Chapter 13

After work, Caleb and Hector drove separately to a newly opened restaurant in the city. They waited in a small private room for almost half an hour.

Just when Caleb's impatience was becoming hard to hide, a tall man in a suit walked in.

"Apologies, something came up at the office," the man said as he pulled out a chair and sat down, placing the keys to his luxury car on the table.

"Understandable. Lawyers are usually pretty busy," Hector replied, quickly smoothing things over.

Caleb forced a polite smile, pretending he didn't mind the delay.

Hector made the introductions. The man was Felix Ziegler, a senior partner at a well-known law firm, despite being only in his early thirties. He and Hector had met at a fishing club, and since their work both involved criminals, they got along well.

"I wouldn't have guessed that you also work in a prison as a correctional officer, Caleb," Felix said, naturally steering the conversation toward his date.

Although Caleb wasn't thrilled about the blind date, he was a polite adult and knew how to handle social situations appropriately.

"Compared to other correctional officers, I don't interact with the inmates as much."

"Do you ever deal with difficult inmates?"

"Occasionally."

Marcus' image flashed through Caleb's mind. To be precise, Marcus wasn't exactly difficult to manage. Most of the time, he cooperated with the officers. However, his occasional, deliberate actions drove Caleb crazy.

"I've heard from Hector that many inmates have their eye on you. Now that I've met you in person, I can see why."

Felix was quite the smooth talker. His compliment didn't come off as fake, as there was an underlying sincerity in his words.

Earlier, Caleb had docked points in his mind for Felix's tardiness, but as they talked, those points gradually shifted into the positive.

Before long, Caleb noticed that Hector had been in the bathroom for an unusually long time. A sense of foreboding crept up on him. He pulled out his phone and, sure enough, there was an unread message from his friend.

[I have something to take care of. You two have fun chatting!]

"Hector says he has something to attend to," Caleb said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes as he looked at his phone.

"I saw." Felix glanced at his own phone. "I think he's trying to give us some time alone."

Caleb hadn't expected Felix to be so direct, bluntly addressing the purpose of the date. Initially, Caleb had planned to just treat it as making a new friend, but with the purpose laid bare, he couldn't help but start assessing Felix more concretely.

In his mind, Caleb added up the points: Felix's manners and conversation skills scored him about 20 points. His appearance added another 10. But his overemphasis on work was a significant downside, warranting a 30-point deduction.

Caleb wasn't career-driven. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken such a laid-back job as a prison librarian. Meanwhile, Felix couldn't stop talking about work, as if his entire life revolved around it. He was clearly a typical workaholic.

Caleb preferred people who knew how to enjoy life—someone who might spend their leisure time grilling a steak at home or tending to their garden, rather than throwing themselves entirely into their work.

"Is that an old watch you're wearing?" Felix's gaze fell on Caleb's wrist. "You must be a nostalgic person."

The brand of Caleb's old watch was known for being outdated and unremarkable. People who wore it were either sentimental or broke, with the latter being the more common reason.

Caleb glanced at Felix's wrist, where a gleaming luxury watch sat. It was probably worth tens of thousands.

"Not really," Caleb replied calmly.

In truth, Caleb fell into a third category—he was simply too lazy to buy a new watch.

But that wasn't the point. Just as he had been mentally scoring Felix, he could tell the other man was doing the same to him.

The older one got, the harder it was to fall in love. People became less willing to spend time getting to know someone's inner self and were more accustomed to judging whether they were a good match based on external criteria.

From the moment they met, both Caleb and Felix knew that neither was purely interested in the other—they were both evaluating each other based on their own standards. Some people didn't mind this approach, while others found it too transactional.

To Caleb, any relationship that began under such circumstances wasn't truly genuine.

"I heard from Hector that you live in the suburbs. Do you come to the city often?" Felix continued.

Now that he understood the true nature of this meeting, Caleb immediately realized Felix was still probing into his financial situation. This wasn't surprising, considering Felix was a high-earning lawyer who likely made seven figures a year. It was only natural for him to be particular about choosing a partner.

"I don't come to the city much. I prefer quiet surroundings," Caleb answered truthfully.

"The city can be quite noisy," Felix agreed, continuing to talk about the differences between city and suburban life.

But as he spoke, a sudden thought flashed through Caleb's mind.

How had Marcus known he was going out on a date in the city?

Marcus' exact words had been: "You look nice today. Heading to the city for some fun?"

At least half the correctional officers who worked at the prison lived in the city. For them, going out to have fun usually meant staying within the city. They wouldn't need to "head" anywhere. Only people who lived in the suburbs had another option for fun—heading into the city.

Marcus' choice of words clearly implied that he knew Caleb didn't live in the city. Could it be that Marcus knew where he lived?

The more Caleb thought about it, the more unsettling it became.

But he still had to keep up his conversation with Felix, who asked, "You used to work in the courts. That's a position many people envy. What made you want to transfer to the prison?"

Caleb wanted to say that not everyone prioritized their career above all else. He was perfectly content enjoying a quieter life in the suburbs—what was wrong with that?

But he knew that wouldn't make sense to Felix. From their brief conversation, Caleb had gathered that Felix came from an ordinary background and had worked hard to rise in social status. From the watch he wore and the car keys he placed on the table, it was evident that social standing mattered a lot to him.

"I live in the suburbs, so working at the prison is convenient," Caleb said.

"I see." Felix nodded.

His expression didn't betray any disappointment, but from that point on, he became noticeably less enthusiastic.

When it was time to pay the bill, Felix reached for his wallet, which, unsurprisingly, was another luxury brand. But before he could do anything, Caleb had already had already taken some money from his pocket.

"I'll get this," Caleb said.

"No need." Felix stopped Caleb. "I should pay."

That was an interesting statement.

They had just shared a meal together. No one owed anyone anything. Logically, either one could pay, and the notion of "who should pay" didn't really apply. So, Felix's only criteria seemed to be that he thought he should cover the bill because Caleb's financial situation was less than ideal.

"No need for that, Felix," Caleb said, handing the money to the waiter faster than Felix could pull out his credit card. His tone was calm as he added, "My family has several properties in the city center."

The topic was a bit abrupt, but Caleb's message was clear—he wasn't interested in sparing Felix's feelings.

Felix stopped trying to pay and quietly put away his luxury wallet.

Caleb wasn't someone who cared much about money. His family was quite well-off, and he had moved to the suburbs not just to avoid prying eyes, but simply for a more comfortable living environment.

His reluctance to engage in stock trading with Marcus, unlike the warden, stemmed from a lack of desire to earn more money.

-

In the following week, an old acquaintance arrived at the prison. Caleb needed to give the person their first educational class, so Marcus wasn't brought to the library for their usual morning session.

"Officer Johnson, long time no see."

In the conference room, Lucas York, with his shaved head, saluted Caleb. He blinked as he looked at Caleb, showing no sign of someone who was currently convicted.

"Has it really been a long time?" Caleb slammed a booklet down and assumed a stern expression. "Do you think this is your home? Why did you return so soon?"

Unintimidated by Caleb's severity, Lucas chuckled. With a mysterious air, he said, "Officer Johnson, I'm here on a mission."

A mission.

What a melodramatic term.

Only this kid would use such a word in Southern Prison.

"What mission?" Caleb asked, playing along.

"I've heard that Marcus Zephyr is being held here, right?"

Hearing Marcus' name from Lucas' mouth, Caleb felt a surge of irritation but maintained his composure.

"What do you want to know about him?"

"He's an evil capitalist." Lucas sneered. "He was fined 40 million but only paid a few million. He must have transferred his assets. I'm going to expose his secrets for the sake of justice!"

Caleb was taken aback.

Lucas' hatred for capitalists was well-known. Caleb knew some of the teenager's background—Lucas' father had gone bankrupt due to stock trading, which had led to his mother's depression and eventual death.

"40 million is no small amount," Caleb said, trying not to dampen Lucas' enthusiasm while subtly reminding him.

Marcus' villa had already been seized, evidently because he couldn't pay the 40-million-dollar fine. However, Lucas didn't believe that a capitalist could be out of money.

He continued with his own analysis, "He probably has accounts overseas. I'll investigate, then hack into his accounts."

Caleb was exasperated. The kid was either clueless or deliberately flaunting his "criminal plans" in front of a correctional officer.

"You'd best behave yourself," Caleb warned. "Otherwise, I'll have Hector deal with you."

Mentioning Hector made Lucas uneasy.

"D-don't tell him about my plan," he stammered.

Caleb sneered. "You wish."

Naive kids like Lucas needed a dose of harsh reality to learn their lesson.

When it was yard time in the afternoon, Lucas stealthily made his way to the library, clearly trying to avoid Hector in the infirmary across the hall. Caleb figured out why Lucas was taking such a risky approach—it was because Marcus would be in the library too.

Caleb usually read to Marcus after two in the afternoon. But before then, Marcus would spend time in the library like any other inmate.

Holding a book in his hands but keeping a watchful eye on his target, Lucas quickly zeroed in on Marcus' location.

Marcus continued to sit at his usual spot in the corner by the window. To get there, he had to pass right by Lucas. As the distance between them closed, Caleb watched Lucas subtly extend his leg, his intention clear—he meant to trip Marcus.

Caleb sighed and shook his head. He expected Marcus to step over Lucas' leg, but the former was ruthless. Without missing a beat, he deliberately stepped on the teenager's ankle.

"Argh!"

A loud yelp echoed through the library.

Caleb saw Marcus glance at Lucas with an emotionless look that seemed to say: "Idiot."

At that moment, Hector appeared at the library door.

Seeing him, Lucas immediately complained, "Dr. Lewis, my foot is injured."

Hector took Lucas to the infirmary, and the library finally returned to its quiet state.

Caleb checked the time, then looked up, staring directly at Marcus, who had settled back into his usual seat by the window. When their eyes met, Marcus tilted his head as if to ask, "What are you looking at?"

To be honest, Caleb was eager to speak to him. After a weekend of anticipation, he was finally ready to ask Marcus how he had known Caleb had been heading into the city the other day.