Katrin was surrounded by laughter. Her friends filled her days with plans and secrets, but deep down, she had always sensed something lurking beneath their smiles. One evening, at a gathering, she overheard them. They were laughing and it is not with her, but at her. Her closest friends had made her the butt of their jokes, spreading personal stories and mocking her behind her back. The betrayal was sharp and deep. She left, crushed by their cruelty, her trust shattered.

Distracted by the pain, she returned home to find something else missing, her beloved cat, Whiskey. Her last anchor in the storm. Panicked, she searched everywhere, calling out, "Whiskey!" through every corner of the neighborhood.

In the middle of her frantic search, she bumped into someone. She stepped back to apologize, but the words caught in her throat. The man standing before her was tall, broad-shouldered, with a ruggedly handsome face and piercing eyes. He had an air of mystery, something otherworldly about him.

"What are you looking for?" he asked, his deep voice steady.

"My cat…she's gone. I've looked everywhere," Katrin mumbled, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I've seen you searching," he said with a smirk. "I can help you find your cat…on one condition."

Katrin paused, the desperation to find Whiskey gnawing at her. "What condition?"

The man's smile widened. "A favor—one you'll owe me in the future. You won't know when, but I'll ask for it."

Reluctantly, Katrin agreed. The man raised his hand, murmuring something under his breath. The air shimmered, and suddenly, Whiskey appeared, sitting at Katrin's feet, purring as if she had never been gone.

Katrin stared, speechless. "How…?"

But before she could ask, the man had already disappeared into the night.

Years passed. Katrin, still haunted by the memory of that strange encounter, moved on with her life, building a career and leaving behind the pain of her past. But the world is small, and fate has a strange way of weaving lives together.

One morning, she walked into a high-profile interview at a prestigious company, confident and ready. But as she entered the room, her heart stopped. Sitting behind the desk, with the same piercing eyes and a knowing smile, was the man from that night.

"Katrin," he greeted, leaning back in his chair. "I see you've come far since our last meeting. Now, about that favor…"

....