The Accidental Meeting (Free)
Lara pressed the elevator button nervously, her bag swinging awkwardly against her side. Today was supposed to be simple—a quick meeting at the luxury café downtown—but nothing about this morning had gone according to plan.
The moment she stepped out onto the bustling street, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She fumbled to pull it out, barely noticing the sharply dressed man walking straight toward her.
"Oh no—" she muttered under her breath.
Before she could react, their collision was inevitable. Coffee splashed across his pristine white shirt, and Lara froze.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!" she exclaimed, reaching for her bag to offer tissues.
The man turned slowly, his piercing blue eyes locking onto hers. His expression was unreadable—a mixture of irritation and something darker, something that made Lara's heart skip.
"You spilled coffee on me," he said, voice low and measured, not angry, but… commanding.
"I… I can pay for cleaning—anything! I'm really sorry!" Her words tumbled out too fast.
He tilted his head, studying her as if she were some puzzle he had been waiting to solve. Then, inexplicably, he smirked.
"Interesting reaction. Not many people apologize like that."
Lara blinked. "Interesting… reaction?" she repeated, unsure whether she should be relieved or terrified.
A sudden flash from across the street made her glance up. A camera. Someone had been watching them. Her stomach dropped.
"You shouldn't be here," the man said quietly, almost to himself. Then, turning back to her: "Lara, was it?"
Her jaw dropped. "How do you—?"
"Names aren't important right now," he interrupted, eyes scanning the street. "But be careful. Some people… pay attention to the wrong things.
Before she could ask what he meant, he slipped away, leaving Lara trembling in the middle of the sidewalk.
Her coffee-stained clothes, her pounding heart, the cold realization hitting her—this was no ordinary man. There was danger in his calm, a hidden world she had stumbled into without even realizing it.
And deep down, a tiny, irrational part of her couldn't stop wondering… who exactly was Alexander Kane?