Arianna walked out of the café, still feeling a little tense from everything that had happened earlier. As she turned around, she suddenly bumped into someone.
"Oops, sorry!" she said quickly, stepping back.
The man blinked in surprise but smiled faintly. "It's okay," he said, taking off his leather jacket and shaking off a few coffee drops.
"Oh my—sir, I'm so sorry!" Arianna's eyes widened as she noticed the small stain on his jacket.
He looked up at her, and for a moment, their eyes met. She's pretty, he thought, before shaking the thought away. "Don't call me sir," he said with a small chuckle. "Makes me sound old."
Arianna laughed nervously. "Oh, um…" she hesitated.
"Alexis," he said, extending a hand. "But I prefer Alex."
"I'm Arianna," she replied, shaking his hand gently. "And I really am sorry about your jacket, Alex."
Alexis glanced down at it and shrugged. "It's fine, really. Don't worry about it."
"Still, I feel bad," Arianna said softly.
He gave her a quick smile. "It's okay. I gotta go."
Before she could say anything else, Alexis turned and walked away, leaving Arianna standing there, watching him disappear into the crowd
Alexis sat in his car, the engine off and the world quiet around him. He let out a long sigh, his eyes fixed on the photo glowing on his phone screen. It was the picture he'd secretly taken of Arianna.Her face looked calm, unaware, almost delicate in the soft light of the café window. He stared at it longer than he should have, then finally exhaled and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat.
"Why her, Tanner…" he muttered under his breath before starting the car.
By the time Alexis reached Tanner's house,The place was dim, music playing faintly from upstairs. He climbed the stairs and found Tanner sitting on the couch, a glass in his hand.
''So, did you see her?" Tanner asked without looking up.
Alexis nodded and handed him the phone. Tanner took it, his eyes sharpening the moment he saw the photo.
"Yes, that's her," he said, his tone almost triumphant. He turned to the other man in the room. "Garrett. I want you to follow her. Find out who she's close to, where she goes, everything."
Garrett glanced at Alexis, uncertain, but eventually nodded. "Got it."
When Garrett headed for the door, Alexis hesitated before calling out, "Yo, Garrett. Mind if I come with you?"
Garrett raised an eyebrow, then smirked. "Sure, buddy. Hop in."
They got into the car, the night air heavy with the sound of engines and faint city noise. As they waited at a red light, Garrett suddenly nudged Alexis. "Hey, Alex. That her?"
Alexis leaned forward and looked. Arianna was walking down the sidewalk, holding some papers close to her chest. She looked tired but peaceful.
"Yeah," he said softly. "That's her." Garrett watched her for a second. "What's her name?"
"Arianna," Alexis replied. After a pause, he added, "I think she's engaged."
Garrett looked at him, curious. "Really? How do you know?"
"There's a ring on her finger," Alexis said, still watching her from a distance.
Garrett shrugged. "Could just be jewelry."
Alexis shook his head. "No. I'm sure. She's engaged."
His voice was calm, but his eyes lingered on her longer than they should have.
''Your eyes are full of hatred''
At her office, Arianna sat behind her desk, typing away as sunlight streamed through the window. She paused for a moment, glancing at the framed photo beside her computer. It was a photo of her and Otto.
A soft smile touched her lips. She couldn't wait for the wedding day, the start of her new life. Finally, she was entering a relationship that felt right,a love that was lawful.
At Tanner's house, Garrett and Alexis stood quietly, watching Tanner as he stared at a picture of Arianna on his phone. His expression was cold and focused.
"Arianna, huh," Tanner muttered, glancing up at Alexis. He leaned forward slightly. "Is it true she's engaged?"
Alexis nodded once.
Tanner turned toward Matthew, who was sitting at the desk with his laptop. "Matt, you got any information?"
Matthew smirked. "Yeah. Her name's Arianna Valentina. Twenty-two years old. Works as a secretary at a small company downtown."
Tanner nodded slowly, processing it. "Good." He looked at Garrett and Alexis. "You two are covering the line outside the café tomorrow morning."
Garrett frowned. "For what?"
Tanner shot him a sharp look. "Just do it."
The next morning, Garrett stood near the café, pretending to check his phone. The line was short only four people waiting to order. When he saw Arianna walk in, he straightened up.
"Hey, sir, please move forward," the cashier called.
Garrett glanced at Arianna, then smiled politely. "Ladies first," he said.
Arianna raised an eyebrow. "Really? But you were first."
"It's fine. You look like you're in a hurry," he said.
She smiled softly. "Thank you." Arianna stepped ahead and placed her order.
When she got her coffee, Garrett subtly tapped his phone his signal to Alexis.
Over his earpiece, Alexis's voice came through. "Tanner, she's leaving the café now."
Tanner's car door opened. He stepped out, straightening his jacket as Arianna walked toward the street.
"Hello, short temper," Tanner called out.
Arianna turned to him, unimpressed. "Oh, hello, arrogant."
Tanner's jaw tightened. "You think you can embarrass me like that and just walk away?"
"Oh, why? Did you take it that personally? You deserved that coffee," Arianna replied calmly.
"You better change that damn attitude," Tanner snapped.
She crossed her arms. "Wow. Now you're swearing at me. What a manchild."
Tanner's eyes darkened. "Slut."
Arianna's voice rose. "Manchild!"
People nearby began to glance their way. Tanner took a step closer, his tone cruel. "You're too young to get married. Why are you doing it? Are you that desperate for a man's pleasure? Or are you just waiting to be someone's whore?"
Arianna's eyes widened in disbelief. Her hands shook with anger. "You are the most disgusting man I've ever met. Do you really think you can insult a woman like that and feel proud of it?"
"Pissed off, huh?" Tanner sneered. "You still act like a child. I feel sorry for your future husband, having to deal with a woman who throws tantrums like a kid. Maybe he'll just treat you like a doll."
Before she could stop herself, Arianna threw the coffee straight at his face.
"You're pathetic," she said, her voice trembling. Then she turned and walked away.
People on the street stopped to watch. Tanner stood there, dripping coffee, his pride shattered. His fists clenched as he stormed back to his car.
Inside, he slammed his hand against the steering wheel. "Slut! Whore! She's useless!" he shouted.
Alexis and Garrett sat quietly in the car behind him, saying nothing. The silence felt heavy. Garrett glanced at Alexis, who only stared ahead, unsure whether to feel pity for Tanner or for the woman he couldn't stop tormenting.
Arianna walked into her office and slammed her hand on the desk.
"Ugh! Why can't he just stop bothering me?" she muttered, taking a deep breath.
She grabbed her phone and dialed Otto's number.
"Hello, Anna?" Otto answered through the phone.
"Can we meet tonight? I think I'm having a bad day," Arianna said with a sigh.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Don't ask, please."
"Okay, sure. I'll pick you up," Otto replied.
Arianna put her phone down and sighed again. She had never thrown a tantrum toward any man before, but the guy she met at the jewelry shop really made her angry.
8:10 P.M.
Otto was enjoying his food when he noticed Arianna staring blankly at her plate.
"Anna?" he called softly.
Arianna looked up.
"Why aren't you eating?"
She reached for her fork and cleared her throat.
"You seem to have a lot on your mind. What's wrong?" Otto asked, his voice full of concern.
"Nothing. I'm just thinking about something else."
"Like what?"
Arianna quickly looked at Otto.
"Um… w..work."
"You sure?"
Arianna nodded and began to eat.
"Well, I hope you didn't mess with anyone, especially when our wedding day is getting close," Otto said with a small smile.
Those words felt like a knife to Arianna's heart.
Because she had messed with someone. The man she argued with at the jewelry shop
To be continue...