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Waiting in the shadows
img img Waiting in the shadows img Chapter 1 A Meeting That Changed Nothing
1 Chapters
Chapter 10 Shadows Revealed img
Chapter 11 Whispers in the Silence img
Chapter 12 Shadows Between Us img
Chapter 13 Misunderstandings & New Beginnings img
Chapter 14 Breaking point img
Chapter 15 Edge Between Us img
Chapter 16 Fractured Paths img
Chapter 17 Born in silence img
Chapter 18 Path of us img
Chapter 19 The claim img
Chapter 20 Chaos and Control img
Chapter 21 The wedding img
Chapter 22 Back Where It Began img
Chapter 23 Reentry img
Chapter 24 A Table for Two and One More img
Chapter 25 Blood Doesn't Lie img
Chapter 26 A Mother's Line img
Chapter 27 What Grows in Silence img
Chapter 28 The Space Between img
Chapter 29 Fault Lines img
Chapter 30 The Lie That Bleeds img
Chapter 31 The celebration img
Chapter 32 The Cry of a Mother img
Chapter 33 Confrontation img
Chapter 34 Family Circles img
Chapter 35 The Trap img
Chapter 36 Irreversible Consequences img
Chapter 37 Terms of War img
Chapter 38 Cracks in the Mask img
Chapter 39 Searching for the Truth img
Chapter 40 Behind Closed Doors img
Chapter 41 Revelations img
Chapter 42 Rekindled Flames img
Chapter 43 Guilt and Heartstrings img
Chapter 44 The Spark of Betrayal img
Chapter 45 A Quiet Test img
Chapter 46 Seeds of Doubt img
Chapter 47 The Breaking Point img
Chapter 48 A Dangerous Alliance img
Chapter 49 Shadows Between Us img
Chapter 50 What Alicia Must Know img
Chapter 51 Layrus' Birthday img
Chapter 52 The Hilltop Cliff img
Chapter 53 Bullet and the Abyss img
Chapter 54 Between Life and Death img
Chapter 55 A Memory Lost img
Chapter 56 Dangerous News img
Chapter 57 An Unwelcome Visitor img
Chapter 58 The Choice img
Chapter 59 Hidden truth img
Chapter 60 Taken away img
Chapter 61 A Place That Feels Familiar img
Chapter 62 Three at the Table img
Chapter 63 Triggering the Truth img
Chapter 64 Truth in the Night img
Chapter 65 Crossroads of Hearts img
Chapter 66 The Family Confrontation img
Chapter 67 The Garden Gathering img
Chapter 68 Truth Buried in the Past img
Chapter 69 A Son's Questions img
Chapter 70 Secrets in Motion img
Chapter 71 Questions That Shouldn't Be Asked img
Chapter 72 The Press Conference img
Chapter 73 The Child Who Must Be Protected img
Chapter 74 The Board's Decision img
Chapter 75 Lines That Refuse to Break img
Chapter 76 A Dangerous Bargain img
Chapter 77 The Official Truth img
Chapter 78 The Cost of the Thoreau Name img
Chapter 79 A Lead From the Past img
Chapter 80 A Dangerous Weakness img
Chapter 81 A Lead in Hampstead img
Chapter 82 Playing the Game img
Chapter 83 Question That Breaks Everything img
Chapter 84 Trip to Scotland img
Chapter 85 Secrets Unearthed img
Chapter 86 Sophie's Interference img
Chapter 87 Shadows Over London img
Chapter 88 The Mother's Truth img
Chapter 89 Face to Face img
Chapter 90 No Way Back img
Chapter 91 The Public Verdict img
Chapter 92 The Blood That Lies img
Chapter 93 A Celebration Torn Open img
Chapter 94 Truths That Should Have Stayed Buried img
Chapter 95 One Trigger Away img
Chapter 96 One Shot Changed Everything img
Chapter 97 A Choice Made in Blood img
Chapter 98 Choosing What Stays img
Chapter 99 A Chance for Clarity img
Chapter 100 Severed Ties img
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Waiting in the shadows

Author: Fay.fay
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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.

            
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