The café wasn't crowded.Good for work. Bad for overthinking.
Yalina sat near the window, laptop open, coffee almost untouched. She had been staring at the same line for the past five minutes.
"Unknown figure involved in multiple illegal deals…"
Unknown.
She hated that word.
"Who are you…" she muttered under her breath, pressing her lips together.
Outside, it had started raining. Not heavily… just enough to make everything look blurry. People rushing, cars passing, lights reflecting on wet roads.
Her kind of scene.
Quiet. Messy. Full of secrets.
She was about to start typing again when the café door opened.
A small thing.
But still… she noticed.
Cold air slipped inside first.
Then someone walked in.
She didn't look immediately. Habit. She didn't care about random people.
But something felt… off.
You know that feeling?When your mind says ignore, but your instincts say look?
Yeah. That.
Her fingers slowed down.
Then stopped.
She looked up.
And for a second… she forgot what she was doing.
He wasn't doing anything special. Just standing there.
But still… he didn't fit.
Black shirt. Dark eyes. Calm face.Too calm.
Like nothing in the world could touch him.
Her gaze stayed on him longer than it should have.
And then—
He looked back.
Directly.
No hesitation. No awkwardness. No "oh sorry" kind of reaction.
Just… straight eye contact.
Yalina blinked first.
"Okay… weird," she whispered, looking back at her screen.
Focus.
She tried typing again.
Didn't work.
She could still feel it.
That… presence.
Before she could process it properly—
Footsteps.
Coming closer.
Her grip tightened slightly around her cup.
Please don't come here.
The footsteps stopped.
Right in front of her table.
She looked up.
Of course.
It was him.
"Occupied?" he asked.
His voice was low. Not rude. Not polite either. Just… steady.
Yalina frowned a little. "There are empty tables."
"I know."
Then why are you here? she wanted to say.
Instead, she just stared at him.
He pulled the chair.
And sat.
Just like that.
No permission. No hesitation.
Yalina leaned back slightly. "Do I know you?"
A small smile. Barely there.
"No."
"Then—"
"But I know you."
That hit differently.
Her brows pulled together. "Excuse me?"
He didn't repeat himself. Just kept looking at her like he had all the time in the world.
And suddenly, she didn't feel as in control as she usually did.
Which she hated.
"Look, if this is some kind of joke—"
"It's not."
Short. Simple.
Annoying.
"Then who are you?" she asked, this time more serious.
He leaned forward a little.
Not too close.
But enough to make her aware of him.
"Someone you should stay away from."
For a second, she almost laughed.
Almost.
"Then you should probably take your own advice."
There it was. Her usual confidence.
But something about him… didn't change.
Not even a little.
"Why are you here?" she asked again.
A pause.
He looked at her laptop screen for a second. Then back at her.
"To see how far you've gone."
Her stomach dropped.
"What?"
His eyes darkened slightly.
"In your search."
Silence.
Real silence this time.
Not the comfortable café kind.
The kind that makes your chest feel tight.
"You're mistaken," she said quickly.
But even she knew… that didn't sound convincing.
"Am I?" he tilted his head slightly.
God. He was calm.
Too calm.
"How do you know my name?" she asked, her voice lower now.
Because he hadn't said it yet.
But she knew.
He would.
And he did.
"Yalina."
Just like that.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Her fingers curled slightly on the table.
"Who sent you?" she asked.
"No one."
"Then why—"
"Be careful."
He stood up.
Conversation over. Just like that.
Yalina blinked. "What?"
"Some truths are not meant to be found," he said, adjusting his sleeve.
Her heart was beating faster now. She hated it.
"And if I don't stop?" she challenged.
He looked at her.
Really looked.
And for the first time… something changed in his expression.
Something… darker.
"Then you won't like what you find."
A pause.
Then he added, softer this time—
"Or what finds you."
And just like that…
He walked away.
No drama. No looking back immediately.
Just gone.
Like he was never supposed to stay.
Yalina sat there, still.
Her coffee was cold now.
Her screen still open.
But her mind?
Completely somewhere else.
She exhaled slowly.
"Who the hell was that…"
But deep down…
She already knew one thing.
This wasn't random.
This wasn't coincidence.
This was—
The beginning of something she wouldn't be able to walk away from.