Chapter One: A Beautiful Complication
Jamie's POV
I swear my feet are gonna fall off.
It's been eight hours straight of fake smiling, steaming oat milk, and dodging creepy regulars who think "extra foam" is code for staring at my ass.
My apron is covered in chocolate syrup and some guy's spilled latte, and all I can think about is going home, eating instant ramen, and passing out for twelve hours.
Then the door chimes.
And everything just… stops.
This guy walks in like he owns the whole street. Tall, stupidly broad shoulders, black coat that probably costs more than my rent for a year.
His face is all sharp lines and shadows, like someone carved him out of marble and forgot to add the "friendly" setting.
He doesn't look around, doesn't check the menu, just slides into the corner booth and stares at the door like he's waiting for someone to walk in and ruin his day.
I should've ignored him.
I really should've.
But I'm dumb, so I keep sneaking looks while I'm wiping the counter.
His eyes are insane. Like, scary intense. Gray? Blue? I can't tell from here, but they make my stomach do this weird flip every time they flick in my direction.
I'm praying he doesn't order anything complicated because my brain is already half-dead, when Silas walks in.
Silas. The regular who makes my skin crawl. Always in a fancy suit, always tipping exactly 11% like it's a personality, always looking at me like he's trying to figure out how much I'd cost.
Today he's extra pissy, barking his order at me before he even reaches the counter.
I'm juggling three drinks and a tray of dirty mugs when I turn too fast.
Time slows down.
I see it happening before it happens. My hip clips the corner of a table. The tray tilts. Everything flies.
Crash.
Hot coffee, whipped cream, broken porcelain. All over Silas's stupidly expensive suit.
He explodes.
"You blind little shit! Do you have ANY idea how much this costs?!"
I freeze. My face is on fire. Everyone's staring. My hands are shaking so bad I can barely pick up the pieces.
"I-I'm so sorry, sir, it was an accident…"
He steps closer, face red, finger jabbing at me like he's about to grab me. My throat closes up. I hate this.
I hate crying in front of people, but my eyes are already stinging.
Then a shadow falls over me.
A low, calm voice cuts through everything.
"It was an accident. Back off."
I look up, way up, and it's him. The scary-hot guy from the corner booth.
He's standing between me and Silas now, shoulders squared, staring Silas down like he's two seconds from snapping his neck.
Silas puffs up. "Do you know who I am?"
The guy smiles. It's not a nice smile. "I don't care. Walk away."
There's something in his voice that makes the hairs on my arms stand up. Not loud.
Not yelling. Just… cold. Like he's done this before. Like he enjoys it.
Silas mutters something and shoves past him. The second he's gone, the guy turns to me.
Oh my god.
Up close he's even worse. Taller. Sharper. His eyes are storm-gray and locked on me like I'm the only person in the room.
My heart is hammering so hard I swear he can hear it.
"You okay?" he asks, voice softer now.
I nod like an idiot. Words are gone. My brain is just screaming: pretty scary man pretty scary man pretty scary man.
He glances at the mess, then back at me. "Let me help."
"No! No, it's fine, I got it…"I'm scrambling, picking up broken cups, trying not to cry.
There's chocolate syrup on my cheek, I can feel it. I probably look like a total disaster.
He crouches down anyway, picking up shards like he doesn't care about his fancy coat. Our fingers brush when we both reach for the same piece.
Zap.
I swear electricity shoots up my arm. I yank my hand back like I got burned.
He notices. His mouth twitches. Not a smile, but close.
"I'm Jamie," I blurt out, because apparently my mouth has disconnected from my brain.
"Leo," he says. Lies. I can tell it's a lie. His voice is too smooth, too practiced.
He stands up, towering over me again. I have to crane my neck. Why is he still here? Why is he looking at me like that?
"I owe you," I say, voice shaky. "Free drink? Anything?"
He shakes his head. "Not necessary."
Then he just… leaves.
The bell chimes. He's gone.
I stand there like a dumbass, staring at the door, heart still racing.
What the hell just happened?
*****
Hours later I'm locking up the back door, dead on my feet, replaying the whole thing in my head for the hundredth time.
Leo. Fake name, definitely. But god, those eyes. That voice. The way he stepped in like it was nothing. Like scaring off Silas was easy.
I'm smiling like an idiot when my phone buzzes.
News alert.
I open it without thinking.
LOCAL BUSINESSMAN SILAS ADAMS FOUND DEAD IN APPARENT PROFESSIONAL HIT
My blood turns to ice.
There's a photo. It's him. The guy whose suit I ruined. The guy Leo threatened.
My hands start shaking so bad I almost drop my phone.
This wasn't a mugging.This was planned.
This was… an assassination.
The alley suddenly feels way too dark. Too quiet.
I swear the air gets heavier.
I look up, slow, because every horror movie ever told me not to.
Across the street, in the shadows.
A tiny orange glow. A cigarette.
Someone's watching me.
The figure steps forward into the streetlight.
It's him.
Leo.
He takes a long drag, his eyes never leaving mine. They're not soft anymore, his eyes were cold…empty.
Like he's looking at something he already decided to break.
He drops the cigarette.Crushes it under his boot.
And starts walking toward me…I can't move…can't breathe.
I'm so fucked.