Just a few minutes ago, she received a text on her phone. It was from a secret "friend" who seemed worried. All it had was one blurry picture. A picture of Mark, her Mark, with his arm aroun
hole. "Enjoy your night, Mark," she said, her voice filled with sarcasm. "You two seem perfect for each other." Without another word, Emily turned and walked out of The Landmark, leaving the mess of her broken relationship and the silent crowd behind. The rain had stopped outside, and a clear, bright sky shown above her. As Emily walked away, tears came down her face, each one a release of the pain and betrayal. Emily looked at the steam coming out from her Hot chocolate tea,making her feel all restless and sad inside. She took a sip, but it tasted even worse than the bad feeling that she is getting in her stomach. Across the table before her, Maya, her colleague at work, squeezed her hand gently. "So, he finally admitted it, right?" she asked Emily softly. Emily's cheeks got hot with embarrassment like she was the one involved in the act. "I caught him kissing a blonde girl," Emily murmured, the memory still stinging. "Three whole years, Such a waste of time. Maya hissed. "Wasted for sure! Forget about him! You're way too awesome for him. But seriously tho , are you okay? You've been staring off into space all morning. Emily sighed, feeling all the trouble from the last week weigh her down. "Not so good, financially He was supposed to help with rent, and..." her voice trailed off, she wanted to cry so badly but she can't because of her surroundings. Just then, the bell above the cafe door jingled, and someone new walked in. Emily looked up, hoping for a break from the issues going on in her life, and nearly choked on her tea. Walking towards them, looking straight for a table in the back, was this handsome guy with a strange aura surrounding him. He was tall and wore fancy clothes, moving like someone who always gets what he craves for no matter what the cost is. A shiver ran down Emily's spine, a mix of fear and... something else that she can't explain. Emily's breath caught when he saw her and everything stopped for a second. For a moment, it looked like he... cared? Probably wondering why her face was puffy, But then his face went back to normal. He fixed his tie, like everything always had to be perfect, and then kept walking to his table. Emily watched him go, her head tilted sideways cause she was curious. "Who's that?" She whispered to Maya. "Alexander Steele," Maya whispered back, a strange mix of fear and excitement started bubbling inside of Emily. "The super rich one?" Maya answered by nodding slowly. He strolled towards the counter, exuding out an aura of confidence. "Double Espresso Black" He demanded , his voice having a slight edge to it that made Emily shiver. "Coming right up," she managed to stutter, her usual cheerful greeting replaced by a funny whisper. Her hands shaked slightly as she poured the espresso, amd Emily felt his piercing gaze burning into her. The machine sputtered as usual and she fumbled, hot liquid pouring on the counter and the man's hand. Owww!" he hissed, taking back his hand with a grimace. "Oh my god, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to..." fear and panic started surging through Emily. He looked at his stained hand, then looked back up at Emily. His ex