She felt like a goldfish in a fish tank as she stared at the man she only hoped to see again. She could feel her lips move, but nothing seemed to come out.
Damnit, Charlie!
It was her opportunity to talk to him. There he was, standing before her, staring back at her. But what was she doing?
Say something, idiot!
"My shifts end in an hour."
He nodded. Then, he was gone.
She mentally slapped herself for blowing it. She had been thinking of this opportunity, but now that it presented itself, she froze.
Was that it? Would she see him again later? Would he wait for her? What did he want to talk to her about?
Fuck!
What if he sent her to jail for impersonating the Princess? No! It could not be that. Police would be all over her if that had been the case.
"Hey, Giana, I have to tell you something." She grabbed her friend's arm before their shift ended.
She glanced again in his direction only to find him looking directly at her. It seemed he had been watching her all this time, but why?
"What's up, Charlie?" Her friend dropped the empty tray on the bar and walked with her to the empty corner.
"Remember my Prince?" She asked, watching how she would react to her news.
"Of course, who could forget that gorgeous hair and tantalizing eyes," Giana said dreamily, remembering how her friend had googled him for hours. "Why?"
She checked again whether he was still in his seat with his friends.
Yep! Still, there.
He was still staring back at her.
What was his deal?
She knew she should feel flatter that a Prince could not seem to take his eyes off her. But what if her interpretation was different from his intention?
"He is here." Her friend raised her eyebrows as if she did not believe her. "If you look behind me..." She did not want to point him out. "You will find him staring in our direction."
Her friend was not exactly the most subtle person in the world as she stretched her neck on her shoulders, appearing to be searching the crowd behind her.
"Hey, can't you be a little discreet?" She did not want the Prince to think they were talking about him.
But, too late!
When her friend giggled and silently screamed in delight upon spotting the man in question. There was no way that the Prince did not see that.
"I am sorry, but this is it," Giana whispered excitedly. "You can finally tell him about the baby."
Yeah! It was her perfect opportunity.
But she did not know. She had been thinking about it. She wondered if telling the Prince of their child was the best idea. What if her child was better off without a father?
She remembered the rough life of most of the bastard children she knew. What more if the child was a bastard of a Prince about to be crowned King?
"He asked if we could grab a coffee. And I agree after my shift." She told her friend. "Maybe we can talk about it then."
She wanted to think that the Prince was Hunter. At least, the man that she met that night.
She believed that man was a great and cool guy. She would not mind if her child would grow up around him.
On the other hand, what if she was wrong? What if that guy was just an act to get into her pants? But in truth, he was just another scumbag who could not be bothered to become a father.
"That is great." Her friend grabbed her hand, assuring her it was a good idea. "I guess I will wait for you at the apartment."
"Let us see." She was not making any promises.
"Hey, you two, stop lazing around." The manager of the bar must have spotted them.
Automatically, they went their separate ways, busying themselves until the time winded down. Then, it was time to hang their aprons, drop their towel, and collect their paycheck for the night.
But that was not what she looked forward to as she looked at the empty table that he occupied earlier. Where was he? Did he already leave? Was they still on for coffee?
"I think your carriage awaits, Cinderella." Her friend whispered in her ears as they exited the bar.
On the pavement, a man opened the backdoor of the sleek black car where another man was already sitting inside.
"Maybe you should come." For some reason, her courage seemed to abandon her. But her friend shook her head and said no.
But Giana was right. It was her fight, not her friend. She had to deal with the consequences of her actions herself.
"Break a leg." Her friend said, just like what they usually said before an audition.
She walked straight to the car, climbing hurriedly into the backseat. Compared to her first time in his car, the Prince had a chauffeur and a bodyguard sitting in the front seat.
"I'm glad that you could join me." The Prince greeted her in time for the car door to close. Then, in a few seconds, the car started moving.
"I think you already know who I am. But for formality, I'm Prince Elijah." The nobleman reintroduced himself. "And I learned that you have many aliases, Charlie."
She guessed he already knew things about her. She had already suspected that he had her investigated. "But I don't know why you are here. What do you want from me?"
She supposed it would be best to listen to his motives first for seeking her out before she told him about her secret.
"About what happened the last time, I hope you will let me explain." She believed he deserved an explanation. "I hope you will not file charges against me. I know..."
But she did not finish her sentence when he stopped her.
"I already know that Princess Jasmin hired you to pretend on her behalf. Don't worry about that. We have more important things to talk about." The Prince informed her.
"Ok. Anyway, where are we going?" She asked as they continued to cruise in the light traffic.
"Back in my apartment. I think we will need some privacy." Then, he suddenly fell silent on his side while he gazed outside the window.
"Oh!"
Damn! Back to the scene of the crime.