"THE SHADOW SYNDICATE" (Under Editing)

Chapter 4

The city was already awake, bustling with energy as Elowen stepped out of her apartment. The morning air was crisp, filled with the scent of freshly brewed coffee and the distant hum of traffic. She wrapped her coat tighter around herself, trying to shake off the remnants of her unsettling conversation with Emilio and Alessandro the day before. Whatever they had come to tell her had lingered in her mind, a shadow she couldn’t quite dispel.

She needed a break, a moment to clear her head before heading to the clinic. A coffee would do the trick, she decided, and set off towards her favorite café, a small, tucked-away place that served the best espresso in town.

As she entered the café, the familiar smell of roasted beans greeted her, along with the soft murmur of early-morning patrons. She joined the line, her thoughts still preoccupied with the news her brother had delivered. It had shaken her more than she’d like to admit, and now she was left with a million questions and no answers.

When it was her turn, she ordered her usual—black coffee, no sugar. She stepped aside to wait, absently scrolling through her phone, trying to distract herself from the weight in her chest.

As she collected her coffee, balancing it in one hand while reaching for her bag with the other, she turned to leave—and collided with a solid figure. The force of the impact sent her stumbling back, her coffee spilling across the front of her coat.

“Watch where you’re going!” she snapped, more out of reflex than anything else. The last thing she needed was a ruined morning.

“Excuse me?” The man’s voice was low, controlled, but there was an edge to it that made her look up.

He was tall, with dark hair and an air of authority that instantly put her on edge. His sharp, assessing gaze flicked over her, taking in the spilled coffee and her irritated expression.

“I wasn’t the one charging through the café without looking,” he added, his tone clipped.

Elowen’s eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t charging through anywhere. Maybe if you weren’t standing in the middle of the floor like a brick wall, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

The man raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by her retort. “Perhaps if you paid more attention to your surroundings, you wouldn’t end up wearing your coffee.”

Elowen felt a surge of annoyance. She didn’t have time for this. “And perhaps if you weren’t blocking the entire walkway, I wouldn’t have to.”

They stared at each other for a moment, the tension between them palpable. Elowen was the first to break eye contact, exhaling sharply as she grabbed a handful of napkins from the counter to dab at the coffee stain.

The man watched her for a moment longer before finally stepping aside, his expression unreadable. “My apologies,” he said, though it sounded more like a formality than a genuine sentiment. “I’ll get out of your way.”

Without another word, he turned and walked out of the café, leaving Elowen to fume in silence. She cleaned herself up as best as she could, but the stain was stubborn, and the whole exchange had left her more rattled than she cared to admit. Who the hell was that guy, anyway? And why did he get under her skin so easily?

With a frustrated sigh, she tossed the used napkins into the trash and left the café, her coffee break ruined. She’d have to deal with the stain later. For now, she had work to do.

The clinic wasn’t far, a short walk that she usually enjoyed, but today she was too wound up to appreciate it. By the time she arrived, she was still seething, the earlier confrontation replaying in her mind. She tried to shake it off as she entered the clinic, forcing a calm expression as she greeted the receptionist.