Chapter 17

If I had thought that my weekend was hectic then Monday seemed to be breaking all records.

After crying through the majority of the night, I had fallen asleep close to dawn. And, of course, I had woken up way too late, almost nearing noon.

I arrived at Coffee Tales in the afternoon. But thanks to Zuri, business was running smoothly. She had managed well in my absence.

After quickly apologizing to Zuri, I got to work.

I sat behind the cash counter, going over the custom orders and party orders for this week. There was only one party order and three orders for birthday cakes.

"Ira, there's a new order for a customized cake," said Zuri, handing me a receipt before going off to fulfil a customer's order.

I took a look at the receipt and filled in the details with the rest of the orders.

"Zuri, I'll be in the kitchen," I said.

She nodded.

I took my grocery planner and headed inside.

Although Monday was not essentially a baking day, it was still a generally busy one. I took stock of my pantry on Monday and planned for grocery shopping. I also had to create a schedule for the customized orders for the week.

Not even a few minutes had passed since I had started making the grocery list when sudden loud noises from outside the door distracted me.

A moment later, the door flew open and in walked Sierra with Zuri rushing in behind her, trying to stop her.

The last thing I needed today was this.

"Excuse me, Miss, you cannot come in here without permission," Zuri kept saying but it looked like Sierra did not even acknowledge her presence.

Sierra's eyes were fixed on me. She seemed to be breathing fire and I could only wonder what had happened. Whatever the issue was, I was obviously involved, else she wouldn't be here.

Be calm, Ira. Be calm.

"Zuri, it's fine," I said, "Please take care of everything outside, okay?"

She looked confused but nodded and closed the door behind her.

"You can't just barge in here, Sierra," I said, keeping the planner on the counter.

She raised an eyebrow. "You really have the audacity to tell me what I should not do after everything that you have done?"

"Excuse me?" I frowned.

Wait.

Did she find out about Jace and me? Does she know what happened four years ago?

No... Please no.

Sierra gritted her teeth and took slow steps towards me. "I used to think that you were a below average woman with not enough brains to ever outwit me. But you proved me wrong. You finally showed your true colors, you cheap—"

"Shut up," I said, as her words pricked me like pins and needles. "You have no right to stand here in my place and hurl verbal abuses at me. Get lost."

She scoffed. "Oh really? And you have the right to go behind my back and flirt with my boyfriend? You have the right to compel him to cheat on me?"

I was right. This was about Jace.

"I have neither flirted with him nor compelled him to cheat on you. Ever. What's wrong with you? What are you trying to say?" I asked.

Maybe she's talking about the carnival and the dinners. This does not sound like an issue about my confession.

"You're so cheap, Ira. How could you stoop so low? I have found out everything," she hissed, folding her arms across her chest. "You went on a date with Jace. You had dinner with his family. And you even went to the carnival with him."

I was right.

A relieved breath escaped my lips. "I—"

"Did you really think that you could ever match up to me? Did you honestly believe that Jace was interested in you? Did you think that he would cheat on me with you?" Her tone raised. "Tell me, what did you tell him about me? What did you try with him? How low did you fall?"

"Shut up!" I said. "Just shut up."

She was unaffected. The anger on her face was gone. Now only spite and somewhat of a satisfaction remained. The smirk on her face was filled with contempt. She was looking at me like a predator who had successfully captured its prey.

What is she thinking?

"First of all, the date that you're talking about was arranged by your brother. He and Elisha had set me up on a blind date with Jace. But the date never happened because we all saw it as a mere dinner with friends, the reason being that Jace announced very early on that he had a girlfriend. So, there was no chance of it being a date," I said, my fingers gripping the edge of the counter tightly. "Secondly, you have no idea, but Jace and I have been friends since we were in babysitting. So, our families having dinner together is a common affair. And lastly, Jace was the one who had asked me to go to the carnival with him, not the other way around."

Sierra seemed fine until I mentioned about Jace and me being friends. Her demeanor completely changed after that. She appeared to be at a loss of words. Her arms dropped to her side, and she gasped at me.

"Besides, none of us knew that you were Jace's girlfriend. If I had known, then I wouldn't have gone with him anywhere even as friends," I said, wording my sentences carefully.

Sierra gripped the counter. Her eyes never left mine. A million emotions played in them.

Then it clicked me.

Sierra was not as angry with me as she should have been. Otherwise, this confrontation would not have gone this smoothly.

Maybe she had already spoken with Stefan, Elisha and maybe even Jace himself. Maybe she had heard all sides of the story and arrived at the conclusion that whatever had happened was nothing serious. And then she had come here to only give me a piece of her mind and to scare me off and reestablish the fact that she knew what went on behind her back and that I could never outsmart her.

Yes, this was it. Knowing Sierra, she would have calculated all her moves. She was too cunning and smart to act in a fit of rage.

But now... this sudden change in her expression, the confused look in her eyes. She must have never guessed that Jace and I went that long back as friends. Up until now, she must have believed what Stefan and Elisha had been believing. That Jace and I were just casual school friends who had studied in the same class.

After learning this piece of news, I could not even begin to imagine what all was going on in Sierra's head. All her assurances about me and Jace must have broken in a flash.

The Sierra that I feared to confront was rising.

What have you done, Ira?

"Look, Sierra, neither am I interested in Jace nor are we good friends anymore. I have absolutely nothing to do with him. Leave me out of this, okay?" I said slowly.

This must have been the first time in my entire life when I was the one talking, and Sierra was quiet. But to be fair, I was not even sure if she had heard me.

"You'll pay for this," she said. "I'll make sure of it." She turned on her heel and stormed off in a rush.

I flinched as she slammed the door behind her.

She just doesn't understand. She's crazy.

I had a good idea about where she was headed right now. As if on cue, my phone vibrated.

It was a text message, and the sender was Jace. I had to stare at the screen for a few seconds before I realized that he had texted me. After four years.

"Someone still remembers my number," I mused.

He had not even texted or called me when he had come to pick me up for the carnival. He had just used the car's horn to let me know that he had arrived.

I opened his message.

Hey Ira,

Sierra knows about the carnival and the dinners. I'm afraid she's going to corner you about it soon.

I'm sorry.

I tried my best to explain everything to her and she even seemed convinced, but she still insisted on talking to you.

Whatever she says, I'm apologizing for it beforehand.

I'm sorry.

I sighed.

Who needed his sorry? I wasn't even sure anymore about who had hurt me more in my life. Jace or Sierra?

You're a little late. Your girlfriend just left. She seemed quite furious. Good luck dealing with her. And, seriously, stay out of my life from now on and keep her away as well.

I hit on send and kept the phone down.

When are these two going back again? Someone just get them out of here and out of my life.