A Little More Of Love.

Chapter 21: Confession

♡ L I L Y ♡

"Oh, one hot chocolate and a red velvet pastry!" I call the order, and the customer immediately emerges from the corner booth. 

"Thanks," She says, and I smile back at her. Then, before she leaves, she clears her throat to speak to me, "Excuse me, can I ask you something?" 

I raise my eyebrows and smile wider, "Yes, is there anything else I can help you with?" 

"About the people outside with giant cameras? They are quite distracting. Do you know why they are here —" she points over her shoulder at the windows and frowns. In a daze, my smile fades as I look outside to find eagerly waiting paparazzi, and I sigh before looking back at the customer when someone butts in, "Oh, that would be me."

I blink and look over as I murmur, "Zeke?" while the customer stares to marvel in awe at the Asian man in designer chic winter wear.  

Zeke salutes and beams at me before turning to the customer, "Not to brag, but my line of work and family legacy has always kept me in the limelight. But I am a humble guy, and this cafe felt homely when I first came here. I guess the paps must have gotten a whiff of my arrival in the city and are staking out in places I would go, you know how one is helpless with the paps, they relentlessly pursue and twist the stories to fit their ratings, so I apologize for a nuisance and a distraction—" in a daze, she nods and blushes at him. 

I raise my eyebrow at the subtext and sigh as I look outside again. It's the first weekend of the last month of the year, and winter has finally arrived. It's so cold. It has been a very busy week after that night, with multiple abrupt bake sales as a distraction from what had happened or is going on in the city and my life. But it's hard to ignore when you have press circling your workplace and asking questions you don't want to answer. 

I sigh again when somebody snaps their fingers in my face. 

I blink and call out, "Zeke?"

"Hi! It's been a while." He turns to me and waves a hand when I straighten up and huff, "You left two days ago for some fashion tour in Milan." 

I frown, "Are you already done with that or what?" 

Zeke clicks his tongue and nonchalantly shrugs, "I guess so. I don't know, and I wasn't feeling like attending anything for the time being." 

I blink and snap, "Yeah, you did leave in a hurry." 

"Why? Did you miss me?" Zeke teases, but I shake my head, "As if." 

"Haww, you wound me, Lily." he cheekily smiles.

Zeke has been hanging out with Taylor and me ever since that night. Not that he has admitted it, but he is only moping around and pretending to be okay with a bright smile. He is as bummed out as I am, and we couldn't even kick him out because Zeke Parker is a freaking puppy since you have seen your emotions in its eyes. 

I roll my eyes and fight off a smile when I notice him eye a day-old newspaper lying nearby on the counter with an expression I can now relate to. 

Oh, dear! You can't fool me, Zeke. You left in a hurry because it's too hard to watch the girl you secretly love go out to keep appearances or shop for an engagement party with another man, especially when the press is on their heels all the freaking time; only if I had the luxury of spending millions and flying out to an entirely different country if it meant me not seeing the guy I love with another woman.

THE BILLIONAIRE CEO ALASTAIR ALEXANDER'S MYSTERY WOMAN 

IS THE MYSTERY WOMAN A ROMANCE OR A FLING?

#BIG STORY! THE BILLIONAIRE CEO ALASTAIR ALEXANDER ANNOUNCES ENGAGEMENT!