It starts with a notification I almost ignore.
I'm standing in the kitchen alone, staring at a cup of coffee that's gone cold, when my phone vibrates again.
And again. Not finance media this time or governance blogs. It's entertainment accounts, gossip pages, and clipped videos.
I open the first one.
The caption reads, "Before the Contract. Before the CEO. Before the Announcement."
My stomach tightens as the video loads. It's black and white, timestamped. d.
Café Verona—6:42 PM.
The day. That day. The day I lost my job. The day I ended things with Marcus. The day everything fractured.
The footage shows me sitting alone at a table by the window with my head down and shoulders tense.
I remember how that felt.
Then there was Ethan sitting opposite me. The footage zooms in—digitally enhanced. The moment our eyes meet.
They slow it down. Frame by frame. My head lifts, recognition flickers, and shock.
