Meeting again

When Anna arrived at the restaurant she was to meet her client, she sent an email to her, and let her know that she had just gotten to the location.

Rebecca, who had been nursing her broken heart and wallowing in her unexplainable hatred for Anna, hadn't left her room after leaving Jackson’s office that day, felt a rush of happiness surge through her when she received a message she had been expecting.

She had presumed that once the artist arrived and Jackson was able to get their contact information and also the art she was paid for, he would be appreciative toward her, and even tell his twin brother that she was the one that assisted him in finding the artist he was in search of.

Maybe, just maybe- she would be able to get the attention of Jacob Mikelson, and Jackson wouldn’t think so bad of her anymore. He might be disgusted that she had done a bit of surgery to look like Anna, but his brother might find it attractive.

Rebecca had thought she would be able to gain the twin's favor that way, so upon receiving Anna’s email, she immediately screenshotted it and sent it to Jackson’s phone number before realizing that Jackson didn’t know that she had his contact.

Jackson, on his way to the restaurant at a slow pace, was thinking of everything he and Jacob had talked about on their way from the airport. He hadn’t been expecting the artist to arrive so soon, not foreseeing a personal message from Rebecca, was so shocked when Truecaller flashed out the name, Rebecca Cameron.

He had read the message before he recalled that he hadn’t given her his number when she intruded on him that morning. So, how was she able to get his number? Jackson felt outraged at how close Rebecca Cameron was to him without him realizing it.

“Paige. That bitch!” He hit his hand harshly on the car steering wheel.

He immediately thought it must have been his ex-secretary that had leaked it to her, and he instantly forwarded her full name to one of his friends, who was also a CEO of a large company. Jackson made sure to tell him that Paige was a spy in his office, and who wouldn’t be a good employee to anyone.

He didn’t say anything aside from this, but he knew that Paige would never be employed in any big companies, and the lower company holders wouldn’t dare to employ her for fear that they might be trampled upon.

Clearing that off his list, he added this to another crime that Rebecca had committed and began to blame himself for petitioning for her in front of Jacob.

“That filth- how dare her.” He slammed his hand on the steering wheels in anger again as he geared up.

After waiting for a few minutes without her seeing any traces of her client, Anna decided that she couldn’t wait with an empty stomach and ordered Pie and Mash, with a glass of Pinot Noir to go with it as she awaited her arrival.

As she was eating, she received a call from Maria, who told her that they had just arrived at her apartment, because Marcelo was hell-bent on eating Ice -cream.

“Aunt Maria, you are complaining.” Marcelo’s tiny yet firm voice sounded in Anna’s ears and she chuckled softly.

“Oh, baby. I know I said I won't complain, and do everything you want but we went to five different Ice cream stores before we could find the flavor you like.”

“Still you said-

“Okay, okay, Marcelo, you should thank your Aunt instead, how can you stress like that on your first day of meeting her ?” Anna scolded lightly as she imagined the little frown and pout her son would have on.

“Thank you, Aunt Maria.” She heard Marcelo’s voice as he appreciated Maria’s effort and her heart warmed up.

Tears swelling in her eyes, she couldn’t help but remember how scared she had been that she wouldn’t be able to raise him as a good mother should. Looking back at how she had single-handedly raised her son into such a fine, docile, and smart little boy, the happiness in her heart was more profound than when she first received her first income.

“Anna, what would you like to eat, so we can have it ready before you come back?” Maria asked, and Anna’s gaze went to the food she just ordered.

“Uhm, just something light. I just ordered some food here,” She told Maria.

“You are eating? What about your client?” She asked, and Anna replied that they hadn’t arrived yet.

“Wow, isn’t that a bit rude? You came all the way from Jersey, and she couldn’t even meet up with you in her borough?”

“I sent her an email when I got here, so she must be on her way,” Anna said to Maria on the phone as she looked out of the restaurant to see a car pulling up. “Oh, I think she just arrived. I will call you when I'm done, okay?”

“Alright then,”

“Kiss Marcelo for me please,” Anna muttered quickly before she hung up to watch her client appear.

Just before the car opened Anna heard a voice call her attention, and she turned around to see the waitress, who had brought her order beside her. “How can I help you?” She asked when she remembered that she had paid for the meal.

“Uh, Ma’am, that customer asked this to be delivered to you.” She smiled awkwardly as she delivered a plate of strawberry cake to Anna.

Anna raised her head to see that the customer was already approaching. He was a young man with a beanie over his shoulder height braids, he had on a matching hood with joggers, and he was fairly handsome.

“Uhm- “ Anna blinked before she cleared her throat and politely rejected the cake, “sorry, I'm waiting on my client here and she just arrived.” She turned to look at the window for her client again only to see the back view of a man walking in.

Anna gritted her teeth when she realized it wasn’t her client, but the customer had reached her table, and there was no way she could avoid that scenario anymore.

“Hello, beautiful, can I occupy this seat?” The young man asked, and Anna groaned inwardly when the waitress left to attend to other customers.

She knew if this was 5 years ago, she wouldn’t have even been able to leave home and to talk to meeting up with anyone. But after everything in Jersey, she had learned enough social skills to politely refuse any man.

“No gentleman, you can’t. I have a meeting with a client here, and she will be arriving soon.”

These words of hers strolled into Jackson’s ears and his body trembled at how familiar the voice was.

Anna? Is that you? He muttered under his breath as he quickened his pace.

“Look, lady. You should just accept while I ask nicely.” The young man flashed Anna the knife he had fastened under his hoodie and she gasped in terror.

“I- uhm-” She stuttered before her eyes fell on Jackson, who was right behind the young man.

Anna’s eyes widened in shock and she literally saw her life flash in fright before Jackson grabbed the young man’s hands and held it up behind his back.

“How dare you threaten my woman?” His voice was filled with years of rage, irritation, heartbreak, agony, and distress as he growled.

The commotion attracted other customers and they started looking at Anna’s table curiously with their phones to record before the waitresses and the restaurant manager arrived.

Even with their appearance, Jackson didn’t let go of the young man but instead wrapped his two hands with one of his large strong ones to get the knife under his hoodie.

As he brought out the knife, he knocked him unconscious, and Jackson’s eyes trailed to see Anna taking slow breaths as she stared blankly at him.

“Sir, we will take-

The manager’s words got stuck in his throat when Jackson turned his cold face to look at him. “Mi…mi..kelson.” He stuttered as he swallowed in fear because he had thought that it was Jacob.

Without sparing him another glance, he took a picture of the young man before moving to Anna and carrying her in a bridal style.

Anna, who hadn’t expected that to be his next action, was too shocked to react, and before she could, he was already taking her out of the restaurant.

“Jackson, listen. I came here to meet a client, she will be arriving soon, you cannot just take me with you.” She hit him on the chest but Jackson couldn’t hear any of her words after she called him

‘Jackson’

“I am Jackson to you now, is that it? Is that what five years have done to you?” The pain in his voice cut through Anna and she almost swallowed back her resistance.

“We will talk about this later, I can’t just leave. I have a client to deliver a parcel to.” She hit his chest with her hand repeatedly again but he didn’t put her down.

Gritting his teeth, Jackson gently dropped Anna beside the restaurant’s entrance door, and she heaved a long sigh before taking her time to look at him.

Same time, Jackson was also looking at her, and he felt the pain he had stuck away rushing back into his heart with great force.

“Jackson, I- uhm.”

The first thing that came up in Anna’s mind as she started at Jackson was her baby, Marcelo, and she instantly told herself that once she was able to get away from Jackson now, she will take the next flight back to Jersey.

“What is the name of the client you are waiting for?” Jackson asked, trying his best not to look as heartbroken as he felt after meeting Anna again.

“Rebecca Cameron, she was to-

Anna hadn’t finished her words when Jackson hurled her off her feet again.

“Jackson, hey hey. HEY!!!”