The Secret Marriage

Chapter 6: Stalker?!

It was post dinnertime when the cafe was at its quietest. Lana and Rick were chatting behind the counter when a group of students came in. 

“What is he? A stalker?!” Rick asked unbelievably after hearing Lana complain about Cameron's appearance last night. 

“That’s what I said! I can’t believe he is not letting this go,” fretted Lana. She thought that she had made it clear at Hunny Bunny Club that she didn't want anything to do with Cameron or the Lance’s for that matter. Lana was amazed at Cameron’s unfaltering facade when she spoke harshly to him. "How could he be so composed", she wondered.

“Don’t give a damn about him. I think it's wise that you rejected him in his face.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that he is cruel enough to involve you and Mona in this situation. Also, he's rich but I know how things work. He can’t be spending money recklessly like that, he must go through the board and whatnot for him to purchase the buildings.” Lana rolled her eyes. She thought that Cameron thought of her as a naive girl who did not know how businesses work. 

Throughout her adolescence, she spent enough time listening to Charles complain about work to her at the dinner table. He would add a remark that would point out that she would be the one who was going to take over his position in the future so Lana would have to be ready for any kind of similar trouble. 

“Are you sure of this, Lana? I worked several jobs so I have no problem finding another one. But what about Mona? She has been working here for her whole life.”

As much as she wanted to believe that Mona would be okay, she could not help shaking the bad feeling that she had. 

The rowdy students who were seated were talking loudly.   

“Man, I love this place!”

“I would miss eating their delicious cake.”

“Just a bunch of college students graduating soon. Speaking of which, aren’t you getting your degree soon too?” Rick asked, ignoring the chatter of the customers.

“Yeah, I can finally get a real job instead of the sucky internship.” Lana could not wait to get a piece of paper that could land her a real job. Graduating from an Ivy League could give her a head start in getting a job interview.   

“Yeah, and leave this sucky cafe, huh?” sulked Rick. He enjoyed having her around. Being alone in the big city is lonely and he was grateful that he had someone to talk to ever since Lana came into his life. 

Lana laughed, “You know that’s not what I meant.”

They were interrupted by a student who wanted to place an order. “Please tell me that you still have the cheesecake in stock?”

“It’s your lucky day! We have one left,” Rick presented the cake on the white ceramic plate. 

“Oh, thank god! I’m not going to have the chance to taste the cake again after this place closes down.”

“Wait, what did you say?” asked Lana skeptically. She then continued with a flurry of questions. 

“No more cafe? No more cake?”

“Where did you heard that our cafe is closing down?”

“It’s all over the campus. Everyone is talking about it. Something about replacing it with an arcade shop?”

Lana and Rick looked at each other. They could not believe their ears. If the cafe was shutting down, they assumed that they would find out first. There’s no news of eviction, Mona did not say anything when she handed the shift over to them. 

“I think it’s happening,” declared Lana. It has only been a day and Cameron has made his move. “This is too fast.” She thought that it would at least take him a month or two. But boy, was she wrong. 

“s**t. I don’t want to know what’s going on in our apartment.”

∞ 

“IS THAT EVEN NECESSARY?!” Lana stomped passed Sara and slammed open Cameron’s office door. Angry was an understatement. Lana was furious at what Cameron did to her and her friend. Rick who followed her was standing near the door for moral support.

The morning after they finished their night shift, they saw a bunch of their stuff being thrown out of their apartments. It was scattered everywhere outside their room like an unwanted pile of junk. The lock had been changed to a new one which prevented them from entering inside. 

“What has brought you here, Sage?” Cameron did not bother to look up from the document that he was reading. 

“Stop being ignorant, you asshole!” Lana slammed her hands on his table trying to get his attention. 

“You look like s**t,” said Cameron when he saw Lana. She was wearing her barista uniform but with several buttons undone. She was soaking in sweat that made her hair flat and armpit sweat stains had begun to form. Dark eye bags formed under her blue eyes. She looked like she had not been sleeping for ages. 

“Oh yeah, try working the whole night and then carrying your whole wardrobe on a freaking crowded bus!” 

“Why are you here? Giving up so soon?”

“Where is Mona?! She didn’t come to take over our shift. We had to close up the cafe.” Lana remembered being panicked when Mona did not come, they called her on her cellphone but she did not answer. It's probably the first time in a long time that the cafe wasn’t open. 

“I would want to say that I admire your resilience but do you realize how foolish you are right now? The power is in your hands; you can save everyone from their misery. Everything will be back to normal if you accept this proposal. It’s what is best for everyone and you know it. Stop running from your fate,” paused Cameron before taking a look at their tired state. Feeling slightly guilty he commanded Sara, “Sara, please bring them to the guest suite to freshen up.”

“Why are you such a jerk?” asked Lana dejectedly. She did not know what she was fighting for anymore. Unable to muster up any argument, she complied with Cameron’s orders and followed Sara. 

They were brought to the hotel next door where Lance Properties had a suite that was permanently booked for the shareholders, bosses and foreign VIP clients. 

The lift stopped directly in the room. Rick dramatically dropped his bags on the floor and gasped loudly. He had never seen or stayed in such places. The TV shows that he saw were different from reality. The decor of the suites was a vintage, luxury theme with an extravagant white flower sofa in the living room and a large mahogany dining table near the kitchen. Beside the lift was a spiral staircase made with gold handles and marble floor leading them to the second floor of the suite. 

Lana was no foreigner to luxury homes. However, after staying in a small room for a few months, she couldn’t help but marvel at the hotel suite as well. 

“There are two rooms on the upper level. Take a bath, have some rest. Mr Lance would want to speak to you afterward, Ms Sage.” 

“Sure, thank you, Sara.”

“Have you seen such perfection?” Rick was still in awe over the interior. 

Lana could see the excitement in Rick’s face. He looked like a kid in a candy land. She felt a pang of guilt, she was reminded of Cameron’s words and she thought that she could change her life and also her best friend’s if she went back to being the socialite Lana Sage. 

“Rick, listen up,” said Lana. Rick snapped out of his fantasy that he was having to bring his parents to this kind of house when he became a famous actor. “I decided that I will marry Cameron.”

“What? You’re going to marry that jerk?” Rick was shocked at Lana’s sudden decision. “Have you thought it through?”

“It’s not that I want to marry him! I have no other choice. I’m tired, jobless and smell like shit.”

“You’re going to give up like that?”

“Yes. I’m afraid that he would hurt the people who matter most to me.”

“If it’s about me, then you can forget about it. I’m a man; I can survive anywhere.”

“Don’t be silly. We can still remain friends after this. I have quite a reputation with the media. Maybe you could use me to gain some fame,” Lana wiggled her eyebrows. 

“I’m silly? Look who’s talking,” Rick felt sad knowing that Lana was no longer going to be living beside him. The past few months had been amazing. He was lonely without any friends in the big city and Lana had more than filled the gap. He was delighted to hear that Lana wanted to remain his friend despite being a billionaire. 

“You can be my partner in crime! You know all celebrities always have their best friend by their side. You could be mine.” It would be great to have Rick around to share her woes and complaints. 

Rick rolled his eyes. Yes, he could imagine being in the tabloids and in entertainment news; with Lana, it was definitely possible.