreed to be part of that script in exchange for your freedom."
Just then, there was a loud knock on the minibus window. Michael and Ivy jumped. Outside, a hooded child stood holding an envelope. The child placed the envelope on the window and disappeared into the darkness.
Michael opened the envelope. Inside was just one movie ticket. Date: Tomorrow. Movie:"Shadows of the Past"Seat:15-B.
There was a note on the back of the envelope:"Luca wants to kill you, Michael. I want to transform you. The choice is yours. Either you will die as a victim, or you will rule this city with me. – A."