Chapter 32 I Am Miserable Miss Facer
It had been three days. Ezra started to wonder why Emma hadn't been at work. Is she still unwell? He thought. But how long can someone stay sick? He had really been missing her over these three days. She was on his mind even when he went to his friend's hotel to distract himself. That didn’t help at all. It was tough for him to stop thinking about her.
Ezra quickly called Milan into his office. When she finally walked in, he asked her, "Have you heard from Miss Facer at all? It's been three days now."
Milan shook her head. "No sir. I haven't heard from her since her last email. Your sister even sent flowers, and still nothing."
"That's strange." He momentarily looked away then focused back on Milan. "I need you to do something for me." He leaned in closer. His fingers pressed against his temple as he lowered his elbows onto the table. "Can you find out where she is right now?"
"Sure thing, sir. I'll take care of that right away." Milan quickly left, shutting the door behind her. Ezra let out a sigh. He pulled out his phone to call her, but it was off. Frustrated, he slammed his phone down. Why was he so upset? He raked his hands through his hair. Was it that he couldn't face the truth that he really wants to be part of the child's life and hers, or was it that his feelings for her were intensifying, and all he could do was scold himself for feeling that way?
"I found out where she is." Milan said as she returned to the office. Ezra focused on her, eager to hear what she had to say. “The last place Miss Facer was spotted was at a restaurant.”
"A restaurant?" Ezra was confused.
Milan nodded. "Yes, sir."
"But why is she at a restaurant at this hour?"
Milan sighed. "You probably don't want to hear this, sir, but Miss Facer was seen in waitress clothes. She was also spotted serving coffee to the customers."
"What?"
Milan shrugged. "Sir, I don't get it. Did she quit?"
Ezra glanced at Milan again. "You can leave now." He said calmly.
"Sir?"
"Get back to your work. I'll go check on her myself." He stood up and grabbed his car keys.
"But, sir, I can go instead. You have a meeting in five minutes."
Ezra paused to look at Milan and adjusted his suit. "Then you should take care of the meeting."
"Huh?" Milan was shocked.
"You know this better than I do. You really are more informed about this than I am. If you can't push the meeting back until I return, start it without me and don’t mess it up if you want to keep your job." Milan looked around in confusion as Ezra walked out.
He made his way to his car, climbed in, started it up, and took off quickly. As he drove through the streets, Ezra felt a sense of unease. Why had she suddenly decided to work in a restaurant? What about her other job that paid her better? She was doing well there. In fact, she was more skilled at that job than the one she just took. Was he to blame for this? Was it because she had mentioned her child to him, and he had reacted by yelling instead of responding appropriately? He couldn't let her slip away. She was more than just a means to earn money. She was something special. She stirred feelings in his heart. If he let her go now, he would lose his mind.
He found his way to the restaurant Milan had talked about and parked his car. He rolled down the glass and kept a lookout. He could see her now. She was smiling as she served coffee. How could she be so happy? Was she pretending? He had a lot on his mind as he observed her. Finally, he rolled up the glass and opened the door. The women who caught sight of him as he stepped out began to scream. They recognized him. Who wouldn’t?
All eyes were on Ezra as he walked into the restaurant. The moment the owner spotted him, he hurried over to greet him. Emma was taken aback by his presence. She almost spilled the jug of coffee she held but decided to act as if she didn’t know him. How had he found her?
“Mr. Queen. It’s an honor to have you in our restaurant today.” The owner sounded anxious. He was still amazed that Mr. Queen had come to his building. It felt like a dream come true. No celebrity ever visits a place like this. “Please, have a seat.” He offered. Ezra sat down, and the owner asked, “Would you like some coffee?”
Ezra smiled. “Thank you.”
"I will take care of you myself."
"No, that's alright. I would rather have someone else take care of me."
The owner's face lit up. "Who exactly is that?"
Emma and Ezra exchanged glances. He gestured. "Her."
"Miss Billy?" the owner inquired.
Ezra shook his head. "Not Miss Billy. The woman over there, holding the coffee jug."
The owner chuckled. "Mr. Queen, that is indeed Miss Billy."
"Oh, really?" he replied, surprised. The owner nodded. She had changed her name too, but why? Perhaps she wanted to avoid recognition, or maybe she wasn't ready for the spotlight yet. "Alright then. Please ask Miss Billy to serve me."
"Mr. Queen, I don’t believe that’s what you truly want."
"Why not?" Ezra shot him a look.
"Miss Billy has only been here for three days. She isn’t qualified to serve a celebrity."
Ezra settled back in his chair, arms crossed. "Well, I prefer women who are a bit clumsy." He reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and carefully selected some cash. He handed it to the owner. "Now, will you cooperate?"
"Ah," the owner chuckled nervously. "Yes, why not?" He gestured to Emma as he turned away. Emma hesitated at first, but she didn’t want to lose this job too. Where would she find another so quickly?
"Yes, sir." Emma stepped forward. She tried to avoid looking into his eyes, but it was difficult. She began to pour coffee into the cup but suddenly stopped.
Ezra glanced at the owner. "You can excuse us. You won’t mind if I have a word with her for a bit, right?"
"Ah, about what?"
Ezra didn’t say anything more. He simply opened his wallet again, took out some cash, and handed it to the man. "Is this enough?"
The man nodded. "Yes, you can spend as much time as you wish with her." Emma shot an angry glare at Ezra as the owner walked away.
"Why did you do that?" she sat in front of him, pretending to pour him coffee.
"What?" He put his wallet back in his pocket, acting as if he had no idea what she was referring to.
"The coffee is just $2," Emma stated. "But you handed him over $500."
"I’m rich, Miss Facer, or should I say Miss Billy?" At his words, Emma gulped. "Why change your name, though?"
She replied plainly, "I didn’t want them to recognize me."
"Why switch your job?"
This time, she took a moment to answer. She wanted to express, "I didn’t want to see your face constantly because I can’t manage my feelings. I didn’t want to let you back into my life. I didn’t want to impose on you with a child that isn’t yours." Instead, she said, "I lost my enthusiasm for design."
"That’s a lie, Miss Facer."
"And how do you know that?" Emma crossed her arms. Her lips were pressed so tightly that when she noticed the onlookers, she relaxed them and attempted to speak normally. She tried to sound a bit different, like a waitress, so no one would misunderstand.
"Is it because of me?" he whispered again.
"I have no clue what you’re talking about."
"Was it my comments on Sunday that triggered this? About how I raised my voice at you?"
"No," Emma shook her head. "Zoe is my daughter. I regret bringing her up or discussing our history when I shouldn’t have. It was a huge mistake. I should have kept her away from you and stayed hidden, like I used to. Mr. Queen, I will submit my resignation letter tomorrow morning." She pushed the chair back and stood to leave, but his words halted her.
"I am miserable." He said it without hesitation. Emma turned to look at him. "Miss Facer, I am miserable," he repeated.
As Emma faced the crowd, they began to speculate about what was happening. They were even taking photos. She sat back down and focused her attention on him. She could see the anguish. The pain was evident in his eyes. He wasn’t lying. He truly was miserable.