After nearly twenty-five minutes of riding through the city, the taxi finally came to a stop.
I looked out of the window as we arrived at our destination.
A large sign hung above the entrance.
The Willow Cafe The name was written in elegant calligraphy across the board, giving the place a sophisticated yet cozy feeling.
Even from outside, I could sense the energy coming from inside.
Voices.
Laughter.
The constant movement of people.
This didn’t look like a quiet little café.
It looked like a place everyone knew about.
Sarah paid the driver while Remi and I stepped out.
“Come on,” Sarah said excitedly, already walking toward the entrance.
I followed behind them, curious.
The moment we entered through the front door…
I stopped.
I had clearly misunderstood something.
A large table occupied the center of the café.
A huge one.
It stretched across the middle of the room, with people sitting around it, talking and laughing.
For a second, I assumed they were just another group of customers.
Until…
Everyone at the table suddenly turned toward us.
And then their faces lit up.
“Sarah!” Several voices called out her name excitedly.
Sarah immediately waved back.
That was when I realized.
This wasn’t another group.
This was her group.
I looked at the long table again.
This was definitely not what I imagined when she said *a small celebration.
*I leaned slightly toward Remi.
“This is small?” Remi looked at me for a moment before giving a quiet smile.
“For Sarah?” She glanced toward the crowd.
I stared at her.
Before I could process it further, Sarah grabbed my hand.
“Come on, Meave.
I want you to meet everyone.” And before I could protest, I was pulled toward the table.
The moment I sat down, I could feel them.
The gazes.
Some were curious.
Some were questioning.
And some…
Some looked like they recognized me.
I tried my best not to look uncomfortable, but my body had already gone stiff.
I sat there silently, unable to form the right words.
I wasn’t used to this.
Social gatherings were never really my thing.
Apart from the occasional family gatherings that I had to attend, I rarely found myself surrounded by so many people.
Usually, my world was small.
It was either Paige and Alden.
Or just me.
I had never been the type of person who could walk into a room full of strangers and immediately start conversations.
Watching Sarah move around the table so comfortably almost felt like watching someone from another world.
She laughed with everyone.
Introduced people to each other.
Talked as if she had known them for years.
Meanwhile, I was sitting there trying to remember how normal people behaved in situations like this.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t even notice someone approaching me.
Not until the empty chair beside me moved.
I turned slightly.
A man had taken the seat beside me.
He looked a little older than me, perhaps a few years.
“Hi, I’m Zane.” The man smiled and extended his hand toward me.
“You must be Meave.” I looked at him for a second before accepting his handshake.
“Yes.
Nice to meet you.” The moment my name left my mouth…
The entire table went silent.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
It was almost as if someone had pressed a pause button.
And suddenly, every pair of eyes turned toward me I froze slightly.
Did I say something wrong?
I looked around the table, confused by the sudden change in atmosphere.
Then a girl sitting across the long table spoke.
“Meave Calloway.” Her voice carried clearly through the silence.
“The intern at ESSPU.” I looked toward her.
I didn’t know her name.
She had long hair that was so light it almost looked white under the café lights, making her stand out among everyone else at the table.
But what caught my attention more was the way everyone reacted after she said those words.
ESSPU.
The moment the department name was mentioned, their expressions changed.
I didn’t understand.
Was ESSPU really that unusual?
I knew the department had a reputation inside Westbridge, but I never expected people outside it to react this strongly.
Zane noticed my confusion.
“You might not know this…” He leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice.
“But you are kind of everyone’s topic these days.” My eyes widened slightly.
“Me?” He nodded.
I looked around the table again.
Everyone was still watching me.
“Why?” Zane exchanged a glance with the others before smiling slightly.
“Because no one expected ESSPU to take someone new.” The girl with the pale blonde hair leaned back in her chair.
“Especially not an intern.” I didn’t know what to say.
Before I could even process Zane’s words, another voice came from across the table.
A man I hadn’t met before leaned forward slightly.
“I didn’t even know they were recruiting employees at ESSPU.” His deep voice carried a hint of surprise.
“If I had known, I would have definitely shown my interest during the interview.” Before I could think further, the man sitting beside him looked at him as if he had just said something unbelievable.
“You want to work at ESSPU?” His expression was full of disbelief.
“Are you crazy?” A few people around the table laughed.
It was strange.
Everyone seemed to have such strong opinions about my department.
Some sounded impressed.
Some sounded terrified.
And some sounded like they were simply curious.
Before I could understand their reactions, another voice interrupted.
A girl sitting beside Zane leaned toward me with an excited expression.
“Wait, are your bosses really handsome?” I stared at her.
The sudden change in topic caught me off guard.
She looked completely serious.
“Can you invite them sometime?” My eyes widened slightly.
A few people around the table started laughing.
And then the questions started coming.
“What are they like?” “Is Alexander as scary as people say?
“Is it true Damian is impossible to approach?” “Is Julian really that playful?” “Who is the nicest among them?” The questions came one after another.
I barely had time to answer.
I opened my mouth several times, but before I could respond to one question, another one followed.
It was overwhelming.
I had spent the entire week working with them, yet hearing everyone talk about them made me realize something.
To me, they were simply my bosses.
But to everyone else…
They were almost like celebrities inside Westbridge.
To my huge relief, my phone suddenly vibrated inside my pocket.
I almost sighed in gratitude.
Anything to escape the endless questions.
I quickly pulled out my phone and saw the name on the screen.
Paige.
Without wasting another second, I stood up.
“I’ll be back.” I gave everyone a small smile before stepping away from the table.
The noise of the café slowly faded as I walked outside.
I found a quieter alley beside the café, away from the crowd and the loud conversations.
The cool night air felt refreshing.
I looked at my phone again and was about to answer the call when— Someone suddenly collided with my back.
I stumbled forward slightly, almost dropping my phone.
I quickly turned around.
A man was standing behind me.
Or rather…
He was barely standing.
His breathing was uneven, and his face was filled with fear.
His eyes moved constantly, looking around the dark alley as if he was expecting someone to appear.
Then his gaze landed on me.
“Please…
help me.” His voice was barely above a whisper.
I frowned.
He stepped closer, desperation visible on his face.
“Please…
someone is looking for me.” His words came out rushed.
“Please help me.” I looked around.
The alley was almost empty.
The café’s lights barely reached this side, leaving most of the area covered in darkness.
The only source of light came from a street lamp at the far corner, flickering slightly.
A strange feeling settled inside me.
Something wasn’t right.
I was about to take out my phone and call the police when— THUD.
The sound of a punch echoed through the alley.
My entire body froze.
Before I could even understand what happened, the man who had been begging me for help collapsed onto the ground.
Unconscious.
My eyes widened.
I slowly looked up.
Someone was standing behind him.
I adjusted my eyes to the dim light of the alley.
The person standing in front of me slowly became clearer.
And then I recognized him.
My eyes widened.
“Julian?” The name escaped my mouth louder than I intended.
Immediately, his head turned toward me.
“Shh.” He quickly raised a finger to his lips.
“Keep your voice down.
Someone will hear.” I stared at him, completely confused.
What was Julian doing here?
Why was he here?
And why had he just knocked someone unconscious?
“What are you—” Before I could finish my sentence, Julian ignored my question and crouched down beside the unconscious man.
“Come on, help me lift him up.” I blinked.
“Help you?” I looked at the man lying on the ground.
Then back at Julian.
“What the hell, Julian?” But instead of answering, he looked at me seriously.
The playful expression I was used to seeing on his face was gone.
“Meave, listen to me.” His voice was low.
“I’ll explain everything, but right now we need to move.” I stayed frozen for a second.
This was not the Julian I knew.
The person standing in front of me wasn’t joking.
“Quick,” he continued.
“Help me take him to that car.” Before I could ask anything else, a black car suddenly appeared at the end of the alley.
My heartbeat quickened.
This situation was becoming more confusing by the second.
A man had begged me for help.
Julian had appeared out of nowhere.
And now there was a mysterious car waiting for us.
I glanced around nervously.
The alley was still quiet, but the fear that someone could come looking for the unconscious man made my decision for me.
I quickly grabbed my phone and held it tightly in my hand.
Then I moved toward Julian.
Together, we lifted the unconscious man.
He was heavier than I expected, making my arms strain slightly.
Julian noticed and immediately adjusted his grip.
“Careful.” We got inside the car.
The unconscious man was placed between Julian and me, his body leaning slightly as the car immediately started moving.
My mind was still trying to catch up with everything that had happened.
A few minutes ago, I was sitting inside a café answering questions about my bosses.
And now…
Nothing about this made sense.
The person driving suddenly spoke, his voice carrying obvious irritation.
“What took you so long?” Then his eyes moved toward the rearview mirror.
“And what is she doing here?” My entire body stiffened.
That voice.
I knew it.
Slowly, I looked toward the driver’s seat.
My eyes widened.
“Damian?” The surprise in my voice was impossible to hide.
Of all the people I expected to see…
He was the last one.
Before I could form another sentence, Julian casually leaned back against the seat.
“That guy had the weight of an elephant.” He said it as if carrying an unconscious person in the middle of the night was a completely normal activity.
“And about Meave…” He glanced at me briefly.
“I just got lucky.” He shrugged.
Just like that.
As if he hadn’t dragged me into a mysterious situation.
As if there wasn’t an unconscious man sitting between us.
I stared at him.
Lucky?
Was that really what he was calling this?
Damian looked at him through the rearview mirror with an expression that clearly said he wasn’t impressed.
“You call this lucky?” Julian only smiled.
“Come on, Damian.
You know I always manage.” I looked between the two of them.
The way they interacted was familiar.
The same strange dynamic I had noticed before.
I looked at Julian.
For once, I didn’t know what to say.
And judging by the serious expressions of both men… Neither did they.