A Close Call

After completing her last delivery of the day, Aelira returned to Lou's pub, where her assistant greeted her with a flicker of excitement. Her device—the one she had lost on her first night on Earth—was emitting a faint signal nearby. It was the first sign of hope that she might be able to return home. Without hesitation, she and her assistant set off, following the signal through the bustling city streets.

As they tracked the signal, it led them to a grand mansion, an elegant estate surrounded by lush gardens and high walls. Her assistant quickly deduced that this was the residence of a well-known millionaire—a man of influence and power in the city. Determined to retrieve her device, Aelira decided to slip inside undetected, with her assistant's guidance.

Once inside, they moved from room to room, searching for the elusive signal source. The rooms were richly decorated, filled with expensive furnishings, fine art, and luxuries Aelira had never seen before. Each time they approached the signal, however, it seemed to vanish, only to reappear in a different part of the mansion. Frustrated but undeterred, she pressed on, determined to retrieve her lost technology.

As she crept down a dimly lit hallway, the signal grew stronger, guiding her to a large bathroom. Aelira hesitated outside, hearing the sound of running water. She glanced in cautiously and caught a glimpse of a man showering—broad-shouldered, tall, and with a familiar aura that made her heart skip. Recognition washed over her as she realized it was the man she had saved on that fateful night: Arthur.

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For a moment, she stood frozen, watching him in astonishment, hardly able to believe her own eyes. She hadn't expected to see him here, let alone under such circumstances. Her assistant nudged her, reminding her of their task, and she shook herself out of her trance. She wondered if Arthur had somehow come into possession of her device, or if he knew of its whereabouts.

But before she could decide her next move, the signal suddenly faded, leaving her disoriented. Arthur, meanwhile, sensed something unusual, a presence he couldn't quite explain. Turning off the shower, he quickly wrapped a towel around himself, his gaze sweeping the room with growing suspicion. He stepped out of the bathroom, scanning the hallway as if he could sense someone—or something—was nearby.

Aelira and her assistant reacted swiftly, activating their invisibility power just in time. They held their breath, remaining perfectly still as Arthur moved closer, his brows furrowed in confusion. After a tense moment, he shook his head and muttered to himself, dismissing it as his imagination. He returned to his room, his presence lingering in Aelira's thoughts even after he disappeared from sight.

Once the coast was clear, Aelira and her assistant hurried out of the mansion, retreating into the night. Though they had narrowly escaped discovery, Aelira's thoughts were racing. The man she had saved, the man she couldn't seem to forget, was once again unknowingly linked to her life—and the mystery of her lost device seemed more intertwined with him than she had imagined.

As they disappeared into the city, she couldn't shake the feeling that her connection to Arthur was more than a mere coincidence, but a thread binding her fate to his in ways she was only beginning to understand.