Chapter 14 - The Stranger
In his hotel room, Aaron was busy staring at his laptop screen. It had been more than two hours that he was having a serious conversation with a private detective in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Aaron was already so obsessed with the girl when he saw her again this afternoon. He had never been like this before. Especially for foreign girls, even though the girl was not too beautiful and fashionable like those women in London. ??
"Give me time until tomorrow morning to find out about this girl," said the detective on the other end of the line.
"Fine. I'll be waiting for your good news. By the way, is the photo clear enough?" Aaron asked curiously because the photo he gave the private investigator was taken from a camera in his car.
"This is good enough, Sir. Don't worry. This is not a difficult thing for me. You better prepare the money tomorrow morning, you will know the identity of this girl," replied the detective boastfully.
"Good then, don't disappoint me. As for money, you don't need to worry. Once I know who the girl is, the money will go into your account," Aaron said reassuringly.
Not long after, Aaron lay down on the bed staring at the ceiling of his hotel room. A smile etched on his face when he heard the detective's last word promising him to find out who the girl he was looking for.
"I don't know I am so obsessed with wanting to know your name. What is it about you that makes me want to be close to you?" Aaron asked himself, staring at Anne's photo, which looked a bit blurry. Aaron fumbled around Anne's photo until finally, he fell asleep because he was too tired.
After meeting Anne on the street and losing track of her, Aaron went around almost all over town looking for Anne. But his efforts were in vain because he did not find what he was looking for.
Finally, he decided to hire a personal investigator service. Finding a girl whose identity he did not know in a foreign city was overwhelming. He was forced to extend his plan to stay at Newcastle Upon Tyne for two days.
He had entrusted all his work affairs in London to Daniel, who had returned to London first. Aaron was still very curious about Anne, so he decided to stay longer at Newcastle Upon Tyne.
The morning sun shone brightly and entered Anne's room which was not completely closed. She repeatedly changed her sleeping position to avoid the dazzling rays on her eyes.
However, his efforts were in vain because the sun's rays were still steadfastly bursting through the curtains that were not completely closed. The sunshine hit her face, which was very tired after staying up all night trying new recipes for cookies that she got from the internet.
Lazily, Anne got up from her bed and walked to the bathroom. It was already 9 am. She had to take a shower immediately to go to the coffee shop. Even though she was the owner of the place, she still had to come on time.
"Don't be lazy, Anne. You want to be rich, don't you? If you want to be rich, you have to work hard!" Anne said to herself in the mirror.
After applying pink lip gloss to her lips, Anne reached for the bag hanging near her desk. She then drank a glass of almond milk that she had prepared on the table as a source of energy for her morning before doing all of today's activities.
She couldn't remember her fight with Jack yesterday. Not once or twice she had fought with Jack. She had counted the number of times she had fought with her barista. Anne never took all Jack's words seriously. It's just that sometimes what Jack said hurt her heart.
The man never thought about what he said before speaking. And Anne was already immune to all of Jack's harsh words because what Jack said was good for her to forget what she had experienced when she was married to Leon.
Sometimes Anne thought that Jack was not human, because his cold and heartless attitude made anyone reluctant to be close to him. Only a few girls who have been his big fans over the years had tried desperately to get close to him. However, Jack was always cold to the women.
After she arrived at the coffee shop, Anne was surprised because she didn't see Jack. Usually, the man would have come first, but today he was nowhere to be seen even though it was almost 9.30 am. It meant he only had thirty minutes to prepare everything. Luckily, last night Anne made a lot of cookies so she didn't need to bake more cookies this morning.
"Jack pick up my phone. Jack, this shop is about to open," said Anne many times while contacting Jack through his cell phone, but Jack did not answer.
"Oh my God, Jack, please ... I can't possibly serve the customers myself," sobbed Anne frantically. She could make coffee but it will be troublesome considering she also had to make cookies.
When Anne was feeling confused, suddenly someone tapped Anne on the shoulder. It was so sudden, that Anne became startled and almost dropped her cellphone.
"What's wrong with you, Miss? It looks like you are in serious trouble. Can I help you?" asked the handsome man, offering help.
"Can you make coffee?" asked Anne in a trembling voice holding back her tears.
"A little ..."
"Good. Come with me inside," said Anne loudly as she grabbed the hand of the stranger she had just met without hesitation.