Chapter 41. Waiting at the Coffee Shop

The next day, Sienna took a break in a small coffee shop. She was waiting for Cora as well to meet up in the corner of this cozy coffee shop as usual after class.
Sienna waited in line to order two cups of ice coffee lattes. One for her and one for Cora. Once it was her turned, she came at the front desk to order the coffees.
After she paid to the waitress, she quickly walked away from the desk. But she was a bit clumsy as she unintentionally nudged someone’s arm who just came by in the foyer.
When she stared up to see the person that she bumped into, her eyes bulged out surprisingly. Her mouth gawked. She felt embarrassed and awkward at the same time.
In front of her, there was a man that dressed in a white shirt, a brown tweed blazer, and black pants, which was no other than the same person that she had been thinking for a while. He was Daniel Wilson.
She got surprised to meet him in such an unlikely place like this. She didn’t think that a busy man like him would grab a coffee in a small coffee shop near her campus. She had searched for his name on the internet. She knew his office was in the middle of the city. Wouldn’t this place seem a little bit too far for him to grab a single cup of coffee?
She blinked nervously. She got to say something or walked away from him.
But since she had unintentionally poured a little coffee stain on his shoulder, she had to apologize anyway. And he would probably think she was being rude if she didn’t apologize to him.
Her lips trembled as she spoke, “I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry!”
His eyes looked cold as he tried to brush off the stain from his brown tweed blazer. She noticed the tweed fabric he wore looked so expansive. She probably wouldn’t be able to buy him with the same blazer.
There were only a few people in the coffee shop, secretly watching them in the foyer.
Meanwhile, Sienna didn’t know what else to say. She wanted to avoid him right away. She felt really embarrassed this accident had to happen.
As soon as she remembered about what her dad told her yesterday, she felt the sudden goosebumps crawled under her skin. She just remembered about the rumor that said his family was Romanian mafias. He could threaten her right this second if she didn’t take a bow at him.
Before she could say anything to excuse herself, he spoke, “It’s okay. It’s just a small stain.”
And then she saw him taking off his brown tweed blazer and holding it in his hand. He only wore his white shirt this time.
“I’m really sorry, maybe I can help to bring your blazer in a laundry nearby, Sir?” She kindly offered, hoping he would truly forgive her.
Although his stare looked icy cold, she still couldn’t read his flat expression. She couldn’t tell if he was angry or not at her.
“I know there’s a local laundry near the campus. It probably only takes thirty minutes to clean your blazer,” Sienna was still begging him to give her a chance. She felt terrified of the idea that he was the son of the mafia gangster.
And suddenly, the corner of his lips turned upward. His mysterious smile looked exactly like what she saw before she left the auditorium room yesterday.
“If you insist, I will take on your kind offer,” he smiled, showing his small dimple on the left side of his cheek. “Can we sit down to talk it out? I’m sure your pretty hands feel cramp.”
He glanced at the two cup of ice coffee lattes that she held. And he was right, her hands already felt pretty numb by holding the cold cups for some minutes.
Somehow, she felt relieved that he agreed on her offer. And she hoped the laundry cost of his tweed blazer wouldn’t be too expansive.
Afterward, she walked ahead to sit down at the table in the corner of the coffee shop. She was supposed to meet Cora here, but that girl had not arrived yet. Instead, she met Daniel by surprise in this place.
At the time, Daniel was ordering something at the front desk. She waited for a few minutes before he came to sit in front of her.
“Pardon, are you waiting to meet someone here?” She wondered since he brought one ice coffee latte and one hot Americano to her table.
He chuckled as he followed her glance to see the coffees that he held. And then he suddenly handed over the ice coffee latte to her.
“This is for you,” he said.
Her eyes bulged out, surprised. Her lips trembled to say something, but she managed, “Ugh, I have bought two coffees.”
“One of them has poured a stain on my blazer. The content is not filled. It’s not perfect,” he murmured.
Sienna blinked nervously at him. She didn’t get what he meant. She was still kind of frightened of him.
He smiled. “Just take it, please. It’s my gratitude that you want to laundry my blazer.”
While her mouth was still half agape, she cautiously nodded, “Thanks.”
Then he pinched his eyes while looking at her face. “You look familiar. I remember I saw you yesterday in the auditorium, am I right?”
When he did remember her correctly, she started panicking. Her lips trembled again. And she stammered to talk, “Ugh, it was, yeah… it was me.”
He grinned as he teased her, “I thought you were after my signature yesterday.”
She chuckled awkwardly. “Ugh, yeah, I was supposed to go in your waiting line, but Mister George Smith demanded me and other students to move away.”
He murmured, “If you were asked for my signature yesterday, I would have asked for your name.”
Sienna froze when he said that, especially when his cold gaze looked intimidating at her.
“Wouldn’t you want to tell me your name?” He wondered. “I think it’s because we haven’t formally introduced ourselves to each other, right? You don’t feel comfortable around me?”
“It’s, ugh…” Sienna was still feeling speechless. Her heart raced anxiously.
Then he thrusted his hand to her while saying, “My name is Daniel Wilson. A new business entrepreneur. Nice to meet you.”
She glanced at his manly hand nervously. As she stared back at his eyes, she remembered again what her dad said about the rumor that overshadowed the Wilson family.
Maybe her dad was right. It could be dangerous to engage herself with Daniel. But at the same time, she didn’t want to be rude by ignoring him. And thus, she had to think fast for other option. And she came up with one idea as she returned his warm handshake.
Then she made up a name for her pseudonym, “My name is *Carmelia Rozewood*,” she continued introducing herself, “I’m a business student in Sauder School. I’m still in my sophomore year here. And I’m about to turn nineteen in three months.”
His eyes lingered at her pretty face. Seemingly, he looked charmed by her this time, not the other way around.
“Go on, please. Aren’t you going to tell me about your hobbies as well?” He murmured, sending her an electric jolt. “I’d like to know more about you, Miss Rozewood.”
She felt her heart kept on throbbing. The heat atmosphere between them made her feeling pretty awkward.
“My ho… hobbies,” she got stammered again. “Ugh, I like gardening flowers and I like designing women clothes.”
“Are you going to be an independent entrepreneurship in the future?” He wondered. “Wouldn’t it be beautiful if you could turn your hobbies as your income, Miss Rozewood?”
She nodded agreeably with him. It was her dream to make money from her passion.
“If there will be the right opportunity for me, I’d like to,” she murmured shyly.
Then he quickly changed the topic, “Are you waiting for someone here?”
Sienna nodded as she told him, “Yes, I’m waiting to meet my best friend. She’s supposed to be here soon after class.”
Sienna slightly glanced at her wristwatch. It was almost eight a.m. and her next class was about to start. But Cora had not arrived here to meet her yet.
Afterward, she quickly glanced at his tweed blazer before she completely forgot about it. Then she said, “Mister Wilson, maybe I should just go to a laundry and deliver it to your office now. My friend probably won’t come here.”
He murmured, “Actually…”
She pinched her eyes bewilderingly when he gave her such a mysterious smile again.
“You don’t need to do that. I can drop it to my people for them to take care of,” he said assuredly to her. “You don’t need to worry about it, Miss Rozewood.”
She shouted after, “But… I would feel so guilty…”
He raised from his chair and took his warm cup of Americano coffee with him. And then he said to her, “I have an appointment with someone nearby. I have to go now. Have a nice day.”
Her mouth half agape while staring up at him.
And he spoke for the last time that day to her, “Farewell, Miss Rozewood.”