Chapter 1 A Meeting That Changed Nothing

Maya Bennett didn't expect to see Lucas Thoreau again.

She especially didn't expect to see him in a glass-walled boardroom on the top floor of a tech company overlooking Canary Wharf.

She adjusted the strap of her laptop bag as her friend, Nadia, walked ahead confidently.

"This is Thoreau Systems," Nadia said. "They're looking for short-term medical consultants for their wellness app. I told them about you."

Maya nodded.

She was still in medical school, but freelance gigs helped build her portfolio.

Nothing special.

Just work.

The boardroom door opened.

Three men stood inside.

One of them lifted his head.

Lucas.

He looked different.

Older. Sharper. Expensive suit. Controlled posture.

CEO energy.

Their eyes met briefly.

No reaction.

No recognition.

At least, not on his face.

"Good morning," Lucas said professionally. "Please, take a seat."

Maya did.

She didn't stare.

She didn't smile.

She focused on the documents placed in front of her.

They discussed timelines, compliance, and medical content accuracy.

Lucas led the meeting with quiet authority.

He didn't once acknowledge that they had gone to the same school.

Didn't hint at familiarity.

Maya respected that.

So she did the same.

When it ended, Nadia thanked them and pulled Maya aside.

"You were great," she whispered.

Maya nodded.

That was it.

Or so she thought.

Two weeks later. She received an email,

Same office.

Same professional tone.

Lucas asked sharper questions this time.

Maya answered calmly.

Efficient.

Detached.

He noticed it.

Not attraction.

Interest.

She wasn't impressed by him.

Most people were.

After the meeting, Nadia received a call and stepped away.

Lucas closed his laptop.

"Bennett," he said. "You still live in London?"

"Yes."

"Good."

He hesitated.

Then, casually:

"Can I have your number? In case revisions are needed."

Maya didn't hesitate.

She gave it.

Purely business.

That evening, long after Maya had shut her laptop and settled into her flat, her phone buzzed again.

Unknown number.

You should know who's texting. Quick response expected.

She stared at it. Rude. Straightforward. Lucas Thoreau.

She typed back without hesitation:

A professional greeting might help.

Three dots appeared almost immediately.

Noted. Lucas.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard when another message arrived:

I know you. Not from the office. I've seen you before.

Maya frowned. Seen me before? she thought.

Another message came:

I watch your posts on Instagram. You're an interesting person, I love that about you it makes me glued to your page always, always Standing on your business. I respect that.

Maya leaned back in her chair, uneasy but intrigued. after exchanging a few details about their past lives.

Wait a second, she typed. We studied in the same school. Lived in the same area. Surely we must have met before today?

Three seconds passed, but the reply came almost instantly:

No. Never.

Maya stared at the screen.

Never? Her mind ran through every memory, every school event, every street corner, every library nowhere had their paths crossed or was I wrong she said to herself

How is that possible? she whispered aloud.

Another message arrived:

I didn't see you. Never noticed you before today. Perhaps fate decided it was time.

Maya exhaled slowly, a shiver running down her spine. The cold precision of his words, the casual way he revealed he had watched her from a distance, unsettled her in a way she hadn't expected.

What is fate actually playing at? she typed to herself, then stared at the dark screen. She didn't respond further.

Lucas Thoreau, somewhere in his sleek London apartment, exhaled with the quiet satisfaction of someone who had just tilted the world slightly without touching it.