Chapter Two – The First Letter

The rain had stopped by morning, but the streets were still slick, reflecting the gray sky like broken glass. Aaliya clutched the folded letter in her hand as she walked to the café.

It was 9:12 a.m. when she arrived. The old café was nearly empty, its wooden sign faded, the bell above the door giving a tired jingle as she pushed it open. Inside, the smell of roasted coffee beans wrapped around her like an old, familiar blanket.

She found the corner table just as the letter had instructed.

Her heart thudded louder with every tick of the clock on the wall. 9:14. 9:15.

Nothing happened.

She tried not to look suspicious, but her eyes scanned the café anyway—an elderly man reading the newspaper, a barista scribbling on a notepad, a mother calming her restless child. No one paid her any attention.

Minutes stretched like hours. She tapped her foot, her resolve weakening. Maybe it was a prank. Maybe someone from her building thought it would be funny to mess with her.

Then, at 9:21, the door opened.

A tall man in a gray coat stepped in, rain dripping from his hair. He didn’t look at anyone as he walked straight to the counter, ordered a black coffee, and turned. For a brief moment, his eyes met hers—sharp, assessing, as though he already knew who she was.

Aaliya’s pulse spiked. Was this him?

But the man didn’t approach. He sat at a different table, sipping his coffee in silence.

Frustrated, she looked back at the letter, as though it might change its words. Sit at the corner table. Do not leave until you are approached.

So she waited.

Half an hour passed. Then an hour. People came and went, but no one came to her. By 10:45, embarrassment burned hotter than curiosity.

She stood to leave.

And that’s when she saw it.

On her table, where her elbow had been resting the entire time, lay another envelope.

She froze.

It hadn’t been there before. She was sure of it. She hadn’t left the table, hadn’t taken her eyes off it for long. Yet there it was, pale against the dark wood.

With trembling hands, she opened it.

“Good. You followed instructions. Trust is the first step. But you still doubt me. Tomorrow, you will spill coffee on a man wearing a navy scarf. Do not apologize. Do not clean it. Walk away. It will change everything.”

Her mouth went dry.

How was this happening? How had the envelope appeared without her noticing?

And more importantly—was she willing to obey?

⚡️This is where suspense deepens—Aaliya is pulled further into the mystery but doesn’t yet understand the rules.

Here is the second chapter

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