"I found her."
And just like that, he dropped everything he was doing and flew across the world to see her. He must be going crazy because of what he was doing. It did not make sense.
"Are you sure about this, Eli?" His adviser, Nolan, asked as they sat in the dark, smoke-filled club, pretending to meet up with friends. But they had another motive.
Nolan had been his friend since childhood. They practically grew up together. They were like brothers. Now, he worked as his most trusted adviser.
"We are here. Right? Of course, I am sure." There was no turning back. He did not come here to go home empty-handed.
But he would give his friend some credit. It could not have been easy for Nolan to arrange this on such short notice. But that was what he liked about him. He was a miracle worker.
Nolan had ensured that the press did not get a whiff of their activities. Nobody knew he had snuck into the country and into this bar.
"Are you sure she is here?" It was his turn to question his friend. The intel said she would be. But until he saw her with his two eyes, that was the only time he would believe it.
Based on his investigators, it was hard to keep track of her because she kept changing jobs. She had no permanent address. Then, she used many aliases.
"Positive." His friend answered before their other friends joined them on the table.
After a few minutes, their orders arrived, but he was busy talking on his phone, not noticing their drinks were already on the table.
"Have a drink with us?"
He heard one of his friends teasing the waitress. It was harmless, but he could hear that the lady did not like it.
"Harry, just drink and stop bothering the ladies." Quickly, he put a stop to it. He never liked it when men used their advantage to harass a woman.
"What is that?" The man on the line asked, probably confused with the music and the noise around them.
"I am sorry about that." He returned to his conversation. "It is a bit lout in here." But he needed to finish this deal even though work was the last thing he wanted to do.
But it was a last-minute thing he could not ignore. He hated that he had to work, but that was his job. Being a Prince did not give him a free pass from his responsibility.
"Just call if you need anything else." He vaguely heard her voice from all the noise. He turned to look, but she was already moving away.
"Eli, how long are you staying this time?" Again, his friends called his attention.
"Wait! I need to finish this." He held his finger to his friend to shut up. But his eyes returned to the woman who disappeared in the corner.
Was that her?
He suddenly realized that the voice was familiar. Come to think of it, the waitress looked like her, at least her back did.
"What did you say the name she used today?" He whispered to Nolan, wondering if his suspicion might be correct.
The only intel they gathered was that she would be here, but it did not say she would be the waitress. Therefore, he wondered if that was she.
"Charlie... Yeah, Charlie." Nolan told him.
Then, it hit him.
"Charlie, Don needs you upfront."
He believed he heard her name earlier while he was on the phone. It seemed his mystery woman was working as the server tonight under the guise of Charlie.
"How many aliases does this woman use?" He whispered to his friend, not caring about whatever was happening around him.
His only interest was with that woman, who had captured his attention and seemed to intrigue him since he first saw her.
"I would not know, but maybe you should ask her." His friend followed his eyes, pointing to the woman, busily circulating the room.
He guessed he had not thought his plans through, wondering what he would say to the woman who had him obsessing over finding her.
"Maybe I will." But honestly, how would he do that? Truthfully, it had been a long while since he had talked to a girl who was not falling at his feet. Most girls, once they recognized him, that was it.
They only saw his title, power, and wealth. But did they realize who he was? That led him to think about this girl who hooked up with him, believing he was just a driver.
"Then, go on, man." Nolan pushed him as the rest of the gang drank their sanity away. It was like the old good days but minus the youthful mischiefs.
He stood up and walked over to the bar, taking his chance to talk to her in private. After all, she seemed to be working hard. She did not even seem to notice him.
"Hey, can I buy you a drink?" Like clockwork, girls seemed to buzz around him. Luckily, he saw her remove her apron and walked to the kitchen.
That was it!
He assumed that would be his lucky break as he followed her to the back of the kitchen, ignoring the stares that followed him behind.
"Hello there!" He greeted her as he walked out at the back alley, finding her drinking a cup of hot coffee.
The look on her face was priceless. It was like she had seen a ghost.
"I gather you remember me." There was no doubt about that.
Still, he was no mind reader.
He could not claim to know what she was thinking when she dropped the cup in her hands, spilling the brown sticky liquid on the floor.
"I..." She put her hands across her mouth. "I think you..." But she seemed lost for words as she stammered and appeared agitated.
"Can we talk? Maybe grab a drink, or better yet, a cup of coffee." Alcohol might not be the best option.