For a brief moment, Stan almost forgot how complicated the world had become.
He looked at Camilla as she continued studying the board, completely absorbed in the game. The sight brought a quiet sense of satisfaction to his mind.
He could simply sit down and enjoy the company of someone he cared about.
The thought lingered for only a few seconds.
Then his phone suddenly rang.
The sharp sound cut through the quiet atmosphere of the room, instantly drawing Stan’s attention away from the chessboard.
Camilla also lifted her head.
Both of them looked toward the phone.
Stan’s relaxed expression gradually disappeared as he stared at the device, wondering who could possibly be calling him at a time like this.
Whatever it was, it had interrupted one of the few peaceful moments he had managed to enjoy in a long time.
Stan’s gaze shifted toward the phone as it continued ringing. The relaxed expression that had remained on his face throughout the game gradually disappeared, replaced by a faint look of curiosity. He reached for the device and glanced at the notification that had appeared across the screen.
His expression changed slightly.
A breaking-news alert occupied the top of the screen, accompanied by a headline that immediately caught his attention.
BREAKING NEWS — MAJOR PRISON BREAK REPORTED AT BLACKRIDGE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
Stan’s eyebrows rose slightly.
"Blackridge?"
The name immediately stood out to him. He had heard it before, and he didn’t need more than a second to remember why. Blackridge Correctional Facility was the prison where Damien had been incarcerated.
Camilla, who had been sitting across from him with the chessboard still between them, noticed the change in his expression. She lifted her head and looked toward him.
"What is it?"
Stan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he opened the news report and began reading through the article. The initial report was still developing, and many of the details remained unclear, but the central information was enough to make his expression gradually become more serious.
A large-scale breach had occurred at Blackridge Correctional Facility several hours earlier. According to the preliminary information released by the authorities, a significant number of inmates had managed to escape during the incident. Security forces had already regained control of the prison, and several escapees had been recaptured, but numerous others were still missing.
Stan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he continued scrolling.
"Isn’t that the prison Damien was in?" he muttered.
Camilla paused.
The name meant nothing to her. She had heard Stan mention many people over the course of their time together, but Damien was not someone she was particularly familiar with. She wondered briefly who this Damien was, what a prison and prison break was and why a prison break involving him had suddenly caught Stan’s attention.
However, she could tell from Stan’s expression that whatever connection existed between the man and the prison was important. Rather than interrupt him with questions, Camilla remained silent and watched as he opened another report.
Then another.
Stan searched the prison’s name directly and began comparing the information from different reports. The details varied slightly because the incident was still unfolding, but the central facts remained consistent.
Blackridge Correctional Facility.
A mass prison breach.
Multiple inmates had escaped.
Several had already been recaptured.
Many remained missing.
Stan’s expression darkened as the pieces came together.
"So it really happened."
He leaned back slightly, but his attention remained fixed on the phone. The reports were still incomplete, and the authorities had yet to provide a full explanation of how such a large number of prisoners had managed to escape from a supposedly secure facility. Some reports mentioned a sudden breakdown in the prison’s security systems, while others referred to confusion among the guards during the initial breach. At that point, however, none of the available information was detailed enough for Stan to determine exactly what had happened.
What concerned him wasn’t simply the prison break itself.
It was the possibility that Damien had escaped.
Stan had no reason to assume that Damien was among the recaptured inmates. Until he confirmed otherwise, there was a very real possibility that the man was somewhere outside the prison walls.
That possibility immediately changed the situation.
Stan lowered the phone slightly and frowned. "This is troublesome."
Camilla studied him carefully but still didn’t ask about Damien. She had learned that when Stan became this serious, there was usually a reason. Whatever connection he had to the escaped prisoner, he clearly needed more information before deciding what to do next.
Stan’s thoughts moved rapidly.
If Damien had escaped, he needed to know how it had happened, whether the authorities had identified him among the missing inmates, and whether there had been anything unusual about the breach. A normal prison escape was already a serious matter, but Stan had long since stopped believing that events involving powerful individuals could always be explained by ordinary circumstances.
Fortunately, there was someone he could ask.
Stan scrolled through his contacts, searching for a number he hadn’t needed to use in quite some time. His finger moved down the list until he finally found the name he was looking for.
He stared at it for a moment before pressing the call button.
The phone rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
Stan waited patiently, his expression remaining calm but his attention focused entirely on the call. After several more rings, the other person finally answered.
"Stan?"
The man’s voice carried a clear note of surprise. He obviously hadn’t expected to receive a call from Stan, especially after such a long period without contact.
There was a brief pause before the man continued.
"It’s been a long time."
A faint smile appeared on Stan’s face.
"Commissioner."
The simple exchange carried the familiarity of two people who had dealt with each other before, even if their circumstances had kept them apart for some time. Stan leaned back in his chair while Camilla quietly watched him from across the table.
The chessboard remained between them, the unfinished game forgotten for the moment.
Whatever had happened at Blackridge Correctional Facility, Stan intended to find out.