Viral Overnight

My heart slammed against my ribs before I could even reach the phone on the table.

“What is happening now?” I whispered.

My phone buzzed again Then again And again.By the time the sun rose over the city, my life no longer belonged to me.

While I had been fast asleep, the internet had been wide awake. The video of Zaf rescuing me had spread everywhere on every social media platforms.

Millions of views. Endless reposts. News articles. Reaction videos. Celebrity gossip pages analyzing every second of the footage as if they were investigating a crime.

And everyone wanted to know one thing.

Who was the mystery girl Zaf Morgan had risked his life to save?

I had no idea any of this was happening. I was still peacefully asleep in my tiny apartment when my phone suddenly exploded with notifications.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I summoned the strength to leave my bed My eyes flew open.

“What on earth…?”

The phone vibrated nonstop on the table. Messages. Emails. Missed calls. Friend requests. Tags. Mentions. Still half asleep, I grabbed it and stared at the screen.

For one ridiculous second, I wondered if my phone had caught a virus Then I opened social media.

And nearly dropped it. The rescue video had over fifty million views. Fifty. Million.

“No way,” I whispered.

I opened the comments.

They were coming in faster than I could read them.

They are so cute together!

The way he looked at her!

This is literally straight out of a movie.

Find the girl!

Who is she?

I need Part Two immediately!

I dropped my phone on the bed angrily and buried my face in my pillow.

“This cannot be happening.”

Unfortunately, it was And it was only getting worse. Across the city, Zaf Morgan was having a morning just as chaotic as mine.

The moment he walked into the conference room at his company headquarters, everyone turned to stare at him. Some employees tried to hide their smiles while Others didn’t bother.

Someone at the back actually started clapping.

Zaf stopped.

“What?”

His assistant, Sophia, slid a tablet across the table.

“You broke the internet.”

Zaf sighed. “Again?”

Sophia raised an eyebrow. “Again?”

“Last year, people lost their minds because I accidentally adopted three stray dogs.”

A few people around the table laughed.

Sophia pointed at the screen. “This is different.”

Zaf looked down.

His face was everywhere.

WHO IS ZAF MORGAN’S MYSTERY GIRL?

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT?

THE HEROIC RESCUE EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT

He groaned.

“This is ridiculous.”

“And that’s not even the worst part.”

Sophia swiped to another page. Fan accounts.mEdits. Slow motion videos. One clip had romantic music playing over the exact moment Zaf looked at me after the accident.nIt already had twenty million views.

The room erupted with laughter. The sound echoed loudly through the entire building. Zaf stared at the screen in horror.

“Oh, no.”

Sophia smiled.

“Oh, yes.”

Meanwhile, I arrived at the bookstore hoping for one thing. A normal day. The second I stepped inside, everyone froze immediately.

My manager stared at me. A customer pointed Then someone gasped.

“It’s her!”

My stomach dropped.

“She’s the girl from the video!”

Within seconds, a teenage girl rushed toward me.

“Oh my gosh! You’re the rescue girl!”

“Dana,” I corrected gently. “My name is Dana.”

“Right. Sorry. Dana. Can we take a picture?”

Before I could answer, more people gathered around me. Three became five. Five became ten.nThen the questions started.

“Are you and Zaf dating?”

“What does he smell like?”

“Was it love at first sight?”

“Can you introduce me to him?”

I stared at them.

“Guys I almost got hit by a truck.”

Silence. The entire crowd went quiet. Someone at the back cleared their throat.

“Right. Good point.”

I sighed.

“Thank you.”

Despite myself, I laughed. The whole thing was completely absurd. Around lunchtime, my phone rang.

Sophia.

I stepped outside the bookstore before answering.

“Hello?”

“Good afternoon, Dana.”

“Please tell me the internet has forgotten about me.”

Sophia laughed.

“I’m afraid the exact opposite has happened.”

I closed my eyes.

“I knew it.”

“We’ve received interview requests from major television networks.”

“What?”

“Magazine offers.”

“No.”

“Podcast invitations.”

“Absolutely not.”

She laughed again. “You’re handling this surprisingly well.”

“I’m one notification away from throwing my phone into traffic.”

“That sounds less like handling it well.”

“Exactly.”

There was a brief silence before her voice softened.

“Zaf asked me to check on you.”

I paused.

“He did?”

“Yes. He knows this must be overwhelming.”

Something warm stirred in my chest.

“Tell him I’m okay.”

“I will.”

When the call ended, I realized I was smiling. By evening, the internet had completely lost its mind.

People were no longer talking about the rescue.nThey were inventing an entire relationship. According to one viral post, Zaf and I had secretly known each other for years.

Another claimed destiny had brought us together. Someone had created fan art. Someone else had made a fake relationship timeline.

I sat down quietly on my couch, scrolling through the social media page it all with a mixture of horror and amusement.

Then another video appeared on my feed. This time, it wasn’t the rescue footage. It was an interview with a witness from the accident. The reporter held out a microphone.

“What stood out to you most?”

The witness answered immediately.

“The way Zaf looked at her afterward.”

My thumb froze over the screen.

The reporter smiled. “What do you mean?”

The witness shrugged.

“I’ve seen fear before. That wasn’t just fear.”

My stomach tightened.

I quickly closed the video.

“People are imagining things,” I muttered.

But even as I said it, I remembered the way Zaf had looked at me. And that was the problem.

I wasn’t entirely sure they were wrong. Later that night, I finally crawled into bed, exhausted. I had just switched off the lamp when my phone buzzed.

My heart slammed against my ribs before I could even reach it.

“What is happening now?” I whispered.

Another text message notification. This one was from Sophia. I opened it And sat straight up.

It was an invitation to Zaf Morgan’s annual charity gala, one of the biggest events of the year. Politicians. Celebrities. Business leaders. The media. Everyone important would be there Then I reached the final line.

Mr. Morgan would like you to attend as his personal guest.

I stared at the screen for a very long time. There had to be a mistake.

“Why would someone like Zaf Morgan invite someone like me?”

Before I could process it, another message appeared. This time, it was from Zaf himself.

Zaf: I know crowds aren’t really your thing. But I’d really love it if you came.

I read it once Then twice Then a third time. A nervous smile slowly spread across my face. Across the city, Zaf stood beside the window of his apartment, staring at his silent phone.

One minute passed Then two Then five. Finally, his screen lit up.

Dana: Okay. I’ll come.

He didn’t say anything. He simply smiled. It was the first real smile he had worn all day. I thought saying yes might change my life for the better. I had no idea someone was already waiting to make me regret it.

Outside my apartment, rain hammered the city as if it could wash every sin from the streets But some stains never faded.

And across the road, hidden beneath the shadows of the trees, someone stood watching my window.

Watching me.