The station doors closed behind them. The rumble of trains faded into the distance.

  Angelo exhaled.

  “Interesting guy.”

  “Just a pleasant ordinary man,” Maria said calmly. “Why were you like that with him?”

  “He talked as if he knew me.”

  “He was simply explaining the game and its history. And even if he was talking about you, that doesn’t necessarily mean he knew who you were.”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  She looked at him more closely.

  “Why do you always look for some kind of trap in everything?”

  They walked a few steps in silence.

  “When you spoke to Keller… did his voice sound similar?” he asked.

  Maria froze for a second.

  It had.

  “No,” she said evenly. “Not similar.”

  She lied. She simply didn’t want him overthinking it.

  Angelo nodded.

  “I see.”

  They stepped outside.

  “We have the interview today,” Maria added gently. “Let’s not complicate things.”

  “Alright.”

  He didn’t argue.

  But inside, he already understood:

  Ehiria was not random.

  She had been prepared as a counterweight to him.

  The developers simply hadn’t expected him to leave before their confrontation could ever happen.

  “Let’s go for a walk,” he said more calmly.

  “That’s better,” Maria smiled.

  And they headed toward the old town.