The morning the news spread, Elina was scrubbing a stubborn stain off one of the diner tables when she overheard two cooks arguing in the kitchen. At first, she ignored them, men in kitchens argued about everything: salt, knives, pride. But then she heard a name that made everyone on the dining floor turn their heads.
"Romanov is coming back," one of the cooks said, lowering his voice, though not enough.
The other snorted. "You're lying. That man left five years ago. He isn't insane enough to return."
"I'm telling you what I heard."
The first cook's words hung in the air for several seconds, traveling like a spark in dry grass. It took less than a minute for the whisper to reach the front counter.
Alex Romanov. Coming home.
Elina paused mid-wipe, her fingers gripping the cloth tightly. She didn't know much about the Romanovs, not personally, not directly, but in a city like theirs, everyone knew of them. Especially the eldest son. The one who had disappeared five years ago after a series of unresolved scandals, rumors, and whispers that made people lower their voices and look over their shoulders.
The Romanovs were wealth. Power. Influence. And danger, wrapped neatly in expensive suits and cold smiles.
If Alex Romanov was returning… it meant something. People didn't flee the city unless they were running from something. And they certainly didn't return unless something bigger dragged them back.
Elina turned away from the cooks and focused on her work. Whatever was going on in the world of the rich didn't concern her. People like her weren't meant to cross paths with people like them. She had bills to pay, shifts to survive, a family to keep alive. Everything else belonged to a universe far above her.
Still, the name lingered in her mind.
Around noon, the diner became unusually noisy. People didn't just talk—they gossiped. The kind of hushed, breathless gossip that grew from fear rather than excitement.
"I heard he bought a whole building before he even landed."
"My cousin said the airport's been crawling with security all morning. His private jet is due any minute."
"They say he changed. That he's… colder."
"Colder than he already was?"
Elina kept moving between tables, refilling cups and taking orders, but the conversations tugged at her focus. She tried to block them out, but it was impossible; the entire city seemed to have woken up unsettled.
Even Gwen, who almost never left the register, came out to whisper to her.
"You hear the news?"
"About what?" Elina asked, though she already knew.
"Romanov. That Romanov. The dangerous one."
Elina lifted an eyebrow. "Aren't they all dangerous?"
Gwen waved her hand dismissively. "This one is different. People say when he left, bodies disappeared with him. When he returns…" She shivered. "People expect the worst."
Elina didn't respond. She didn't have the luxury of worrying about powerful men with sordid histories. Her own life had enough chaos.
On her break, she sat behind the diner at the back exit, eating a sandwich Liam had packed for her. The bread was dry, the tomato watery, but it was food, and she was grateful.
Her phone buzzed.
It was Liam.
Mom's asking if you're coming home early today.
She exhaled slowly.
I can't. Double shift.
A moment passed.
Okay. I'll watch her. You good?
She smiled faintly.
Trying to be.
One day we'll be rich, Liam sent. I'll make sure of it.
Her heart squeezed. He meant well, he always did, but she didn't want him believing money was the only measure of happiness. She didn't want him growing up desperate.
But she wrote back anyway.
One day.
She put the phone away and leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. She counted her breaths, trying to steady herself, until a group of teenagers walking past pulled her attention.
They were arguing loudly.
"Bro, the guy is ruthless. My dad said when the Romanovs invite someone to a meeting, they either come back richer… or don't come back at all."
"Oh please. You talk like you've met him."
"I don't need to meet him. Everyone knows Alex Romanov is different. He wasn't born for business. He was born for war."
Elina rolled her eyes.
People exaggerated everything.
Still… something about the conversation stuck with her. Maybe because the city felt tense, as though everyone was bracing for something they couldn't name. And tension had a way of creeping under her skin.
The rest of her shift dragged on. Customers were distracted, their eyes glued to news notifications on their phones. Even the television mounted on the wall played breaking-news banners.
Romanov heir returns after five-year absence.
Security presence increases around Romanov family properties.
Public speculates reasons for Alex Romanov's sudden return.
Elina didn't bother watching.
On her way to her second job, the streets buzzed with excitement and fear. People clustered near bus stops, talking animatedly. Shopkeepers stood in their doorways, discussing theories. Even vendors selling roasted corn and puff-puff argued about it.
The whole city had become one living, breathing rumor mill.
But at the mini-store, Mr. Patel didn't look excited. He looked stressed. He was pacing when Elina entered.
"You heard the news?" he asked.
"I've heard everyone talk about it," she said. "But it has nothing to do with us."
He stopped pacing. "Maybe. Maybe not."
Elina frowned. "What do you mean?"
Mr. Patel leaned against the counter. "People like the Romanovs… when they shake the city, everyone feels it. Prices rise. Street trouble increases. People get scared, desperate, unpredictable. It trickles down."
She hadn't thought of that.
Great. Another thing to worry about.
She stocked shelves, helped customers, and answered questions, but her mind drifted. She replayed the whispers, the news flashes, the nervous energy that filled the air like static. She didn't know why it bothered her so much. It shouldn't. Alex Romanov didn't know she existed. She would never cross his path.
Still, the city's unease settled into her bones.
Around ten, she left for home. The night was darker than usual, the streetlights dimmer, the silence heavier. Even stray dogs were quiet, as though they sensed something the humans didn't.
As she walked, she noticed people peeking through curtains, doors closing quickly when she passed, guards posted at unfamiliar corners. Something was happening, something she didn't understand.
When she reached home, Liam opened the door immediately.
"I heard shouting outside earlier," he said. "Two men fighting about some Romanov business. It got bad."
"Did you stay inside?" she asked sharply.
"Of course. I'm not stupid."
Her mother was awake on the couch, a blanket over her legs. "The city feels strange tonight," she whispered.
Elina knelt beside her. "It's just gossip. People like drama."
"No," her mother said quietly. "It's something else. A shift. Like the air is moving differently."
Elina brushed her mother's hair back gently. "You need sleep."
But even as she said that, she felt it too, that strange instinctive shiver at the back of her spine. Something was changing. Something big. Either the city was imagining a threat… or bracing for a real one.
Later, after everyone had fallen asleep, Elina lay awake in the dark.
She stared at the ceiling, listening to the faint hum of the night.
Somewhere far above her world, a man she'd never met had returned home. A man everyone feared. A man whose name could silence a room.
He didn't know it yet, but his return would change everything.
Including her life.
Though she had no idea how.
Not yet.