Breaking the Order

Quiet Before the Chaos

The kitchen was quiet, with Elian sitting at the table, rubbing his temples wearily. I placed a cup of coffee and a plate of omelet in front of him, watching as he took the first sip, as though it was the only thing capable of bringing him back to life.

—Well?— he finally asked, looking up at me. —Explain why we were running from those dogs last night?—

I absentmindedly toyed with a piece of omelet on my fork, enjoying his nervous anticipation.

—Well, maybe I… slightly offended one of their owners,— I said, glancing at him from under my lashes.

—Slightly?— Elian set his cup down on the table with a loud clink, making me flinch. —You call it "slightly" when you slapped him across the face and threw his own keys at him?—

—If he had kept his mouth shut, none of that would have happened,— I shrugged. —He deserved it.

—For what, exactly?— he asked, clearly growing irritated.

—That guy is a rude, disgusting creep,— I said, leaning back in my chair. —I brought him the design he ordered—an excellent one I spent a week on. He was supposed to pay me, but instead, he started talking about "other ways we could come to an agreement."

Elian squinted at me.

—Seriously?—

—Oh, yes. Very seriously. And when I told him he’d better grab the invoice and pay, he added that women "who look like that" usually welcome "extra bonuses."

—Well, he clearly didn’t know you,— Elian remarked dryly.

—Oh, he had no idea. He didn’t even see it coming when his dogs started chasing me,— I smirked.

Elian covered his face with his hands, but I could see his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

—Alright, but what does that have to do with me? Why did I have to run after you, risking my life?—

I blinked innocently.

—Elian, you were there. You’re my savior, my protector!—

—Selina, I came by to help you with some boxes, and instead, I ended up being a target for two massive dogs that looked like they eat guys like me for breakfast!—

—Well, they didn’t eat you, so it’s all good,— I waved dismissively.

—All good? You dropped a crate of his tools on me to buy yourself a few seconds!—

—Oh, you’re still upset about that? It was a strategic move.—

He shook his head, giving me a look of despair, then reached for his coffee again.

—Selina, one day your wit is going to get us into serious trouble.—

—And your hesitation definitely won’t save us,— I replied, winking at him.

Elian buried his face in his coffee cup, and I watched him, sensing he was plotting something. His silence always foreshadowed a conversation I wasn’t expecting.

—Alright, now seriously,— he finally began, pulling away from the cup. —What happened last night at the café?—

I froze, trying to maintain my composure.

—What do you mean?—

—Your reaction, Selina. You went pale the moment he showed up.—

I frowned, pretending not to understand what he was talking about.

—You mean that guy?—

—Not just "that guy,”— he interrupted. —You knew him. I saw it in your eyes.—

I pushed my cup away, trying to gather my thoughts.

—Yes, I knew him. But that was a long time ago.—

—How long ago?—

I sighed, realizing it was easier to tell him part of the truth.

—Four years ago. On my birthday.—

—Four years?— he repeated, raising an eyebrow in surprise. —You crossed paths with him then and haven’t seen him since?—

—Yes,— I replied shortly.

—And he just happened to be at the same café last night? A coincidence?—

I hesitated for a second, debating whether to say more.

—Elian, he owned the club where we celebrated my birthday back then,— I finally said.

He exhaled in surprise and leaned back in his chair.

—You’re telling me that club...—

—Yes, it belonged to him,— I confirmed. —And when I realized who he was, it... threw me off.—

Elian studied me closely, as if trying to uncover something more in my words.

—And what happened then?—

—Nothing important,— I quickly replied, avoiding his gaze.

—Selina...—

—Really, Elian. We just talked. He was... unusual. Like... different.—

Elian continued to look at me with mild suspicion, but I knew it wasn’t worth sharing more. Too much had happened that night—things I couldn’t even tell him.

—If he shows up again,— he finally said, —I want to know.—

I just nodded, hoping he wouldn’t dig further.

Elian finished his coffee and set the cup down, still lost in thought. His gaze wandered around the room as I cleared the table.

—I need to head out today,— he said at last, almost to himself.

—Where to?— I asked, watching him with interest.

—A few errands. And I’ll check on the apartment renovations while I’m at it,— he replied, stretching. —I need to see how they’re managing without my strict supervision.—

I smirked.

—You? Strict? That’s something new.—

—Very funny,— he muttered, standing up. —What about you? What are you planning to do?—

—I have a project,— I replied unenthusiastically, leaning against the kitchen counter.

He gave me a look filled with mild skepticism.

—Really?—

—Of course, really,— I said, trying not to give myself away. —A big, important project.—

—Alright,— he drawled, grabbing his keys from the table. —Just try not to blow up the house while I’m gone.—

—I’ll do my best,— I smirked, watching him leave.

When the door closed behind him, I finally allowed myself to exhale. A project. Of course, he was right—there was no design work on my agenda today. I had a completely different task.

My client was waiting for a report, and I hadn’t gathered all the necessary information yet. Surveillance, extracting details, finding weak points—this was my darker side, the one even Elian didn’t know about.

I grabbed my tablet, reviewed the data, and memorized the address. This time, everything had to go smoothly. No improvisations.

Or at least, no dogs, I thought with a smirk.