Until We Met Again ( Rowan and Johnson )
Chapter 1

Chapter 1

At two o’clock in the afternoon, in a café, Karla leaned her chin on her hand, gazing listlessly out of the window. She absentmindedly stirred her lukewarm coffee with a spoon, and she even felt like yawning.

The man sitting across from her had been trying to engage her in conversation, hoping to catch her attention, but they had exhausted all the usual topics, and Karla opposite him remained unresponsive.

The man chuckled and shook his head, then asked her directly, “Ms. Karla, don’t you fancy a chat with me?”

It was only then that Karla turned to look at him, cutting to the chase, “Blake, I made it clear when you asked me out that I’m not interested in marriage or dating right now. You insisted it was fine, which is the only reason I reluctantly agreed to come.”

A bittersweet smile crossed Blake’s lips. He had thought her words were mere politeness, but it turned out she truly wasn’t interested in him. “Ms. Karla, it’s my fault. I’m quite taken with you, and thought perhaps you had a favorable impression of me too,” said Blake, a worldly man with a polished demeanor, every bit the gentleman.

Considering his looks and status, it was unusual for a woman to reject him so outright, especially Karla, who spent her days working among rough guys. She should have been all the more susceptible to his charm.

But Karla just wasn’t interested, and she directly rejected him, leaving no room for ambiguity or a hint of flirtation.

Blake gave up, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he inquired, “Ms. Karla, is there. someone you’re fond of?”

“Not at all. What gave you that impression?” Karla scooped a generous mouthful of strawberry mousse into her mouth, unconcerned about appearance, savoring it with gusto.

Blake watched her intently before responding, “You seem preoccupied, especially when you’re lost in thought. It’s like you’re thinking about someone.”

“Do I?” Karla furrowed her brow. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard such remarks.

Whenever she sat in contemplation, someone would invariably ask if she was heartbroken. Karla always felt like rolling her eyes. How could someone who had been single from birth, without even a hint of a romantic interest, experience heartbreak? At most, she sometimes felt a hollow emptiness inside.

Blake wished to continue their conversation, but alas, Karla received a call. There was a case at the station, and she hurried off. Blake watched her departing figure with a sigh of regret.

Upon arriving at the station, Karla learned that it was a peculiar case. A real estate company. had been developing a piece of land for a new villa community. However, during

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construction, workers uncovered a car buried underground, suspected of containing human

remains.

The site reported the incident immediately, and with police assistance, they cautiously excavated the vehicle.

After verification, it was an old sedan, buried for over thirty years – meaning the car’s owner had been entombed for decades.

Initial theories pondered a link to murder, but after geological and historical analysis, it appeared more likely an accident. Thirty years prior, that area was at the foothills, prone to landslides during heavy rain. A passing vehicle could indeed be buried.

Karla left the theorizing to the experts and focused on the skeletal remains. After years underground, they were reduced to bones. The victim was male, around 30 years old, with no signs of trauma on the bones; foul play was unlikely.

In the car, personal effects were found: a decayed wallet, a rusty keychain, a popular singer’s album from that era, and several photos too damaged by decay to restore.

Once the facts were clear, the media was notified to report on the tragedy, partly in hopes that his family might come forward.

On the day the news broke, Karla glanced at her phone and frowned. The reporters had inadvertently captured her in their photos?

Though not conspicuous, it was clearly her, on a call with her phone in hand. But with the news already out, there was nothing she could do. She decided to ignore it.