He didn't mean to speak to her.
That had never been part of the plan.
Watch. Learn. Walk away.
But that night, when he saw her soaked in the rain, frozen in fear, he realized something—
She didn't have anyone.
And he hated that more than he should.
⸻
"You're following her now?" Nico asked quietly, watching the street camera footage.
Leon didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Instead, he made one call. Quiet. Sharp. Final.
"No more night shifts for her," he told the manager at Eden. "Move her to afternoons."
"But she didn't request—"
"She doesn't need to."
⸻
The next day, Ayla arrived at work to find her schedule changed. Confused, she asked the floor manager.
"No clue," he shrugged. "Boss said so."
"Which boss?"
He just gave her a look.
The boss.
⸻
Leon watched her from the upper floor again, but this time, he didn't hide it.
When she glanced up, their eyes met.
She didn't blink.
He nodded.
Just once.
A gesture that felt heavier than any conversation.
⸻
Later, as Ayla was leaving, she found a car waiting outside the club. The same black car.
Window down.
This time, he spoke.
"Get in."
Ayla stared at him. "Why?"
"Because it's raining again. And I don't like watching you walk alone."
Her heart stammered in her chest.
"Is this… a favor?" she asked.
"No," Leon said, his voice low, unreadable. "It's a warning. People like you don't stay invisible forever. And some of us… don't believe in second chances."
⸻
She got in.
The door closed behind her like the end of a chapter she hadn't even realized had started.