The next day arrived with golden light and just a hint of spring in the air.
Inside Café Verona, the morning rush was steady. Ayla moved quickly behind the counter, pouring cappuccinos, handing out pastries, smiling at regulars. Her apron was already dusted with flour and coffee stains, but she didn't mind. She loved mornings like this.
Or at least, she used to.
Now, her heart kept glancing toward the door.
Every time it opened, a quiet voice inside her asked the same thing.
Is it him?
But Leonardo Moretti didn't return that morning.
Or the afternoon.
By the time 6 p.m. rolled around, Ayla was folding napkins behind the counter, telling herself she was being silly. He was a stranger, nothing more. A man passing through. Maybe he'd gotten what he needed and moved on.
And yet... she couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't just passing through.
The bell above the door rang.
She didn't even look up at first.
Then she heard his voice.
"Still open?"
Her heart stuttered.
She looked up, and there he was.
Leonardo Moretti stood in the doorway, wearing a crisp black suit that somehow looked even sharper in the warm glow of the café. No rain. No blood. No storm. Just him—calm, collected, and somehow more dangerous than before.
Ayla swallowed. "Always open for caffeine emergencies."
He walked in slowly, and she noticed something different this time.
People noticed him.
A couple sitting by the window stopped talking. A man near the back glanced up over his newspaper. Even the barista-in-training, a college kid named Mark, shifted uncomfortably when Leonardo passed by.
Ayla felt it too—that presence. Like he didn't quite belong in this small, peaceful world.
Like the café was too quiet for a man like him.
Still, when he reached the counter and looked at her, Ayla smiled without thinking.
"Black coffee again?"
Leonardo nodded. "You remember."
"Kind of hard to forget someone who paid a hundred bucks for one cup."
He let out a soft, low chuckle. "I was in a hurry."
She turned to the espresso machine, but her hands were steady now. He didn't scare her. At least, not in the way she expected. There was an intensity to him, yes—but also something deeply... human.
Something that felt more honest than most of the smiles she saw every day.
"You always wear suits?" she asked as the machine hissed behind her.
Leonardo glanced down at himself. "Part of the job."
"What kind of job requires custom-tailored suits and bullet wounds?"
She said it before she could stop herself.
He raised an eyebrow.
She blushed. "Sorry. That was… a little too much."
But to her surprise, he didn't seem offended.
Instead, he leaned slightly closer. "What makes you think it was a bullet wound?"
Ayla bit her lip. "It's not exactly hard to guess."
There was a beat of silence. Then he said quietly, "You're smarter than most people."
She handed him his coffee. "Or maybe just curious."
Their fingers brushed.
Just for a second.
It was enough.
Leonardo took a sip of the coffee but didn't look away. "Why are you here?"
She blinked. "You mean… working?"
He nodded.
"I like it here," Ayla said. "It's quiet. Simple. I like making people smile. And honestly… I didn't really have a plan after high school."
"No college?"
She shook her head. "Tried. But… life got in the way."
Leonardo didn't press. He just nodded, as if he understood better than anyone.
"And you?" she asked before she could stop herself. "Why are you here?"
He was silent for a moment.
Then, "Because this is the only place I've been in years where no one expects me to be anything. Or do anything. You don't know me. You don't need anything from me. That's rare."
Ayla didn't know what to say to that.
So she just nodded. "Well… we have free Wi-Fi. That's a pretty good reason too."
He actually smiled at that—just a flicker, but it was there.
Then the door opened again.
Two men walked in.
Ayla barely noticed them at first, until she saw Leonardo tense—just slightly.
The taller of the two men had a leather jacket and sharp eyes. The other wore sunglasses indoors. Both glanced around the café, then spotted Leonardo.
They didn't smile.
Leonardo didn't either.
"You know them?" Ayla asked quietly.
Leonardo's jaw tightened. "Unfortunately."
The two men walked over, casual but calculated.
"Mr. Moretti," the taller one said. "We've been looking for you."
"I've been here," Leonardo said calmly. "Drinking coffee."
"You're needed downtown."
Ayla noticed the tension in his shoulders now. Like a tiger about to strike—but waiting.
Leonardo didn't even look at them when he said, "Tell Nicolai I'll meet him tonight. I'm busy now."
The shorter man shifted. "He said now."
Leonardo finally turned to face them fully, his voice low and cold.
"And I said tonight."
The tone in his voice made Ayla's skin prickle.
The two men exchanged a look. Then, without another word, they left.
Silence fell again.
Ayla took a shaky breath. "Friends of yours?"
"No," he said. "Not even close."
She looked at him carefully. "What kind of world do you live in, Leonardo?"
His eyes met hers. "One I don't want to bring into this café."
The way he said it made her heart twist.
Because it wasn't just a statement—it was a promise.
Or maybe a warning.
---
Later that night...
Ayla sat alone after closing, replaying everything in her mind.
He had finished his coffee, left another hundred-dollar bill, and disappeared once again into the night.
She should have locked the door behind him and forgotten.
But she couldn't.
Because somewhere deep inside, she knew what was happening.
She was getting pulled into something.
Something she didn't understand.
Something that might break her.
And yet... when she closed her eyes, all she could see was the way he looked at her.
Not like a mafia boss. Not like a stranger.
But like a man who had forgotten what it meant to feel safe.
And maybe—just maybe—he saw a piece of that safety in her.