Chapter 9

• Ellis arrived at John Smith's modest apartment. The place was considerably smaller than the spacious house in Brownsville she used to call home, and compared to the mansion where she lived with Vittorio, it was like a fraction of a room. However, the difference in size didn't bother her; in fact, she smiled as she entered and felt the coziness that emanated from the place.
• Her eyes were immediately drawn to the black cat comfortably lounging on the living room couch, which barely competed for space with the compact kitchen. John observed Ellis's gaze landing on the cat and, with a smile, revealed, “This is Felix.”
• Ellis approached, kneeling beside the cat and reaching out to pet him. The cat responded positively, affectionately rubbing against her hand. She noticed the cat's collar, and upon closer inspection, saw that behind the name “Felix” was written another name: Laura.