Haunted by fate

The cafe door pushed with a few minutes late on the clock. The soft bell chimed above her head, and the warm scent of roasted coffee and vanilla drifted out to meet her. She stepped inside dressed sharp and neat, a black blazer cut cleanly at the waist, fitted trousers that moved with her stride, and heels that struck the wooden floor with deliberate purpose. Her expression already carried irritation as she scanned the room making the air thick with foul mood. It was hard for others not to notice with slight glances directed her way. She had been forced her for this meeting, and she hated that she had shown up at all. But she wanted to end it with her own hands. Her eyes moved across the neatly arranged tables until they stopped at the farthest corner. A man sat there with broad shoulders and quiet, controlled posture. Even seated, he took up space in a way that felt intentional. The moment he raised this calmly lowered brows at her his gaze shifted into direct focus, he rose to his feet in one smooth motion. Tall. Solid. The kind of presence that made the air around him feel heavier. He pulled out the chair for her without a word, gesturing for her to take her seat across him. She sat without thanking him, the faint scent of expensive cologne, and something else dark, clean, and faintly woody reaching her as she settled into the seat. Does any one wear this scent.? She thought, it was not unpleasant at all. A server appeared almost immediately. The man ordered a classic red wine for both of them in a low, calm voice that carried quiet authority, never once asking what she preferred. ughhh. just waht she predicted he was like them obviously. It was going off to rather a bad start. Her mouth tightened, her phone still pressed close to her ears.“I’m already here,” she said flatly. “No need to make a fuss.” In one swift move cuts the call and turns to the server. “I won’t be ordering anything.” then also turns back to him. He watched with curiousity and slight confusion. “ and, I also won’t be staying long.” the scornful tone icy cold and meant to tell him off. The server nodded and left. The man looked at her then, really looked. His gaze was steady, dark, and unnervingly focused. For some reason her skin crawled, there was something about the way he watched her that made the space between them feel smaller than it should. “I’m Elara Voss, its a pleasure to meet you.”she said, well not entirely a pleasure. Her tight grin go wider. He parted his lips, about to speak. She raised her hand before a single word left his mouth. “There will be no need for that,” she said, her tone sharp and dismissive. “My parents sent you. That’s already enough for me. I don’t go for anyone they choose. I plan to pick who I date myself.” He remained silent for a moment, still watching her with that same intense, unreadable gaze. The quiet between them stretched. She could feel the weight of his attention like a physical thing. “You don’t have to make a conclusion so soon,” he said finally. His voice was low, even, and far too controlled. “From what I gathered, It’s well enough for me to do decide that they chose pedigree as always” she ended with an eye roll. She hoped he would feel insulted, and storm off or burst into a fit of rage, it would not be the first time. but instead he smiled, as if amused. “ I hear the finest pedigree can be hard to come by” he answered. Did he just say that? she scoffed in disbelief “ Just 30 minutes of your time will be enough for me,” he urged as the bottle of wine he orderd was served. He dismissed them and poured her a glass himself. “I’m busy,” she replied. “Career comes first. I don’t have time for the whole ‘settle down and let a man take care of you’ talk my parents keep pushing on me.” she stood abruptly with her palm slamming down hard on the table. A faint shift crossed his expression, not offense, something quieter, more assessing. He didn’t argue. He simply continued looking at her, the intensity in his eyes never easing. There was a stillness to him that felt almost predatory in its calm. Elara felt the weight of it settle under her skin and turned to leave muttering under her breath why she stuck around for even a minute longer, the chair scraping lightly against the floor. “This was a formality,” she said coldly. “It’s over.” She walked out without another glance. The café bell chimed behind her as she left him alone at the table, the faint trace of his cologne still lingering in the air she carried with her. Elara stormed out angrily. The moment she stepped onto the sidewalk, the blazing afternoon sun hit her full in the face, sharp and blinding. She lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the scorching light, muttering curses under her breath as she dialed her mother’s number. The call went straight to voicemail. She tried again. And again. Each unanswered ring only made her more irritated. Beads of sweat formed along her hairline and slid down the side of her face. “Why does she always pick the worst time not to pick up?” she muttered to herself, voice tight with frustration. The street was loud and crowded with passing vehicles. Her stop was on the other side of the road. A group of people stood waiting for the crosswalk light to turn green. Elara kept her head bent low, still redialing the number, completely absorbed in the screen and the growing anger in her chest. She barely noticed the shifting energy around her. A sudden burst of murmurs rose from the crowd, followed by sharp screams. Elara’s head snapped up a second too late. A car came speeding through the blocked traffic, engine roaring far too loud for the narrow street. People scrambled in every direction, shoving and pushing in panic. Someone slammed into her shoulder hard enough to knock the phone clean out of her hand. It clattered across the asphalt. Elara stumbled backward, heart leaping into her throat as she dropped to a crouch, frantically searching for it among the rushing feet and scattered belongings. Her fingers finally closed around the phone. The moment of triumph lasted less than a heartbeat. When she looked up, the car was already far too close. Time seemed to freeze. Her heart slammed once against her ribs and then went unnaturally still. The impact hit her with brutal, unforgiving force. Her body was thrown across the road like a rag doll. A sharp, sickening c***k of bone tore through her side, but the full pain hadn’t registered yet. The world spun violently. Her vision blurred and darkened at the edges. The last thing she saw before everything began to fade was a tall, familiar figure with broad shoulders moving toward her with unnatural speed his piercing gaze locked on her from above as he towered over the wreckage. Am i really going to die like this?