If Arése were to describe the young man sitting in front of him with just two words, he would say: baby chick.
Thin, but not too much. A height that seemed just barely passable for a college student. It evoked a motherly instinct, the kind that made people want to ruffle his hair or wrap him in a blanket. At the same time, there was something about him that triggered a dangerous hunch—like an unsolved puzzle demanding attention.
Two weeks of investigation had led him to nothing but dead ends. ALenTech's main branch had mobilized an entire investigation team, pulling every available resource to uncover a trail that simply did not exist. The security breach had been severe, yet there were no obvious traces, no reckless mistakes left behind, nothing that would suggest the usual sloppiness of a novice hacker.
The discarded laptop should have provided a lead. It was one of the few tangible pieces of evidence they had, but even that search had yielded nothing substantial.
Arése had personally taken the time to meet each of the buyers, assessing them with careful scrutiny, eliminating them one by one. Most were forgettable—ordinary students, professors, and workers who had purchased secondhand devices for practical reasons. Their alibis were airtight, their lack of technical knowledge obvious. Each time, he mentally crossed their names off the list, setting them aside as irrelevant.
And yet, here he was, seated beside the last person on that list.
The young man had an easy, detached presence. He was focused on his meal, absorbed in the simple act of eating as though the outside world held no real consequence for him. He had no reaction to Arése's presence, no tension, no hesitation—just a natural indifference that was rare to find in someone who had been unknowingly dragged into a silent war between a corporation and an unidentified hacker.
There was nothing suspicious about him. No tells, no slip-ups, not even the faintest flicker of recognition when Arése had approached him. It was as if he had never heard of ALenTech, never read about the breach, never been remotely interested in anything that would connect him to the ongoing case.
That, in itself, should have been reassuring. But it wasn't.
Arése had dealt with deception for years, had seen men lie through their teeth while maintaining steady heart rates and neutral expressions. He knew better than to trust appearances.
Yet, as he watched the young man eat with the same careless ease as before, his instincts told him this one was different. There was no pretense, no attempt to cover anything up, because there was nothing to cover in the first place.
It was an odd realization.
The baby chick exuded an oddly calming presence. Not in the way that suggested innocence, but in the way that made Arése believe he had been overthinking things. A rare occurrence.
If the young man had anything to do with ALenTech's security breach, there would have been some indication by now. A slight shift in posture, an attempt to subtly gauge how much Arése knew, even just the barest hint of discomfort. But there was nothing.
The answer became clear.
X.
The mental mark was made. The young man was no longer a suspect.
The perpetrator was in Wenzhou, not here.
He was certain of that now.
There was no logical reason to linger, no more benefit to prolonging their interaction, but Arése found himself reluctant to leave just yet. He had spent weeks chasing empty trails, navigating a frustrating cycle of dead ends, and now, unexpectedly, he had stumbled across something else.
Not a lead. Not a clue.
Just something interesting.
Arése had always been drawn to things that piqued his curiosity. It was an instinct honed by years of business negotiations, of reading people and knowing exactly how to manipulate them. But this time, he wasn't looking for leverage.
He simply wanted to understand.
So he acted.
Reaching for the young man's fork, he cut off a bite of lasagna and brought it to his mouth. The reaction was immediate—a pause, a brief look of surprise before a sharp glance was thrown in his direction.
A crime had apparently been committed.
Arése merely smirked, unbothered. He didn't need to justify his actions, nor did he feel any guilt.
"Consider it payment for wasting my time," he said smoothly, setting the fork back down as if nothing had happened.
There was no true irritation from the young man, only exaggerated offense.
"You invaded my personal space. That's a fine of two lasagna bites," he countered, his voice dry, unimpressed.
Arése held back a chuckle. There was no fear, no forced politeness, just casual banter as if they were familiar. It was an unusual response, one he found oddly refreshing.
"I can afford it," he replied.
The conversation was nothing but a meaningless exchange, yet it carried an air of unexpected amusement.
For the first time in weeks, Arése felt entertained.
The conversation soon returned to the laptop, but it was clear the young man had no knowledge of the situation. His responses were too casual, his deflections too natural. There was no calculation behind them, no effort to mislead.
It was the final confirmation Arése needed.
His interest, however, did not wane.
He had spent too much time in stiff, rehearsed interactions, dealing with people who only spoke with an agenda in mind. This was different. It was effortless. Unscripted.
He decided then and there that he had found a new source of amusement.
With that in mind, he reached for the young man's drink, taking an unhurried sip before setting it back down.
The silence that followed was thick with disbelief.
"That was mine," the young man said, his voice slow, as if processing what had just happened.
Arése merely smirked, his tone light yet unwavering.
"Consider it as an interest."
For a long moment, there was nothing but quiet. Then, almost imperceptibly, the young man's expression twitched.
A reaction.
Satisfied, Arése finally rose from his seat. He had no more reason to stay, yet there was an undeniable sense of victory as he left.
The young man was no longer a suspect, but that didn't mean Arése would forget about him.
Some things were simply too interesting to ignore.