Chapter 8 – The Girl In The Crowd
1010 Words
Evie spent nearly two weeks learning that some jobs weren't glamorous, weren't prestigious, and didn't promise a shining future—
but they could save a person who was quietly drowning.
For her, the airport job was exactly that lifeline.
On her first morning as an official employee, Evie stood in front of the small mirror inside the staff lounge, adjusting the collar of her uniform.
The outfit wasn't flattering, nor did it fit perfectly, but it made her look… neat, proper.
And most importantly—
unrecognizable.
Here, no one looked twice at her.
No one whispered behind her back.
No one lifted their phone to take pictures or videos.
No one judged her for the storm she had once unwillingly created.
At the airport, everyone was in a hurry.
Everyone had somewhere to be.
She was invisible among thousands of strangers—
and for the first time, that invisibility felt like a blessing.
She clipped her name tag to her shirt:
Evie Hart – Passenger Support.
She stared at it for a long moment.
Not out of pride—
but out of relief.
"I have a job. I have income. I can start paying the debt."
Not a loan, not a contract—
just a single suit jacket belonging to Aiden Cross.
She didn't know the price,
but she could guess from the fabric:
expensive enough to make her lungs tighten.
It's fine.
She would work as long as needed.
As hard as needed.
She refused to owe anyone anything.
A simple job, and a fragile peace
Evie's day started at six in the morning.
She stood at Counter C assisting passengers—helping them find their gates, filling out forms, guiding elderly travelers, calming down first-timers terrified of missing their flights.
The job wasn't difficult.
But it drained her more than she expected.
She had to smile almost constantly.
She had to stay patient with tired, irritated passengers.
She had to repeat the same instructions dozens of times.
Sometimes people snapped at her because of delayed flights.
Sometimes they accused the staff for mistakes that weren't hers.
Evie didn't argue.
She'd lived long enough with misunderstandings.
She just wanted peace.
Stability.
Money to pay her debt.
A life so ordinary it would bore anyone else.
She wanted no trouble.
And above all—
she wanted to avoid Aiden Cross and everything connected to him.
Still…
whenever she remembered his cold, expressionless eyes that day, her chest tightened slightly.
Not out of fear.
But because she dreaded the idea of being a source of trouble for someone else again.
She'd promised herself she wouldn't let that happen.
---
The quiet thoughts of someone trying to survive
On the train ride home, Evie often sat squeezed between crowds of commuters, swaying with the rhythm of the moving carriage. She would lower her gaze to her hands—hands that still smelled faintly of paper and ink even after several washes.
She thought too much.
"Have I spent my whole life disappointing people…?"
"No. Not this time. I have to be different."
She wasn't good at socializing.
Not good at handling pressure.
Not good at avoiding disasters.
But she was persistent.
She was careful.
She didn't give up.
And most important—
she kept her promises.
She promised to pay him back.
Even if Aiden Cross never wanted to see her again, she still would.
Not out of fear—
but out of dignity.
A particularly exhausting afternoon
That day, multiple flights were delayed due to severe weather. Evie's desk turned into a complaint center.
She was yelled at so much her throat went dry.
One elderly woman cried in panic about missing her connecting flight.
A couple argued loudly right in front of her.
Evie smiled apologetically, smiled to explain, smiled to reassure—for nearly five straight hours.
By the time her shift ended, her feet hurt so much she wasn't entirely sure they belonged to her.
She slipped off her shoes and collapsed onto a bench in the employee lounge, sweat cooling on her back.
She closed her eyes a moment longer than usual.
Not sadness.
Not anger.
Just… fatigue.
But it was the kind of exhaustion she could endure—
the kind that came with trying to build a life.
Not the kind tied to shame and panic like the scandal before.
Softly, she whispered to herself:
"Hang in there, Evie.
It's just another day."
She stood, put on her jacket, and left the lounge.
A shift in fate
As she passed through Terminal B, Evie instinctively glanced up at the giant arrival board—
a habit all airport workers developed.
But this time…
something unusual appeared.
In the VIP notification panel:
SPECIAL ARRIVAL – PRIVATE TERMINAL
STARFORGE ENTERTAINMENT
08:45 AM – TOMORROW
Evie stopped walking.
She blinked.
Took a step back.
Looked again.
The words remained.
Clear.
Sharp.
Undeniable.
"Starforge…"
Her heartbeat slowed painfully.
That name only pointed to one person she absolutely did not want to cross paths with—
Aiden Cross.
Evie swallowed hard.
A cold sensation crawled from her palms to her shoulders.
She wasn't afraid of him.
Not anymore.
She was afraid of what might happen
if she accidentally caused trouble for him again.
A coworker passing by laughed lightly.
"Oh, the VIP for tomorrow. I heard he's a huge star."
Evie forced a small nod.
"Right… maybe."
"International wing will be chaos, just you watch."
They walked off.
Evie stood frozen, gripping her bag strap until her fingers turned white.
Tomorrow.
He would be here.
At this airport.
During her morning shift.
The fragile peace she had been trying so hard to build…
was about to be tested.
She exhaled slowly, whispering under her breath:
"…Just don't stand anywhere near him. Keep your distance. Don't cause any trouble. Stay invisible."
But she knew—
life rarely let her follow her plans.
The arrival board above flickered softly, its green light reflecting in her eyes.
As if announcing:
The storm named Aiden Cross is returning.
And this time… no one can avoid it.
- Writer
