The Stranger

Prologue

London, England.

Friday night drinks after an arduous week. Cassandra and her colleague, Lisa, were once again enjoying themselves at their local bar. Cassandra, sipping on her espresso martini, tried to relax as Lisa attempted, once again, to steer the conversation away from work-related topics. Cassandra was a workaholic. While Lisa was equally competitive and driven, she had a strict policy—5pm Friday marked the end of her workweek and the start of her weekend.

"Okay, enough about the Amatil account," Lisa interrupted, stopping Cassandra from another work-related tangent. "How long have I known you, Cassie?"

"Why?" Cassandra asked, slightly taken aback.

"Oh my God, Cassie... Just answer the bloody question."

"Fine. Just over three years," Cassandra replied, taking another sip of her drink.

"Three years. Feels like a lifetime." Lisa paused for a moment, then grinned. "You know, I think you're absolutely drop-dead gorgeous."

"I'm not sleeping with you, Lisa," Cassandra joked, though a small part of her knew that, under the right circumstances, Lisa might just try her luck.

"Your loss. I know how to please a woman." Lisa winked, laughing as Cassandra shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Ew," Cassandra muttered, turning away.

"Woah, hurtful!" Lisa slapped her playfully on the arm. "But seriously, Miss Williams, the point of my question is this: you're bloody hot. I know for a fact that at least 90% of the blokes in this bar would kill to shag you. The other 10%? Probably gay. And yet, I've never seen you get laid, nor even heard about it."

"Stop. I just don't want to," Cassandra said firmly, looking away in hopes of shutting down the conversation.

"I don't buy that for a second. Unless..."

"No, Lisa. I don't fancy women," Cassandra quickly interjected.

"Then what is it?"

"I just don't have time for a man or a relationship at the moment. I've got other goals, and love isn't one of them."

"Love? Bloody hell, Cassie, don't be ridiculous." Lisa laughed. "Who said anything about love or relationships? I just want you to get laid. Let some bloke clear the cobwebs that are probably growing between your legs."

Cassandra rolled her eyes and took another sip, ignoring Lisa's cheeky remark.

"Look, over there," Lisa nodded towards a couple of blokes sitting across from them. "Good-looking lads, and they've been checking us out all night. So do me a favour—be nice to them."

"Be nice to them?"

"Yeah, because they're coming over. Don't look." Lisa grinned mischievously.

"Ah, shit..." Cassandra groaned, realising too late as she made accidental eye contact with one of them.

"Evening, ladies," one of the men said, striding over. He wore tight grey trousers and a white business shirt, the top three buttons undone to reveal his well-defined pecs. His head was shaved, his big green eyes twinkled, and his skin was lightly tanned. Cassandra instantly disliked him. "I'm Matt, and this is me mate, Rob."

Rob gave a nod, his gaze fixed on Cassandra. He was attractive—tall, blonde, with big blue eyes, his tight black shirt and grey trousers emphasising his gym-toned physique.

"Can we get you a drink?" Rob asked.

"Two espresso martinis, please," Lisa jumped in before Cassandra could protest. "I'm Lisa, by the way, and this is my friend, Cassie."

Cassandra forced a polite smile as Matt turned to order at the bar.

About forty minutes later, they had somehow migrated to a low table near the bar. Lisa and Matt were deep in conversation, laughing at each other's jokes, while Cassandra nodded along as Rob recited his sports achievements, his rigid diet (undermined by the number of beers he was downing), and his various travel exploits. He hadn't asked a single thing about her.

"So, do you live around here, Cassie?" Rob finally asked.

"It's Cassandra. And no, I don't."

"I live in Camden," he said proudly, expecting her to be impressed. "Only about 30 minutes away. You should come over sometime, see my football medals and trophies."

Cassandra almost choked on her drink, laughing. "Oh dear, Rob," she said sweetly, though her tone was condescending. "I'm sure your shiny little medals are very impressive, but read the room. I'm as interested in your trophies as a tiger is in a piece of lettuce."

Rob stared at her blankly, still smiling.

"I can get us an Uber," he offered.

Lisa snorted with laughter in the background as Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"Look, Rob," Cassandra tapped his knee patronisingly. "It's been lovely meeting you, but you lost me the moment you said 'yous'. I'm sure your muscles, your sports achievements, and your charming house in Camden—probably mummy and daddy's—are very impressive to other women, but not to me. Perhaps you should try your luck elsewhere, or pick up a book on how to read the room."

Lisa and Matt exchanged amused glances, trying to hide their laughter.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to head home for some rest. Lisa, are you coming?"

"Yep," Lisa said, quickly exchanging numbers with Matt before Cassandra pulled her out of the bar.

As they stepped into the cool night air, Cassandra let out a deep breath. "I don't know why I come to these things."

Lisa shrugged. "Maybe because you're secretly hoping for more than just work and witty retorts?" She paused, glancing at Cassandra knowingly. "There's more to life, Cassie. Maybe it's time you let someone else take control for once."

Cassandra shot her a sideways glance but said nothing. Lisa's words lingered, unsettling her more than she cared to admit. Maybe there was truth in them—after all, it wasn't the first time she had felt that gnawing sense of something missing, something out of reach. But control was her anchor. Letting it go... no, that wasn't her. Not yet, anyway.