Aelina wasn't used to routine.
Waking up at the same time. Wearing the same apron. Smiling at strangers who didn't care about her name. But the café gave her shelter, and in this city, that meant everything.
Still, every time the doorbell rang, she tensed.
Waiting.
For him.
He didn't come back the next day. Or the one after.
And for some reason, that bothered her more than she wanted to admit.
Kael, however, hadn't stopped thinking about her.
The girl with the quiet eyes and a spine made of steel.
He'd watched the café from afar, through his car window, through surveillance footage. She moved like someone who didn't belong—but refused to leave. Each step calculated. Each smile forced.
She was hiding something.
And he wanted to know what.
On the fourth day, she found him waiting.
Not at the café, but just outside, leaning against his sleek black car, dressed in charcoal gray this time.
Arrogant. Imposing. And entirely too calm.
Aelina stopped in her tracks.
"I'm working," she said simply.
"Not anymore." He tossed a white envelope toward her. She caught it instinctively.
Inside: a week's worth of café wages—multiplied by ten.
"What is this?"
"Your new job."
She frowned. "I didn't agree to anything."
Kael stepped closer, just enough to tower slightly. "You intrigue me. I want to know more. Consider this… compensation for your time."
She crossed her arms. "You think I'll sell my story for money?"
"No," he said, calm as ever. "I think you're smarter than that. And I think you know staying hidden in this city will get harder every day."
Silence.
Then she handed the envelope back.
He didn't take it.
"You don't scare me," she said.
"You should," he replied.
Then, as if bored, he stepped aside and opened the passenger door of his car.
"Get in. Let me show you something."
She got in.
Maybe out of curiosity. Maybe because a part of her didn't want to keep running.
Or maybe because, despite his arrogance, Kael hadn't touched her. Hadn't forced anything. He simply… waited. And that was more dangerous than violence.
The leather seat was soft beneath her. The car smelled of leather, spice, and something expensive she couldn't name.
Kael drove in silence. He didn't glance at her, didn't ask questions. He just drove—out of the city, toward the cliffs.
The car stopped at a private viewpoint, overlooking the bay. Wind swept through the air, cool and sharp.
He stepped out first. She followed.
They stood at the edge, the world stretching wide in front of them. Below, the city glittered like stars trapped in glass.
"You grew up in the forest," he said, not asking. Stating.
"Yes."
"Alone?"
She hesitated. "Yes."
"You survived. Which means you're either very lucky… or very dangerous."
She gave him a sideways glance. "You brought me here just to guess my past?"
"No. I brought you here to tell you about your future."
That made her eyebrows rise.
He turned to her fully now, hands in his pockets. "I have enemies. People who want to break what I've built. They dig through everything—every file, every employee, every face that crosses my path."
"And you thought I'd be safer working for you?"
"No." His eyes locked with hers. "But I would be able to protect you."
That word.
Protect.
It struck a chord she didn't know existed.
She took a step back. "I don't need protection."
He followed. "Everyone needs protection."
"I've survived worse than this city."
"Then let me make it easier."
"Why?" she demanded.
He paused.
And for the first time, his tone shifted—just slightly. "Because you look at me like I'm human. And I haven't had that in a long time."
Her breath caught.
The wind stirred her hair, lifting strands across her face. She didn't brush them away.
"You don't even know me," she whispered.
He stepped closer again, and this time, she didn't move.
"No. But I want to."
Later that night, she sat alone in a small apartment Kael had arranged. It was minimal but warm. A bed, a desk, a bathroom with hot water. She hadn't had that in… ever.
She didn't unpack. Just sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the ceiling.
What was she doing?
Letting a stranger offer her a life she didn't understand? Trusting someone with eyes as cold as snow and a voice full of secrets?
But he hadn't lied to her.
Not once.
That scared her more than anything.
---
Kael sat in his office, high above the city, watching the security feed on his laptop.
She was there.
Sitting. Breathing. Thinking.
Still wild.
Still untamed.
He didn't want to break her.
He wanted to understand her.
And maybe—just maybe—he wanted her to understand him too.