CHAPTER 74 THE REFUSAL

As Luke sat at his desk, the soft glow of his computer screen casting shadows across the dimly lit room, his phone buzzed with an incoming call. Glancing at the caller ID, he saw his uncle's number flashing on the screen. With a sense of anticipation tinged with apprehension, he picked up the phone and answered the call. "Hello, Uncle," Luke greeted, his voice betraying a hint of curiosity as he wondered what his uncle could want at this late hour. "Luke, I need you to meet me." His uncle's voice came through the line, the tone grave and urgent. "It's important." Luke's brow furrowed in concern at the seriousness in his uncle's voice. Without hesitation, he replied, "Of course, Uncle. Where do you want to meet?" "There's a café downtown on the corner of Fifth and Main," his uncle instructed. "Be there in half an hour." "I got it," Luke confirmed, already rising from his chair and grabbing his coat from the back of it. "I'll see you there." As Luke ended the call, a