Chapter 4 Moving On

They say the wee hours of the morning is a time for those who prefer to work in the shadows, those who seek inspiration in the comfort of the dark. This morning was definitely not an inspiration or one of those mornings that held on to its promises of a brighter day especially not for Andrea. The occasional hooting of an owl and the chirping of crickets broke the silence of the crisp and quiet morning air. He had woken up to those very sounds and his hand felt heavy, it took him a moment to realize the reason.

Emma's head was still resting on him and the events of earlier that morning replayed I'm his memory. He smiled at her with utmost satisfaction. She looked so perfect by his side but she looked too good to be with him. Staying the morning with her would just rouse feelings that he didn't want to have and he didn't want to lead her into something she would regret later. He kissed her long on her lips, had a shower, rang for fresh clothes to be brought up and when he was done dressing up he took a long look at the lady he was not to see anymore, kissed her forehead briefly and her lips long enough and whispered goodbye. He gave orders to his butler to see to her needs and make sure she gets home safely.

Emma woke up to the sound of the doorbell ring.

"Coming!" she yawned heavily while stretching her body. She opened her eyes and the bright sunshine told her how late she was to work. She was about to hurriedly jump out of the bed then she noticed that she was naked. "How did she sleep naked and why did her mum forget to wake her up", she thought. She opened her eyes fully and one thing dawned on her; this was not her room. The sheets were black and her smile grew even more as she remembered everything that happened the night before. OMG! Iris might be worried sick already, she'll text her later. The bell rang again. She put on the robe she saw and rushed to the door.

It was a waiter with a tray of assorted breakfast ideas. She was surprised, she hadn't seen Andrea all morning and had assumed he went for an early jog but he thought of her that much?

"Ma'am, I was instructed to bring this up to you and ensure you have everything else you need", said the waitress.

"I'm okay, may I place the order please or rather, where might he be", she asked.

"He left early this morning for London, surely you're aware?" she asked with a somewhat sneer on her face.

"Oh yes, he did mention"

"Sebastian would require your presence downstairs in an hour, he would be the one to take you home and ensure your safety", she said briefly while setting the tray on the bed.

After the waitress left, Emma was unsettled but remembering the words of the waiter she quickly showered, she ate and just as she was about to leave she noticed the wallpapers and pictures on the wall were all different art styles but they portrayed images of Andrea. This could not be... this was his club. The club opening meetings and dinners were all for him, didn't he care to tell her. She noticed the bundles of cash by the bedside, no note just cash. Did he really see her like that as a prostitute or as nothing at all? She left the club a few minutes later with Sebastian. She appreciated his silence throughout the ride and thanked him for his kindness. As sad as it could sound, this was the end of her fantasy. She would not mention it to anyone. It was something she was glad to have done for herself.

She continued her day as she always had with her nose in a book that she was probably never going to complete except now she actually read it. She needed something to take her mind off last night. She has to resume work the next day and she needed to look and be as sharp as ever. She had been loitering around the house and almost every half hour she found herself in the refrigerator in the kitchen, this was her third slice of chocolate cake already. Anyone could tell she was stressed from afar but she was okay with resorting to chocolate rather than any alcoholic drinks till further notice. She could not sleep at all because she got a handful of it earlier.

Another work day, another reminder, she didn't need anyone to wake her up, she was not even sure her mum had time for her anymore. All her thoughts of lateness encircled her new acquaintance of which she was yet to meet. She looked at the mirror on her bathroom wall hoping that she looked better than she felt, she brushed her teeth, took her bath and went for the usual light makeup again. On her way down the stairs she kissed her mum goodbye, grabbed another slice of chocolate cake and strode out the door. This was one of those days that she wished that she drove to her workplace. Even though the New York average day would be too busy to let her get there on time, the weather required it. She walked to the café and opened up with her spare keys, this was why she loved the café. Here, all she could think of was work and nothing more, she had ledgers to crosscheck. She had a hard time making herself coffee since the café's machine was more ambiguous than the one she had at home. Eventually with the help of Google she made herself some coffee and drank it with the chocolate cake as breakfast. With a breakfast like that she was certainly ready for the day. Iris came in first and she just remembered that she forgot to call her. The way she matched towards her made her question if she was angry or excited.

"Emma why did you not call me, I was worried sick.", said Iris giving her a little chastising slap on her shoulder.

"Iris I promise I really wanted to call you, you had no need to be worried, I was safe and didn't I look healthy enough to you?"

"Well Emma, as much as I want to know details, please don't pull that kind of stunt again" said Iris with a look of concern. "I don't want to be the person who forces you out on a date and then let you go missing."

To prevent more personal questions, Emma reassured her that she could take care of herself and reminded her that they were at work. Nothing remarkable really happened that day except this one man. She tried her best to maintain her composure but the way he kept staring and passing glances almost as if he wanted her to notice him, she would've said she felt uneasy but there was nothing to be uneasy about. He looked really smart and to be honest this was not his first time at the café so maybe he was just an appreciative customer. She closed for work a little bit later than usual, she was determined to spend as much time working than usual.

The past two weeks at work has been normal and surprisingly stress free. Mr. Oliver had begun to hold her in an even higher place, she had forgotten anything that had failed her before, she didn't want to be quick to say but these were good days, she had even started going on work colleagues hangout on occasion since her mum had found other affairs to occupy her time.

The occasional chirps and harmonious song of the birds woke her up to a beautiful day, the sun seemed to be gently smiling down on her skin, the butterflies were flying around the hyacinth by her window sill, she wished whatever Disney princess morning she had envisioned was actually coming to pass because the very butterflies she imagined on her window sill were live in her belly, forcing her to run to the bathroom to throw up. She did not want to call it sick but her head was banging and she threw up again. She was sure she didn't take any alcohol, she hadn't had any since that day. She decided that she would run some medical tests after work, it had been long after all.

The office was buzzing with activities, they had received about sixty customers today, they had started receiving more customers since Andrea's visit, that was the extent of his influence? She seemed to be the only one that forgot how influential he was, maybe that was why she had hoped for more, prayed for more at least a phone call or a message from his butler, a bouquet of roses or a 'how are you' note. She learnt her place the hard way, she was probably none other than the girls he had by his side occasionally and she fell for his trap face flat. Another wave of regret came over her and she raised her hands to cover her face in self shame and reproach. Every time she wished to forget him, the shadow of his presence seemed to haunt her. She looked up to find the same customer [Ethan] she had noticed staring at her again. Seeing how busy the café was she realized that she needed to ask for an early leave so she could see the doctor. Her headaches had gotten worse by the hour. She walked up to her boss and asked for leave, noticing how pale she looked he gave her instant leave and once she was sure that someone trustworthy had taken her place, she packed up her bag and stepped out. She almost tripped when someone suddenly stepped in front of her.

"Oh I'm so sorry you almost tripped on my behalf."

It was the man from before, the customer that she had caught staring at her a couple of times.

"Sorry my shift is over but I can refer you to someone who would gladly be of help, what do you need." she said, trying to sound as professional as ever.

"No, no I don't need someone else, I'm here to offer you a ride, you can't reject the offer please." He said with a polite smile and his hand motioning to his car on the driveway. She looked at him and he didn't really seem harmful and she couldn't say she wanted to walk to the hospital, the sun didn't make her head ache her less nor did the noise of New York on a business afternoon make it any better, so she couldn't resist the offer.

On getting to the hospital, she looked around the environment trying to figure out the particular direction to use. It's quite confusing since she hasn't been there before. "Let's check this ward, it seems it's for a general body test" Ethan suggested. Emma didn't waste any more time. She rushed into the ward and requested to see the doctor.

The doctor's office neatly maintained with the white paint on the wall, displayed frames of different parts of the human body, its classifications and further explanation. "That's not why we're here Emma"...she soliloquized. She went further to make her report to the doctor.