Chapter 43: You are connected

The place Kai had been invited to was a small library café, almost twenty minutes away from Blue Mountain.

Adam had insisted that Kai come to wherever he was visiting for his convenience, but Kai had assured him that there was no need. They could settle the meeting wherever Adam preferred.

Initially, Kai had assumed Jean and Elara would be accompanying him, which was why he had not invited Adam over.

"Here. Thank you."

He paid the driver and stepped out of the car.

The building itself had an unusual design. Its entrance was shaped like an enormous open book, with the two pages forming a pair of sliding doors that parted to allow customers inside. Thankfully, Kai noticed a few people walking through them. Otherwise, he might have stood there wondering how the entrance was supposed to work.

Just before getting out of the car, he received a message from Adam informing him that he had already arrived.

Kai did not keep him waiting for long. He adjusted his clothes and walked inside.

The rich scent of freshly roasted coffee greeted him the moment he entered. The café was filled with people quietly absorbed in their books, with cups of coffee and small plates of snacks resting beside them. There was barely any conversation, only the occasional rustle of a turning page and the faint clink of porcelain.

The entire place possessed a quiet serenity that made it feel less like a café and more like a haven designed specifically for book lovers and introverts.

Kai soon spotted Adam sitting toward the side of the room. The man was dressed in a crisp dark blue suit, his attention fixed on whatever he was reading on his phone.

Kai approached, immediately drawing Adam’s attention.

Adam lowered his phone and rose to his feet before extending a hand.

Kai shook it.

"When you didn’t respond to my text, I thought you had changed your mind," Adam said.

Kai gave him a wry smile. "I had already arrived outside."

Adam nodded, seemingly satisfied with the explanation, then gestured toward the seat opposite him.

Once the two men had settled into their respective seats, Adam glanced toward the counter and said, "They make a pretty good espresso here. Their brownies are worth trying too."

Kai was a little hungry himself, so he nodded and looked at the display screen on the table.

Thankfully, he had visited enough places in the past to understand how these ordering systems worked.

A few of his former clients had often felt immensely guilty after coming down from their high. Even after paying him, they would sometimes insist on treating him to a meal, leaving him with little choice but to accompany them.

The experiences from those occasions were proving surprisingly useful now.

Kai looked across the table. "Would you like something as well?"

Adam nodded. "Another coffee for me."

The word another immediately caught Kai’s attention.

He realized that Adam had arrived earlier than their scheduled meeting time. So the man had indeed been eager to meet him.

For some reason, that only made Kai more cautious.

He kept his expression unchanged and placed the order.

Once it was done, he settled back into his seat and looked directly at the man across from him.

"So, Mr. Adam," Kai said calmly, "what exactly did you want to talk to me about?"

Adam unbuttoned his blazer and leaned back slightly in his seat.

"First of all, how is your family, Mr. Kai? I looked into the matter out of obligation and found out that the two hunters were intimidating your wife and daughter?"

As he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on Kai.

There was something unsettling about the way the man watched him. It was not the casual gaze of someone making conversation. Adam seemed to be studying him, measuring his reactions and perhaps anticipating what he would say next.

Kai released a quiet sigh.

"They are fine."

He had no intention of revealing anything more than necessary. And certainly not of discussing that the parents of the same kid were merely friends as of now.

Adam struck him as the kind of person around whom he needed to keep his guard raised at all times. There was a calculated quality to the man’s words, as though even his casual remarks carried a purpose.

A faint smile touched Adam’s lips.

"This world is a strange, yet remarkably small place, Mr. Kai. There are so many people in Fairmont, and yet..." He deliberately trailed off.

Kai’s brows drew together.

"What do you mean by that? Can you be a little clearer?"

"I apologize, Mr. Kai. I am still trying to make sense of what a strange coincidence you have found yourself caught up in."

Kai’s confusion deepened.

Before he could press him for an explanation, Adam continued.

"You and Hunter Drake are connected in more ways than one, Mr. Kai. The interesting part is that you don’t even know it."

The statement left Kai staring at him.

Adam fell silent for a moment as a server approached their table carrying a tray.

The interruption lasted only a few seconds. The server carefully placed their coffee cups on the table, followed by the brownie, then offered a polite nod before turning around and leaving them alone once more.

Adam removed his glasses and began polishing the lenses with a small piece of cloth, his movements unhurried as he spoke.

"Hunter Drake was a client of yours once. I did some background checks and learned about your previous profession. However, did you know that your ’wife’ also has a connection to Hunter Drake?"

Kai’s eyes widened.

"Jean... but how?"

For a moment, he genuinely could not understand how Jean could possibly have known Drake, let alone have some connection to him. He searched his memory, trying to piece together something he might have overlooked.

Adam gave a faint smile before finally revealing the answer.

"Because Jean Scarlette and Daniel Vancroft were once engaged."

His hand paused against the lens.

"And Daniel Vancroft is the elder brother of the very same man you nearly killed yesterday."

"..."