The traffic light turned green but he didn't move.
Theo Kingsley sat behind the wheel of his matte-black McLaren, one hand resting on the gearshift, the other still clenched from the message he'd just read.
"Happy birthday, Theo. Hope you're well."
Short. Thoughtless. Probably sent out of obligation. But still, it landed like a blade between his ribs.
He hadn't celebrated his birthday in ten years.
Not since he was nineteen.
Not since that day.
A horn snapped him back to the present. He blinked, saw the green light, and tapped the gas. The car surged forward, purring like a predator. He should've kept driving. The office was just three blocks ahead, meetings, financial briefings, an empire demanding his attention.
Instead, he turned right.
An unplanned detour.
And stopped in front of a coffee shop, rushing out from the car, he pressed his temples. The chaos in his mind already started. He needed to stop it before it was too late. The headache inside his head made him slam his phone on the pavement. This was the third phone for this month.
He leaned forward, resting both hands over his face. Inhaled slowly. The memories were rising again, uninvited, sharp around the edges. Not now. Not today. Not when everything he'd built depended on keeping it together this morning.
He breathed, in and out, trying his best to calm himself.
But then, he turned, facing the coffee shop and his eyes caught on her. And just like that, the noise in his head dipped beneath the surface.
A woman stood behind the counter, shoulders stiff, lips trembling, blinking rapidly as a stern older man spoke to her probably in hushed tones based on his expression and mouth's movement. In her hand, the shattered remnants of a porcelain cup.
She looked like she was doing everything she could not to cry.
And it totally looked like a failure.
Theo didn't realise legs were already moving and his eyes remained on the women and in the end, he was now standing in front of the counter, ready to order something that was usually made by his assistant.
The moment she saw him, she quickly wiped at the tears that had nearly spilled and forced a cheerful smile onto her face.
"Yes, sir! The morning looks good today. Would you like to order a long black coffee? It looks like—"
She didn't even get to finish before the older man from earlier clicked his tongue and leaned in to whisper something in her ear.
Her expression faltered. Her eyes changed, flickering with embarrassment and she tried to mask it with a forced composure.
"I'm sorry for my chatty behavior. What would you like to order, sir?" she asked again, her tone more controlled this time, though her breath shook faintly from the effort.
Theo's gaze didn't move.
He couldn't look away.
Her makeup was the kind meant to look effortless but wasn't. Doll-like, carefully applied, rosy cheeks, glossy lips, big eyes framed with curled lashes.
Or maybe she wasn't wearing much at all.
Maybe she just looked like that.
Like a porcelain doll. Fragile, polished, and completely out of place behind a counter.
"Sir?" the woman prompted again, her voice a little softer this time when he didn't respond.
Theo blinked, dragging his eyes away from her face just long enough to glance at the menu above.
"I'll have a long black," he said finally. "To go."
She nodded quickly, relief flickering across her face as she keyed it in.
As she moved behind the machine, Theo's gaze lingered. Not out of habit but curiosity. He wasn't the kind of man who paid attention to baristas. But something about her… didn't fit.
He subtly leaned forward, scanning her apron.
No name tag.
Odd.
Every staff member he'd ever encountered at these kinds of places wore one. First names, at the very least. Hers? Nothing. Just a plain black apron, slightly askew over a soft beige sweater.
"New?" The thought slipped from his lips before he could stop it.
She turned back to him, startled.
"Sorry, sir?" she asked, blinking rapidly, clearly confused. She hadn't caught what he said exactly, but she was sure she heard something.
Theo didn't answer right away. He studied her face instead, now that she wasn't hiding behind a customer-service smile. Up close, the porcelain look was even more apparent. Her skin was flawless, almost unreal. But her eyes… Those were the only part of her that betrayed any chaos. They were too wide, as if she was still bracing for someone to yell at her again.
"I just haven't seen you here before," he said at last, voice low but clear.
"Oh," she breathed out, a bit relieved. "Yeah. It's my third day. Still getting used to everything."
Theo nodded once, slowly. That explained the missing name tag, the scolding, the broken cup.
He watched as she fumbled slightly with the machine again, muttering something under her breath. Her hands moved quickly, as if trying to prove herself, to erase whatever mistake she'd made earlier.
Theo's fingers tapped once on the counter.
Not being impatient but deeply interested in the woman who stopped all the messed up in his mind just a few minutes ago.
She placed the finished cup in front of him with both hands, her head slightly bowed, voice careful.
"One long black. Have a good day, sir."
"You too."
The words left his mouth before he could stop them. And the moment they did, his eyes widened slightly in surprise.
'Did I just reply to her?'
That wasn't like him.
He wasn't polite. He didn't do pleasantries.
Panic flashed in his chest. Without another word, Theo turned and made his way toward the door only to collide with someone just as he reached for the handle.
A woman stumbled back slightly, then looked up and her expression changed instantly.
"Oh!" she gasped, recovering quickly. She stepped back and offered a small, formal bow. "Sir."
Theo blinked, his brow furrowing. He didn't recognize her.
The woman quickly extended a hand. "Aurora Williams. Assistant Manager of the Marketing Department at Kingsley & Co."
His eyes dropped to her hand… and stayed there. He didn't move.
A beat passed. Then he turned away without a word, pulled open the door, and walked out.
Aurora stood frozen for a second, her hand still hanging awkwardly in the air. Slowly, she lowered it, her lips curving into a pout. "As the rumors say…"
She brushed it off and moved toward the counter. Her mood flipped as soon as she saw who was behind it.
"Daisy! I missed you!"
Daisy's expression brightened, although only for a second. She shot a nervous glance toward the back of the shop, clearly checking if her supervisor was nearby.
"Aurora…" she whispered, her voice a mix of surprise and relief.
Outside, Theo paused by the car, coffee cup in hand.
"Daisy…" he repeated under his breath.
He took a long sip, eyes drifting back to the café window.
Then he got in the car and drove off.