Chapter 3: The Unforeseen Encounter

The rain poured relentlessly, drumming against the glass windows of the small coffee shop tucked away in a quiet corner of the city. Evelyn Carter sat by the window, watching the water droplets race down the glass. She absently stirred her cappuccino, lost in thought. Today had been one of those days—meetings that ran overtime, a project deadline creeping closer, and now, to top it off, she was caught in a downpour without an umbrella.

With a sigh, she glanced at her phone. No messages. No missed calls. It was funny how silence could be so loud. Just as she was about to put her phone down, the bell above the café door jingled, and a man rushed in, shaking out his wet hair like a stray dog who had been out in the storm for too long. Evelyn barely spared him a glance until she heard the barista call out a name that made her stomach tighten.

"Mr. Sterling, your usual?"

Evelyn's fingers froze around the ceramic cup. There was no way. No. Way.

She turned her head slowly, her heart pounding against her ribs. Standing by the counter, casually brushing rain off his leather jacket, was Alexander Sterling. The same Alexander Sterling she had spent the last five years trying to forget.

He hadn't changed much—his dark hair was a little longer, his jawline sharper, but his eyes? Still the same shade of stormy blue that had once made her weak in the knees.

Evelyn swallowed, willing herself to look away before he could notice her, but luck had never been her friend. The moment she shifted in her seat, his gaze lifted, locking onto hers like a missile finding its target.

For a second, neither of them moved. The air between them crackled, thick with unspoken words, unresolved tension, and memories she had buried deep. She thought about pretending she hadn't seen him, turning away, maybe even running. But before she could act, his lips curved into that infuriatingly smug smile.

"Well, well," he drawled, stepping closer. "If it isn't Evelyn Carter."

Her stomach flipped. Damn it.

She put down her cup carefully and forced herself to meet his gaze with a neutral expression. "Alexander."

He raised an eyebrow, amused. "No 'Alex'? You used to call me that."

"I used to do a lot of things," she said smoothly, reaching for her bag. "But we all grow up, don't we?"

He let out a low chuckle, taking the seat across from her without invitation. "Touché. So, what brings you here? Business or pleasure?"

She exhaled through her nose, annoyed at how easily he could rattle her. "It's a coffee shop. People come here to drink coffee."

"Ah," he said, nodding as he leaned back. "So, neither. Just escaping the rain, then?"

"What do you want, Alexander?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

He studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, in a tone that was far too casual, he said, "I heard you were back in town. Thought I'd see for myself."

She narrowed her eyes. "And why would you care?"

He tilted his head, as if considering his next words carefully. "Let's just say I have a vested interest."

Her grip tightened on her bag. This wasn't a game she wanted to play. Not with him. Not again.

"You don't get to have a 'vested interest' in my life anymore," she said firmly. "That ship sailed a long time ago."

His smirk faded slightly, and for a fleeting second, she thought she saw something else in his expression—something almost... regretful. But it was gone before she could decipher it.

"Fair enough," he said, standing up. "But just so you know, some ships have a funny way of finding their way back to port."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "That's poetic, but I'm not in the mood for metaphors."

He chuckled, tossing a few bills onto the table to cover her drink. "Then I'll keep it simple, Evelyn. We'll be seeing each other again. Soon."

And just like that, he walked away, leaving her staring after him, her heart pounding, her mind reeling.

Damn it.

She had just spent five years running from her past, and in the span of five minutes, it had caught up with her again.