Ch 2: Her reply.

Life returned to its usual rhythm. The morning began the same way it always did—brushing teeth, taking a shower, dressing up, and rushing through breakfast. For Sam Foster, it was just another day in the routine of an entrepreneur, running Passion Industries with the precision of a man who had little time for distractions. And yet, beneath the structure of his daily life, a small part of him was restless.

He had almost forgotten about the letter—the absurd, intriguing letter he had stumbled upon in the library, tucked away between the pages of an old book. It had been a moment of curiosity, an impulse that led him to respond to a stranger's words. But would she reply?

He told himself it didn't matter. It was just a passing interaction, a trivial detour from his well-organized life. But still, the thought lingered in his restless mind.

Meanwhile, the one who had started it all returned to the library, expecting to find her letter undisturbed, exactly where she had left it. But when she flipped through the pages, what she found wasn't the note she had written. She stared at it for a long moment, her fingers tracing the edges of the paper.

Someone had written back a reply for her in response to her letter.

Her name was Janet. An English teacher at a local high school and an avid lover of literature. Books had always been more than just words on a page for her; they were windows to different worlds, places where emotions ran deeper and stories felt more alive than reality itself.

The letter had been nothing but a spontaneous act—a character-driven impulse that had struck her while she was immersed in a particularly enthralling novel. It had started as a joke, a moment of whimsy, as she had scribbled down her thoughts in the style of the book's protagonist. She had never expected anyone to see it. Certainly not to answer.

Yet, here it was. A reply.

And it wasn't just any response—it was intriguing. The writer, who signed off as Mr. S, had a unique style, filled with charm and a wit that made her smile as she read his words. There was a rhythm to his writing, a voice that felt strangely familiar yet completely unknown.

She paused, tapping the edge of the letter against her lips.

Would it be foolish to write back?

The idea thrilled her more than she wanted to admit. She was somewhat impressed by the reply she got and wanted to play along. And decided she would write back not as Janet, but as Lady J, embracing the role with an excitement that made her heart race. When she was done, she carefully folded the letter and placed it deep inside the book once more. A part of her wondered—would Mr. S return to find it?

Sam on the other hand couldn't just stay out of business for a long time. So there he was, back to being the face of Passion Industries. And he was going about his daily routine and almost completely forgot about that letter. Weeks went by and he almost completely forgot about that letter incident. Until one day when he had to travel to the countryside for a promo event for their latest handbag series. They were launching at a new location and he was extremely excited about it. As expected it was a successful launch and the event was wrapped within the expected time. Call it fate or coincidence that on his way back home, his car broke down in the middle of the road as smoke came running down the bonnet.

He was with his driver and was frustrated at the scene. His driver noticed his discomfort and went out to try to solve the issue, while Sam was getting agitated since the ac was not working. He got out of his car and decided to take a walk until the issue was resolved. It was a remote place and he was enjoying the scenic view. That's when he recognised the road and just out of curiosity decided to check the book again. But upon entering the place he couldn't find it. He asked the librarian but he couldn't find it either. Sam relentlessly searched the entire book shelf with books on the same genre and after a thorough search, he was finally able to find the book placed at a different section of the bookshelf. His face lit up with a smile after finding it. He opened the book, hoping to find a letter. And sure enough the other person replied back to his letter. Sam gave out a faint smile, which was noticed by the librarian as well.

The mystery girl wrote;

Dear Mr. S,

I must admit, your reply caught me off guard. I never imagined that someone would read that letter as I did it for fun. However I found your thoughts on this matter a bit interesting. Let's call this fate as we two strangers with different opinions on the idea came face to face.

You asked what we might do if you were my prince charming. Would we escape reality or carve out a quiet corner of our own? I'd say why not both? Let's rewrite the story and create a world where the lines between fantasy and reality blur.

You call love unrealistic, but isn't it the most wonderful fantasy of all? It's fleeting, imperfect yet it has the power to color even the dullest of lives. Maybe, just maybe, it's worth believing in.

Now, if you were to be my Prince charming what would you do to win the heart of your beloved. Let's play the role, shall we?

Yours truly,

Lady J.

Sam read it with great excitement and joy. For the first time in a long while, he felt the thrill of something new and unpredictable. He had been with many exciting people but she seemed more interesting to him than any soul on earth. With this newly found inspiration he folded the letter and ran to his car to fetch a pen and paper. With a sense of pure delight and visible smile on his face, he drafted his response but not as the CEO but rather a common man with the fictional character called Mr S. As it turned out, Sam wanted to be a writer, but he wasn't particularly good at writing or keeping his audience engaged. So he was excited to have a connection to it. He carefully drafted his letter and put it back inside the book, placing it where it belonged. Hoping that she will read it.