2025-01-22 00:38:38The next day had arrived and as early as he could, Marcus was already out of his motel room and was making his way to Sarah’s coffee shop. He had grappled with the idea of calling her since he now had her number but he settled on the fact that seeing and speaking to her face to face would be the better option.
Marcus stepped out into the street, the morning air calming his nerves as he approached the Daily Grind. He got to the door and made a move to go in, when his eyes settled on the sign out front. Closed. Damn, he was too early. He looked around, wondering whether he should wait for Sarah to come or just head back to his room and call her later. In the end, he chose neither of those options. He was already outside, he might as well take a morning walk. God knows that he was tired of being cooped up in that moldy room.
He went east, letting his feet take him wherever they liked. It’s not as if he had a place to go. He just needed to pass the time while waiting for Sarah to open shop. In about five minutes, Marcus came across another shop. More like a gas station. They sold papers, sweets and coffee. He checked his pockets and brought out some crumpled dollar bills, frowning at the fact that those were all he had.
Regardless, he walked in, wanting to get a cup of coffee. He could get it from the Daily Grind but he was sure that what they would charge would cost him an arm and a leg, possibly literally since he had nothing. Plus, he wasn’t about to take Sarah’s hospitality for granted again.
The bell rang softly as Marcus stepped into the building, his focus already on the coffee maker by the corner. He walked in, not paying the cashier any mind as he grabbed a cup from the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee. As soon as he did, he walked over to the counter, knowing fully well that he couldn’t afford any other thing in there and proceeded to pay.
“How much?” He asked, setting the cup down.
“A dollar. Would you like to buy a ticket? It might be your lucky day.” The man poked at him, gesturing to the lottery tickets hanging from a line.
“Uh, I don’t think I…” Marcus began but was cut off.
“Oh, come on. Try one. You never know. Luck may be on your side.” The cashier prompted again.
Marcus eyed the tickets for a moment before caving in. What the hell? It couldn’t hurt right?
“How much for a ticket?” He asked reluctantly, making the cashier beam with joy.
“Same as the coffee. A dollar.”
“I’ll take one then.” Marcus replied, placing two one dollar bills on the counter before grabbing his cup of coffee.
The cashier handed him a ticket and scooped the bills up, waving at Marcus as he left. The bell rang again as Marcus exited the building, the hot and bitter taste of the coffee damaging his taste buds as he took a sip. He winced, placing the ticket in his pocket.
“Ugh. I should have known.” He muttered, clearly hating the way it tasted but not enough to throw it away. He took another swig when he heard a comment that almost made him choke.
“Isn’t that him? The Wong boy?”
“It could be.”
“Wait, didn’t he cheat on Victoria Wong?”
“Are you serious?”
“It’s him. What a bastard.”
Marcus frowned but didn’t turn to the crowd voicing their opinions of him. Instead, he turned around and began to walk back to the Daily Grind. He shouldn’t have gone out for a walk. He should have known better.
He started to walk away but then a hand grabbed his arm, holding him back. He turned around to see a woman of middle age staring at him. Her eyes widened and the next thing she did was scream at the top of her lungs.
“It is him. It’s Victoria Wong’s husband. The bastard cheater.”
“What the hell?” Marcus whispered, trying to get out her grip but the woman didn’t budge.
He knew that due to Victoria’s career as a model and sometimes actress, she would have a lot of fans but he didn’t know that they would go stir crazy because of the lies that the Wong family had spread.
“So, it really is him.”
“Huh, I guess the highlife wasn’t good enough for him, he had to throw it all away.”
“If I was him, I would kill myself. Just imagine being with such an illustrious family and then throwing it all away for a fling.”
“He disgusts me. I wonder how Victoria’s doing right now.”
The insults kept coming and so did the people when they realized what was going on. Cameras went up, most of the crowd trying to catch Marcus at his time of disgrace. So, with one strong tug, Marcus broke free of the woman’s grip, wanting to get away. But his actions caused her to fall to the ground and his hot coffee to spill all over her.
The woman hissed in pain but not for long before shouting bloody murder.
“You see what he did to me? He pushed me down and poured hot coffee on me. You’re a monster.”
Marcus didn’t waste any time. He turned around and ran away, the shouts of hate from the crowd, egging him on. Soon enough, he reached the Daily Grind and was about to pass it when he saw the doors open and Sarah walk out with a new sign.
She saw him just in time and frowned, not liking his disheveled look.
“Marcus? What happened?”
“A freaking mob.” Marcus breathed out hastily before Sarah ushered him into the building, locking the shop behind her.
She sat Marcus down in one of the chairs before sitting down herself.
“Are you okay?” She asked, watching him intently.
“I’m fine.” He replied before getting up from the chair.
“I’ll leave now.” Marcus offered, realizing that Sarah could as well be one of the people outside. The people that hated him for an unjust reason.
“You don’t have to leave. I already know who you are from the interview that went viral and unlike the mob that most likely tried to lynch you outside, I believe that you didn’t cheat on Victoria Wong.”
Marcus turned to her, his gaze wary.
“I’ve had enough run in with that family to not believe a word that they say about other people. Trust me.”
“Is that why you’re trying to help me?” Marcus blatantly asked the question, his eyes narrowing to try and see if she would lie to him.
“It’s part of it. I just don’t like people being thrown under the bus by the elite when they feel that they’ve had their fun.”
Marcus watched as Sarah huffed, her demeanor changing and he couldn’t help but wonder if she had once been in his shoes. Sarah caught on and changed the direction of the conversation.
“Anyways, that isn’t a story that I’d like to go into right now.” She said, standing up to meet his level.
“I assume that you were coming here because of what my note said.”
“I was.” Marcus replied shortly.
Sarah gave him a nod.
“All right. Have a seat. I’ll go get some coffee and then we can talk.” She told him before walking away and disappearing into the back of the shop, leaving Marcus with his thoughts. Marcus did as he was told and sat down, still wondering how Sarah could be so kind to someone she had just met. It was a mystery but one he wouldn’t take at face value.
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