Empire of Shadows

Chapter 101 - Different Perspectives, Different Attitudes

Mr. White looked at Lance, unsure how to address him. Lance took the lead, easing the tension. "Just call me Lance."

Stepping into the yard, Lance pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Care for one?"

Seeing the elegant packaging, Mr. White hesitated briefly before nodding. "Of course..." He eyed Lance cautiously, "Lance?"

Lance didn’t hold any particular fondness or dislike for Mr. White. If his feelings could be quantified, Mr. White would get a passing grade.

This was because Mr. White had accepted Lance’s scheme to assume a legal Federation identity—a move not everyone could stomach, especially one involving taking the place of a deceased child.

For those deeply sentimental, this was an unthinkable decision, even for families in financial difficulty.

Such actions would symbolically mean accepting the death of their child, even without seeing a body—an agonizing concession.

For Mr. White to agree made him practical, if nothing else, which earned Lance's reluctant respect.