The night everything changed.

THE NIGHT WE MET. The darkness outside had become almost frightening after the party ended. It was already midnight, and the streets were unusually quiet as I drove home. The music from the party still echoed faintly in my head, but the farther I drove away from the city, the quieter everything became. The streetlights were few and far between, leaving long stretches of the road covered in darkness. I tightened my hands around the steering wheel and glanced at the time on the dashboard. 12:07 a.m. I sighed. All I wanted was to get home, take a shower, and sleep. Then, without warning, my car suddenly slowed down. “What?” I pressed my foot against the accelerator, but the car refused to respond. A few seconds later, the engine went completely silent. I stared at the dashboard in disbelief. “You have got to be kidding me.” I tried starting it again. Nothing. I tried a second time. Still nothing. My frustration grew. Of all the nights for my car to break down, it had to be tonight. I looked around through the windshield, hoping to see someone nearby who could help me. But there was no one. The road was completely empty. I reached for my phone so I could call someone, but before I could unlock it, something caught my attention. A figure was standing a few meters away from my car. A man. I froze. He stood beneath one of the weak streetlights, his body slightly bent forward. From where I was sitting, I could see that he looked exhausted and messy. His clothes were not neat, and his face appeared wet. At first, I thought he was sweating. Then I realized they were tears. He slowly began walking toward my car. I immediately locked the doors. As he came closer, I noticed something else about him. He looked drunk. I lowered my window slightly. “Hello?” The man stopped. He stared at me without saying anything. “What are you doing out here at this time of the night?” I asked. He continued staring at me as though he was trying to remember something. Then he turned around and began walking away. “Wait!” He stopped. “I need help,” I said. “My car broke down. Please.” He slowly turned around. “What happened to the car?” the stranger asked. There was something strange about his voice. He sounded broken. “I don't know. The car just stopped. I've tried starting the engine again and again, but it refuses to come back to life.” He walked toward the front of the car. “Open the hood.” I hesitated. There was something about him that made me uncomfortable, but I also knew I couldn't remain there alone all night. I stepped out of the car and opened the hood. The man examined the engine. For several minutes, he didn't say anything. He moved a few things around, checked the engine, and finally stepped back. “Try it now.” I returned to the driver's seat and turned the key. The engine came back to life. I stared at the dashboard in surprise. “It worked.” The stranger simply nodded. I looked at him. “Thank you.” He turned to leave. “Wait.” He looked back. “Enter. Let me drop you off.” He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stared at me. I unlocked the passenger door. “Get in.” He hesitated before finally entering the car. As I drove, the silence between us felt strangely heavy. I glanced at him several times, but he barely spoke. He simply stared out of the window. “My name is Maya,” I finally said. He didn't respond. I smiled awkwardly. “I don't usually pick up strangers in the middle of the night.” Still nothing. I looked back at the road. I was the only daughter of one of the richest billionaires in the country. My father owned a multimillion-dollar company in the country and even outside it. Growing up, I had everything money could buy. Except love. I had watched people pretend to care about my family simply because of our money, status, or power. Some people smiled because they wanted something. Others said they loved me because of who my father was. That was why I never believed in love. To me, love was nothing more than a beautiful deceit. I had promised myself that I would never allow anyone to make me believe otherwise. Yet that night, I couldn't understand why my car had broken down, why this particular stranger had appeared on that lonely road, and why I had decided to drive him home. “Where should I take you?” I asked. He gave me an address. I typed it into my phone and continued driving. A few minutes later, we arrived. The stranger opened the door. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “Be careful.” He stepped out and walked away without looking back. I was about to drive off when I noticed something on the passenger seat. A card. I picked it up and examined it. It belonged to him. His name was clearly written on it, along with a company logo. The company appeared to be foreign. I stared at the card for a few seconds. I sighed. “Anyways, it's late.” I put the card inside my bag and drove home. I didn't see the stranger again . For the next few days, I tried to convince myself that the whole encounter had been nothing more than a strange coincidence. I had no reason to think about him, and yet, every now and then, I found myself remembering his face. Then life became busy, and the memory slowly faded into the background. Three weeks later, everything changed. I arrived at work one Monday morning expecting an ordinary day. I had barely settled at my office. I entered my office and sat behind my desk. A few minutes later, my secretary walked in. “Good morning, ma'am.” “Good morning, Clara.” She placed some documents on my desk. “We are expecting a new manager today. Your father instructed me to let you know that he will be working for the company from now on.” I frowned. “A new manager?” “Yes, ma'am.” I picked up the document. According to the information, the man had an impressive background. He had worked in several major companies and had been appointed to an important position within one of my father's largest companies. I continued reading. Then I stopped. The name on the document seemed familiar. Very familiar. Be fore I could remember where I had heard it, there was a knock on the door. “Come in.” The door opened. I looked up. And the moment I saw the man standing there, my entire body froze. It was him. The stranger from the night before.