4:AFatefulInterruption
1028 Words
Alessia never expected to see Theo Lennox outside of a boardroom.
But life had a twisted sense of humor.
It wasn’t in an office.
It wasn’t at a networking event.
It was at a small, hole-in-the-wall bookstore—the kind tucked between towering buildings, the kind only people who needed an escape ever found themselves in.
And the worst part?
She was the one who bumped into him.
And the book store belonged to her father.
~~~
FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO.
Alessia had stopped by Cam & Ale Books after work—a ritual she rarely indulged in anymore.
The scent of old pages, freshly brewed tea, and soft leather wrapped around her like a memory.
Her fingers trailed over the bookshelves absentmindedly. This place was more than just a*****e. It was a piece of her father’s legacy—a treasure he had built before passing away. She and Cameron were too busy to run it themselves, so they had hired someone to keep it afloat.
Still, coming here always made her feel closer to him.
She turned a corner, reaching for a book—
And collided into something solid.
Not a shelf.
Not a wall.
A man.
A firm grip caught her by the elbow, steadying her before she could stumble. Warm, strong, and entirely too familiar.
For a second—just a flicker of a second—she felt the heat of his palm through her sleeve.
A sharp pulse of something shot through her.
And then, as quickly as it happened, the touch was gone.
She stepped back, her breath catching in her throat, and then looked up.
Theo Lennox.
She folded her arms, narrowing her gaze.
Of course. Of course he was here, standing in a bookstore like he had any business being near something that wasn’t a spreadsheet or a real estate deal.
Theo raised a brow, far too composed, far too unreadable.
“Didn’t take you for the bookish type,” he mused, slipping his hands into his pockets.
“Didn’t take you for someone who reads.” She shor back.
A smirk. “I surprise people.”
~~~
He hadn’t expected her.
Theo hadn’t expected the quiet space of the bookstore to be invaded by her presence—all sharp edges and restless energy.
And he definitely hadn’t expected the brief, fleeting press of her body against his.
The scent of something warm—something frustratingly familiar—lingered between them.
Alessia.
Her hair, a striking mix of dark brown and golden strands, caught the light as she moved.
And her eyes—hazel, flickering between green and amber—locked onto his with instant irritation.
Interesting.
However, he kept his expression neutral, but something in his chest tightened—something that had no business reacting.
~~~
There was something off about him. She couldn’t help but notice.
He wasn’t in a suit. Instead, he wore a simple charcoal sweater, sleeves pushed up to his forearms, dark jeans that somehow still looked expensive.
Also, he wasn’t entirely present. His eyes—too sharp, too calculating in the office—were slightly distant.
And in his hand? A book. A well-worn copy of something she couldn’t quite see.
Alessia noticed it before she could stop herself.
He wasn’t holding the book like someone who had just grabbed it off the shelf.
He was holding it like… like he’d read it before. Like it meant something.
But that didn’t make sense.
Everything about Theo Lennox was polished, modern, ruthless. Not the kind of man who lingered in quiet bookstores with well-worn books.
A flicker of curiosity sparked in her—but she crushed it.
~~~
Theo followed her line of sight—
And realized, too late, what she was staring at.
The book.
Was that flicker of curiousity in her expression?New. Yet dangerous.
“Are you following me, Ms. Sinclair?” He tilted his head slightly, his deep voice interrupting her thoughts on purpose.
She scoffed, raising her eyes back to his blue ones. “If I were, I’d choose a more interesting target.”
That earned her a low, quiet chuckle. And damn him, it was almost nice.
Almost.
Then, just to twist the knife, he returned smoothly, “Though I have to say, I never pegged you as the type to linger in pretentious places like this.”
Her arms tightened across her chest. “This isn’t a pretentious place.” Her voice was sharper now. Defiant.
Something in her tone made realization click into place. His brows lifted slightly. “You know this place well.”
She paused. Then, reluctantly— “My father owned it.”
He exhaled slowly. Intriguing.
It explained the familiarity in the way she moved here, the way she touched the books with something almost reverent.
She hadn’t just stumbled into this store.
She belonged to it.
But before he could say anything, before he could decide whether or not to push further, she moved to step around him, determined to ignore him—
But then she caught one last detail.
The book in his hand.
And something in her face changed.
Theo followed her line of sight—
And realized, too late, what she was staring at.
The name on the cover.
Daniel Blake.
Her entire body stiffened.
For the first time since they met, something in her wavered.
Theo watched the shift happen—small, but undeniable.
A c***k in her carefully built walls. He could almost hear her sharp intake of breath.
Then, he tucked the book under his arm, forcing himself to look unaffected.
Because now?
Now, he wanted to know why it had startled her.
His lips twitched slightly. “See you at the meeting, Ms. Sinclair.”
And then, without another word, he walked past her—
Leaving Alessia standing there, her pulse unsteady, her mind racing with far too many questions.
And worst of all—
One terrifying realization.
Theo Lennox was more dangerous than she thought.
And not just because of the way he did business.
But because, for the first time in a long time—
She didn’t know if she could hide from him.
***
- Writer
