Alicia's week had been a blur of concrete and tight deadlines. The project for the new cultural center demanded a precision that her tired mind could barely deliver. At night, the silence of her apartment was filled only by the sound of the wind rattling the windows—a loneliness she tried to ignore by burying herself in technical books.
That night, she decided to do something different. She needed to get out, to see people, to feel like she was still part of the living world. She chose a small Italian restaurant tucked away on a side street, where the amber lighting and the scent of fresh basil and red wine promised some comfort.
What she didn't know was that at a reserved table in the back, shrouded by the shadows of the luxurious decor, Arthur Carter was watching her.
Arthur hated public dining. To him, every stranger's gaze was a potential threat, a reminder of the hands that, years ago, had scarred him in ways money couldn't heal. But seeing her walk in—the same woman from the sidewalk—he felt his guard drop by an imperceptible inch.
She was alone. She wore no expensive jewelry, nor did she try to draw attention. There was an elegant melancholy in her gestures as she ordered a glass of wine.
After dinner, Alicia rose to go to the restroom. The path was narrow, decorated with dark wood panels. As she turned the corner of the hallway, her thoughts were miles away, lost in a structural calculation, when the world collided again.
Her heel caught slightly on the carpet, and she stumbled forward.
"Careful," a deep voice, like the sound of a cello, resonated above her.
Before she could hit the ground, firm hands caught her by the waist. The touch was electric. Through the thin fabric of her dress, Alicia felt the warmth of his palms. For a moment, time stopped again—but this time there was no flash, only the intense scent of sandalwood and leather emanating from the man in front of her.
She looked up and met a pair of gray eyes, deep and icy, that seemed to read her soul.
"Sorry... I... I got distracted," Alicia stammered, feeling her face burn.
Arthur didn't let go immediately. His fingers, usually tense in the presence of women, relaxed over the curve of her waist. He was mesmerized by the proximity. Her skin was pale like porcelain, and there was a fragrance of jasmine that calmed him in a way he couldn't explain.
"It's alright," he replied, his voice softening. "Are you hurt?"
"No, thank you." She composed herself, and he finally withdrew his hands, feeling a sudden lack of that contact.
Alicia hurried away, her heart hammering against her ribs. Arthur stood still in the corridor, watching her go. He felt the weight of the scar on his flank, the kidney that had been taken from him, and felt a pang of something that wasn't physical pain. It was curiosity. It was a hunger for something more than power.
Alicia left the restaurant half an hour later. The night was cool, and she decided to walk a few blocks to process the strange encounter. Behind her, Arthur's black Rolls-Royce crawled at a snail's pace.
"Go slowly, James," Arthur ordered the driver, his eyes fixed on Alicia's silhouette under the streetlights.
He admired her from afar—the way she hugged her own body against the cold, the determination in her steps. He wanted to know where she was going, who she was waiting for...
Suddenly, the silence of the street was cut by the shrill ring of Alicia's phone.
Arthur saw the exact moment her posture changed. She stopped abruptly. She pressed her hand to her mouth. The device nearly slipped from her fingers.
"What? No... it can't be. I'm coming now!"
Her cry was muffled by a sob. Alicia began to run, desperate, trying to flag down a taxi with a trembling hand, tears already staining her face under the yellow streetlights.
Inside the car, Arthur's face hardened. The instinctive protection he had felt for the dog now extended to this woman.
"Follow her," he ordered, his voice cold and decisive. "Don't lose sight of her."
Fate was leading them both to the only place where hope and pain meet: the sterile corridors of a hospital.