"Ouch. Well, hello to you too, Emma. Somebody seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed today." Jake chuckled as he took a seat across me. He was wearing a light blue casual shirt matching the color of his blue eyes. His hair was styled casually, and he looked effortlessly handsome.
He might have noticed me checking him out, "Are you done drooling? You could continue if there is still any more left." He teased as a smirk crept up his lips.
"In your dreams, you ass. You didn't answer me, what are you doing here?" I collected myself before replying with the same sass again.
He shook his head as a short laugh erupted on his mouth. "Always so curious. I come here very often. I love the coffee they serve." He shrugged, stating simply.
"Really? Ironically, this is so close to my place. And isn't this cafe too small for your stature?" I fired another round of questions. He was taken aback by my coldness and didn't come up with a remark immediately like I expected him to. His eyes bore my skin, and I felt like hiding away from his torturous stare. He had no clue how much affect he had on me, I was captivated by his blue orbs, and shamelessly enough, if given a chance, I could stay his hostage all my life.
"You judge too easily." He whispered as he averted his gaze, and his eyes dropped down to the cutlery on the table instead.1
"Sorry? I didn't get you."
"Nothing Emma, I was anyway leaving. Have a good day ahead." With that, he swiftly got up and left the cafe without looking back.
What was that? Did I offend him?
It was almost evening, and I was done completing the work that Aunty Amy gave me.
"Here you go." I hugged her before getting ready to step out.
"Emma, how do you know Jacob?" She asked me as she lifted her spectacles from the tip of her nose and carefully folded them in their box. I was surprised by her question.
"You know that self-obsessed idiot too?" I retorted without thinking and earned a chuckle from her in response.
"He is anything but that Emma. This only means you don't know him like I do, he is very kind actually. Such a good boy." Her eyes twinkled in admiration, and her motherly affection was evident in her body language.
"Really? Are you sure we are talking about the same Jacob?"3
"Yes, he just left. I saw him talking to you. He has been coming here since he was a kid. He used to come here with Augustin, his care-taker I think."
My mouth went dry. I had no clue about Jake and his personal life, or about people in his family. I was firing unnecessary questions at him, jumping to far-fetched conclusions without any consideration.
I tend to assume the worse when it comes to him. And I somehow get proven wrong every single time, and yet I never learn.
"He uses to fondly sit down here for hours and listen to stories while helping me with little chores in the cafe. After my husband died, I was struggling with finances, and it was Jacob who helped me. He never failed to check on me ever since." Aunt Amy was almost teary-eyed, and suddenly something in my heart melted. He was the businessman of the decade, and yet he found time to visit Aunt Amy and check on her well-being?
I was in awe. My mind was engulfed with a myriad of emotions. Was it even possible to have Jake cloud my heart and mind any more than he already did?
"Wow. I had no clue. I just work in one of his companies." I could barely whisper.
I heaved a deep sigh and felt a strange heaviness on my chest as I bid goodbye to Aunt Amy and left the cafe to walk back to my place. I was carrying a lot of different sentiments, guilt being the most dominant.
Jacob Richmond, there was so much more to you than one could see from the outside. And I sure owed you an apology.
Chapter 14
His Girlfriend
Emma
Monday morning came sooner than expected. The world was still deep in slumber when I woke up and got dressed to catch possibly the first scheduled flight of the day. I rushed to the airport, creating mental notes of all the possible things I could have forgotten, and after checking all my belongings for the hundredth time, I entered the queue to my airline stall. As promised, Mark greeted me with a smile as he was already present in the main lobby.
"Hey Emma, all set?" Being the courteous lad he was, he offered to help me with the luggage.
He looked different. Good different. He was wearing a basic light-green round neck cardigan that inched perfectly on his toned upper body, along with casual brown pants. He was a delight to eyes, and I felt staggered to not notice before how good looking he actually was.
"Wow, Mark, you should dress casually more often. It suits you more."
"Thanks for the compliment Emma, you look amazing yourself. Come, let's get ourselves checked-in."
Mark was vibrant and energetic, unlike my grumpy self. He sure looked like a morning person. There were also two other members from his legal team that were joining us for the meeting.
We all boarded our flight and were seated in business class, the perks of working in an esteemed organization like Richmond Corp. The flight was very comfortable, and I slept for the majority part of it. Soon, we reached
