Anonymous Client

Zoe stepped into her office building, the familiar scent of coffee and fresh paperwork greeting her. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed this place.

The moment she walked in, her colleagues turned to her with bright smiles.

“Mrs. Walter! You’re back already?” her assistant, Elena, gasped. “I thought you were supposed to be on your honeymoon.”

Zoe gave a small smile as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. “Plans change,” she said simply. “I’m here now, and that’s what matters.”

The others exchanged glances, clearly curious, but no one pushed further. She was married to a billionaire now, and they wondered why she would be in a haste to work.

“Your schedule is full today,” Elena informed her, handing over a tablet with her appointments. “Also, there’s something strange—an anonymous client booked a session, but they left no details.”

Zoe frowned. “No name? No background information?”

Elena shook her head. “Nothing at all. The appointment was for this morning, but they haven’t shown up yet.”

Zoe glanced at the clock. It was already past the scheduled time. She sighed. “Great. A mystery client playing games with me.”

Still, she had work to do. Shrugging off the thought, she walked into her office and got started with her usual clients.

By the end of the day, Zoe was exhausted. As she stepped out of the building and headed to her car, she let out a deep breath, ready to go home and unwind.

She started the engine and drove off, her mind drifting back to the anonymous client.

Who would book a session without leaving any details?

And why did it feel like something—or someone—was waiting just around the corner?

She gripped the steering wheel tighter as she slowed to a stop at the red light. The evening traffic was thick, with cars lining up on both sides of the road. She sighed, rubbing her temple, already feeling the weight of the long workday.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a familiar sports car parked just outside the entrance of an upscale hotel across the road.

Her heart stilled for a moment.

She leaned slightly, trying to get a better view through the windshield.

It was Adonis.

He stood by the car, checking his watch, as composed as ever. But it wasn’t just him that grabbed her attention. Sitting in the passenger seat, as though she belonged there, was Abigail.

Zoe felt a strange heaviness in her chest.

Quickly, she turned her gaze away, pushing down the emotions bubbling up. It wasn’t a big deal. He could do whatever he wanted. Their marriage was just a contract, after all.

But…

To the world, their marriage was real. People saw her as his wife. And yet, here he was, out in public with Abigail, making it obvious their marriage didn’t matter to him. It felt humiliating.

She was a therapist and he was out there spoiling her brand.

At least, if he was still seeing his first love, he could be discreet about it.

The traffic light turned green. She took a deep breath, ignoring the irritation rising in her chest, and pressed the gas pedal, driving away without another glance.

She didn’t care.

She wouldn’t care.

At least, that’s what she tried to convince herself.

A few minutes later, Zoe was cruising down the road, when she noticed the sports car in her rearview mirror.

Her stomach sank.

It was behind her now.

Trying to focus on the road, she couldn’t ignore the growing tension in the air as the sports car began to inch closer.

Then, at an intersection, their car pulled alongside hers, the vehicles now side by side.

Abigail’s side was right next to her.

Zoe kept her gaze straight ahead, not wanting to acknowledge them. But then, she heard the sound of a window rolling down.

Abigail.

Zoe’s grip on the wheel tightened, but she refused to react. She wasn’t about to give Abigail the satisfaction.

Abigail smirked, leaning back, and rolled the window back up without saying a word.

Zoe exhaled sharply, forcing herself not to give in to the growing frustration. But as she was about to let the moment go, she felt movement from the driver’s side.

Adonis.

He bent down slightly, his eyes searching for hers through the rolled up window. Their gazes locked for a brief, tense moment.

Zoe didn’t look away.

Adonis didn’t either.

The air between them felt thick, like everything in the world had paused for that second.

Then, just as suddenly, the sports car revved up, speeding off into the traffic.

Zoe watched them go, their laughter ringing out faintly as they disappeared from view.

Her hands loosened on the wheel, but her heart didn’t feel lighter.

That night, she tried to shake off the weight of the day, reminding herself that she didn’t care about Adonis or what he was doing. Yet, despite telling herself that over and over, she couldn’t help but wait for him. She kept checking the windows, hoping he would come home.

But he didn’t.

She eventually fell asleep, the quiet house only making it more obvious where he must have been. With Abigail.

The next morning, She woke up, got dressed, and tried to move through the motions. She couldn’t let herself be consumed by thoughts of him. If she was going to survive the next eighteen months without losing her mind, she needed to focus. Work would be her distraction.

She grabbed her laptop, a few papers, and got into her car, driving off to her office.

When she arrived at the office, Elena briefed her promptly.

“The anonymous client has rescheduled,” Elena reported. “He’ll be here in approximately 10 minutes.”

She continued, “He paid a lot of money for this session. Big spender. Could be a good one,” she added with a grin. “Maybe it’s a regular billionaire. We’ll see.”

Zoe nodded, trying not to think much of it. She had more pressing matters.

A few moments later, Elena, who was still at the window, suddenly leaned in. “Uh, Dr Walter…you might want to see this.”

Zoe walked over, and Elena pointed to a sleek black car parked in front of the building. It was the kind of car only someone wealthy would drive….a billionaire obviously. They watched as security guards stepped out, and a man in a wheelchair was carefully helped out by a woman, likely his assistant.

“Oh my! This looks like a ticket to heaven.” Elena started, but then she cut herself off, awkwardly.

Zoe narrowed her eyes. She tried to catch a glimpse of the man’s face. Something felt strange, but she couldn’t quite place it.

Then, it clicked.

She had seen that face before.

It was Avron…her brother in-law!