Maybe she deserved something sweet after all the bitterness lately.

Rumors at school, whispers behind her back, and that mysterious number.

Everything felt bitter lately.

The thought was random, almost childish, but strangely comforting. A small, harmless way to balance the bitterness. So she grabbed her phone and purse, telling the housekeeper she'd be out for a short walk, and stepped outside.

The evening air was cool. Streetlights flickered alive one by one, throwing long shadows across the quiet neighborhood. Her mansion stood tall behind her beautiful, grand, and painfully empty.

The small ice cream parlor at the corner of road,which lead to the center of the city, glowed warmly in contrast. A chime rang as she pushed open the glass door, and the familiar scent of sugar and melted chocolate hit her senses. The cozy hum of background music was soothing; it reminded her there were still corners of the world untouched by chaos.

"Chocolate scoop with extra drizzle," she murmured to the server at the counter her usual.

"Eat-in or take-away?" a calm voice asked.

She looked up, and forgot how to breathe.

The man behind the counter wasn't familiar.

Tall, broad-shouldered, sleeves rolled to the forearms, veins tracing faint lines along pale skin. Soft hazel eyes didn't quite match the stoic face above them.

Even under the warm lights, there was a quiet coldness to him, something contained. 

"Eat-in," she managed to reply.

A nod, then silence, the steady sound of the scoop against metal. His movements were precise, unhurried but sure.

When the cup was set before her, the voice came again.

"Enjoy before it melts."

She blinked. Something about that tone it felt oddly familiar.

He turned to leave, and she spoke before she could stop herself.

"Have we met before?"

He paused, then looked at her. "Maybe." His lips tilted slightly, almost a smile, but not quite. "You like visiting parks."

Her spoon froze midway to her mouth. "How do you know"

"I saw you yesterday," he interrupted, his gaze lowering briefly. "You shouldn't stay out late. It's not safe. After you left, there were some thugs near the alley. I thought… you might've crossed paths with them."

Her chest tightened. So he was that voice the stranger who had told her to go home.

"I see," she said softly. Relief and discomfort tangled in her chest.

He pushed a small plate toward her. "Extra brownie. Complimentary."

She blinked in surprise. "I didn't order that."

"You didn't have to."

"Why?"

"You look like you could use something sweet," he said simply, turning away to adjust a nearby chair.

Something sweet.

Her lips curved faintly, despite herself. "Thanks

 you… uh"

"Shane," unhurried he said, glancing back at her. "Shane Anderson."

The name stirred something half-remembered. "I've heard that before."

"Maybe at school," he said casually. "I'm in Section C. We don't interact much with Section B."

She frowned slightly. "Really? I don't think I could forget a face like yours."

This time, his lips did curve into a full smile but it wasn't the kind of smile that reached his eyes. It was subtle, calculated. "Guess I'm just easy to miss."

The way he said it made her pulse skip.

She looked down, pretending to focus on her melting ice cream. The sweetness suddenly felt heavier than it should.

When she glanced up again, he was still nearby, not hovering, but not leaving either, presence calm and steady like the hum of the breeze.

The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable… but it wasn't peaceful either.

To fill it, she said, "Do you work here often?"

"In evening," he replied. "One of part-time jobs."

"You must be busy," she said, trying to sound polite.

 A low chuckle. "You could say that."

Then his eyes softened a little, almost imperceptibly. "You really should be more careful, Flora."

The spoon clinked softly against the cup.

"How do you know my name?"

A beat of surprise flickered across his expression as if he didn't expect, she'd ask something obvious. "You're… well-known. Everyone does."

"Oh." Her voice came out smaller than she intended. "Right."

He nodded once, then turned away to attend another customer.

Flora finished her ice cream in silence, unsure what unsettled her more, his words, or the way he said them.

"Thanks for the brownie," she said, forming a small smile.

"Anytime," Shane replied. His tone was polite again, emotionless.

The bell chimed as she stepped outside.

The night air brushed against her skin, carrying the faint scent of cream and sugar.

She walked slowly, the taste of chocolate still on her tongue

She took a few steps, then hesitated.

Turning back slightly, she saw Shane through the shop window, standing where she'd left him. His expression was unreadable neither friendly nor distant. Just calm.

Her phone buzzed. She jumped, heartbeat quick, before realizing it was a food-delivery notification.

A laugh slipped out. "Get a grip, Flora."

Yet even as she walked away, a warmth lingered beneath her skin, an ache between fear and something dangerously close to fascination.

The evening air had cooled, brushing against her skin.

She walked slowly, the faint sweetness of chocolate still lingering on her tongue.

Across the street, in a parked car on main road, light from a laptop flickered faintly through the windshield just enough to silhouette a figure inside. The glow shifted, patterns of code and coordinates scrolling in quiet rhythm, though the screen's details were impossible to make out from a distance.

Inside, Liam leaned back in the back seat, rubbing his temple with tired fingers. He'd been running diagnostics for Brandon's company system all afternoon, tracing data.

He exhaled slowly, shutting the laptop with a soft click.

Outside, through the glass, a girl crossed the street under the streetlight, a brief silhouette in gold before turning the corner. He recognize her at first glance, and yet… something about the way she held herself stirred a memory he couldn't name.

The light turned green. Cab driver started the engine, the car merging quietly into traffic.

---

Note:

A presence that's lingered in the quiet is starting to move closer, not through a screen this time, but through her everyday world.

It's the beginning of something she can't predict, and it will change her in ways no one expects.