The next morning, Lana arrived at Rosewood Café ten minutes late.
Again.
"You realize clocks exist for a reason, right?"
Emma called from behind the counter.
Lana dropped her bag onto a chair.
"I blame Lily."
"You blame Lily for everything."
"Because she's responsible for most of my problems."
Emma laughed.
"Fair."
The morning passed in its usual chaos.
Orders.
Customers.
Spilled drinks.
The occasional rude businessman.
Nothing unusual.
Until lunchtime.
The café suddenly became busier than normal.
Lana balanced three cups on a tray while weaving through the crowd.
"Table seven," Emma called.
"On it."
As Lana approached the table, she noticed a group of men in expensive suits discussing something seriously.
Business meeting.
Definitely not her problem.
She placed the drinks down carefully.
One of the men nodded politely.
"Thank you."
Lana smiled.
"No problem."
As she turned away, she heard another voice.
Cold.
Calm.
Sharp.
"Tell Ayden if he wants the deal, he'll have to do better than that."
The name caught her attention.
Ayden.
For some reason, it sounded familiar.
Before she could think more about it, Emma called her back.
"Lana!"
"Coming!"
And just like that, the moment disappeared.
By the end of her shift, Lana felt exhausted.
She changed out of her apron and stepped outside.
Rain threatened again.
The city streets were crowded.
People rushed home.
Cars filled the roads.
Everyone seemed to have somewhere important to be.
Except her.
Her phone buzzed.
A message from Lily.
Meet me at the mall.
Emergency.
Lana sighed.
Whenever Lily said emergency, it usually meant shopping.
Still, she headed there.
An hour later, Lana was carrying three shopping bags she never wanted.
"Lily."
"Hm?"
"I'm starting to think you use me for free labor."
"I prefer the term emotional support."
"You bought shoes."
"I bought confidence."
Lana groaned.
Lily grinned proudly.
Then suddenly stopped walking.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh."
Lana frowned.
"What?"
Lily grabbed her arm immediately.
"Don't look."
Naturally, Lana looked.
Across the shopping center stood a tall man speaking on the phone.
Black coat.
Dark hair.
Serious expression.
The kind of person who attracted attention without trying.
Several people glanced at him as they passed.
He didn't seem to notice.
Or care.
"Who is that?" Lana asked.
Lily stared.
"You seriously don't know?"
"Should I?"
"That's Mick Donovan."
The name meant nothing to Lana.
But something about him felt...
Intimidating.
As if the entire crowd instinctively moved around him.
As if he carried a storm wherever he went.
At that exact moment, Mick lifted his head.
And looked directly at her.
For a second, neither moved.
Then his phone conversation ended.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Not friendly.
Not rude.
Just... curious.
Lana immediately looked away.
"We're leaving," she announced.
Lily blinked.
"What? Why?"
"I don't know."
Which was true.
She didn't know why her heartbeat had suddenly sped up.
Or why she had the strange feeling that she'd just crossed paths with someone important.
Someone dangerous.
Someone who would change more than he should.
And somewhere else in the city...
A man named Leo Ayden was walking toward Rosewood Café for the very first time.
To be continued....