I laughed, "Barely got past security. I switched clothes in an empty lounge."
She looked at me with equal parts amazement and worry. "You're fearless and crazy. I love it, but don't do it again, okay?"
I laughed softly. "Don't worry, I'm not recruiting anyone." My voice quieted. "But it felt real."
She nodded slowly. "Okay. But promise me you'll be safe?"
I held her hand
"I promise, Christine."
She stood. "I have to go to work. Text me details later?"
"Always," I said, watching her leave.
I set my latte aside. My heart was still beating fast, but it was calmer now compared to before. I learned back and took a deep breath.
Then the bell above the café door jingled. I looked up and gasped. He entered- suited, sharp, posture confident, jawline strong enough to cut glass. It was Alexander
"Hi Elara," he said gently.
My chest tightened. "Alexander! Why are you here?" My voice came out small.
"Can I call you Alex?" I said, looking into his blue eyes
He didn't answer right away.
"Wait- how do you even know my name?"
Instead of replying, he removed a small blue box from his jacket and placed it on the table between us. "Open it/" he said softly.
I hesitated first, then lifted the same gold locket he gave me. The letter "A" gleamed on the inside.
I ran my finger along the curve of the letter. "You gave me this…"
He nodded. "It was my mother's. It will protect you."
"Protect me?" I asked, confused. "Protect me from what?"
The café got quiet. I could feel people staring at us, probably wondering why a girl like me was sitting with a billionaire from the Milton family.
Alex leaned in, voice low. "From my family. From our magic. My brother, Martin, thinks you're dangerous. And maybe… You are. My fire fades when I'm near you."
I blinked. My mind raced back to the fancy party. The broken cufflinks. The flickering lights. "So it's real? All of it-magic?"
He nodded slowly, "Yes. And I shouldn't have given you that locket so quickly. I just reacted, but it's already happened."
"You were wrong?" I whispered back, "But you're never wrong, I heard."
My voice cracked. My chest tightened again, but this time it felt like something deeper. "So I'm part of your secret now?"
Alex looked at me, eyes serious. "Yes."
We both fell silent. Outside the café window, the street was as usual, but inside my world had shifted. Nothing felt normal anymore.
He cleared his throat. "Tonight, I want you to come to my place. Alone."
"Why?" I asked. I tried to calm my voice, but I couldn't
His eyes looked at mine. "I want to help your father. And I want to help you. But we have to figure out what's happening to us. We'll do it together."
I looked down at the locket again, heart pounding. Then up at him. "How do you know about my father?"
"I know he was sent away from his city because of what he knew," He said
"I knew it, he wasn't crazy," I said, looking at his eyes
He didn't look away. "Yes, I've been watching. And I do care."
That stopped my breath for a second.
"Why are you helping him?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Alex leaned closer. "Because helping him means helping you."
"Because I can't stand by when someone gets hurt. I can help him. No one else must know. Meet me in front of the foyer. In three hours."
My day went by so slowly. I tried painting a sky with soft colors, but every stroke looked blurred, and every noise made my heart race. What would happen tonight? How could I trust him?
At the same time, Alex moved through his big mansion. Phones rang. Meetings happened. But he paused often. I pictured him looking at screens, feeds showing me like a ghost, lonely in the café, going home. I worried: what did I owe him now?
Behind hidden doors, Martin watched. He looked at the screens that showed me. He saw the locket on my neck. His jaw tightened.
"She wears the Milton heirloom," he whispered. "She's testing us."
He pressed a key. The locket glowed bright gold on camera.
Evening came, and I put a nice coat over my tight red dress. My red lipstick caught the glow as the guard led me inside. He closed the door behind us and I paused at the entrance. He was there- Alex.
At first, he stood still. His dark suit was perfect, he stood tall, and his jawline looked sharp in the warm firelight. A single flame flickered behind me, but my eyes were drawn to the red of my lips and my dress. He acted like he didn't see, then looked away and cleared his throat
He took a careful step closer. "I've talked to my contact in New York - he'll be meeting your father soon," he said with a steady voice.
"Thank you, Alex," I said
"What do I owe you now" I asked as I looked him in his blue ocean eyes
He nodded, then asked quietly, "Tell me about your drawing."
I pulled my sketchbook from my coat. I handed it to him. It showed windows, fountains, balconies lines I had drawn from memory.
"You drew every detail," Alex said: "From memory."
I looked at him, unsure. I had only looked at his house once from the street. But I drew for hours after that.
Alex stepped closer. "You have a gift."
"I suppose in the ordinary world," I said, my voice steady as I reached for his gaze, "We'd call it… talent."
He let out a quick breath, the corner of his mouth twitched, but then he shook his head and stopped himself from laughing.
You think I have a gift?" I asked as I was trying to catch him staring at me, but he was busy looking at the sketchbook.
"I don't know that yet. But it could help us or ruin everything my family built."
My heart beat fast. I stared at the paper. "I don't want to hurt anyone," I whispered.
"Alex, I don't want to hurt anyone," I said to him
He reached for my hand. "Neither do I. That's why I chose you."
"You won't hurt anyone," He said
Suddenly, doors burst open. Footsteps filled the hallway.