Dangerous bet

Lena doesn't believe in bad luck. She believes in hard work. But today even the rain feels cruel. It's 8:17 a.m. She's late again. Her manager warns her, one more slip, and she's done. Customers complain, a boy spills soda on her uniform. Another storms out without paying. By afternoon, her head aches and she just wants to rest. Then the restaurant door opens. A cold breeze slips in. Everyone goes quiet. A man in a dark suit walks in, calm, too calm. He doesn't smile. He doesn't look around. He just sits in the corner. His eyes carry something heavy. Something dangerous. Lena doesn't know his name, but she feels something shift. Saying yes to this customer feels easier than saying no. But she has no idea that this one choice is about to pull her into a world she never imagined.

Lena forced herself to smile as she walked toward the stranger's table.

"Good evening, sir. Welcome to Rosewood Café. What can I get for you?"

The man slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers.

For a moment, the entire restaurant seemed to disappear.

His gaze was cold, unreadable, yet strangely captivating.

"I'll have a black coffee," he said in a deep, calm voice. "No sugar."

"Anything else?"

He studied her for a few seconds before answering.

"Your name."

Lena blinked.

"My... my name?"

"Yes."

"Lena."

He nodded once, as though confirming something he already knew.

"Thank you, Lena."

A chill ran down her spine.

How could a simple thank-you sound like a promise?

She hurried back to the counter, trying to ignore the strange feeling growing inside her.

"Who's the handsome guy?" her coworker Mia whispered with a grin.

"I don't know."

"He looks rich."

"He looks dangerous."

Mia laughed. "Dangerous men usually leave the biggest tips."

Lena rolled her eyes and poured the coffee carefully into a porcelain cup.

As she returned to the table, she noticed something unusual.

The customers seated nearby had quietly moved to other tables.

Even the manager kept glancing nervously toward the mysterious man.

It was as if everyone knew who he was...

Everyone except her.

She placed the coffee in front of him.

"Here you go."

Instead of reaching for the cup, he slid a black business card across the table.

"There will come a day when you'll need me," he said quietly.

"When that day comes..."

"Call me."

Lena looked down at the card.

There was no company logo.

No address.

Only one name.

Alessandro Romano.

Before she could ask another question, the café doors opened again.

Three men in dark suits stepped inside, scanning the room with sharp, serious eyes.

And all of them were looking for the same man.

To be continued..