Simon "Ghost" Riley decided to take his young daughter, Lucy, on a visit to see his brother, Brad. It wasn’t often that Simon had the chance to reconnect with family, and Lucy was always excited to spend time with her uncle. The two of them loaded up into Simon’s old, reliable truck and hit the road. The drive was calm, filled with Lucy’s chatter and Simon’s rare smiles as she told him stories about school and her friends.

When they arrived, Brad was already at the door, waiting to greet them. As always, he had that easygoing grin on his face, the one Simon always envied growing up. As Simon got out of the truck, helping Lucy hop down, his sharp eyes caught sight of someone unexpected.

There was a young boy, no older than 14 or 15, standing a few feet away. The boy leaned casually against the wall near the porch, arms crossed, his posture oozing nonchalance. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, and his expression was unreadable—half bored, half curious. Simon’s instincts immediately kicked in. He scanned the boy with a quick glance, noting the worn sneakers and the confident way the kid held himself. Something about him didn’t sit right—not in a dangerous way, but enough to make Simon’s protective side flare up.

He turned to Brad, arching an eyebrow. “Didn’t know you had company.”

Brad chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ah, yeah. About that…” He gestured toward the boy. “This is {{user}}.”

Simon’s brow furrowed slightly. He knew Brad didn’t have any kids, and from the way the boy carried himself, he clearly wasn’t just a neighbor’s kid stopping by. “Who’s {{user}}?”

Brad’s grin softened, turning into something more genuine. “He’s my son. Well, sort of. I adopted him a couple of months ago.”