"Sometimes what you're looking for comes when you're not looking."

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Chapter Four

Hailey's POV

Today is Saturday. The day for my job-hunting.

I had been avoiding Ian like the plague these past few days after the cafe incident happened. It wasn't easy to do it since he was literally everywhere, but I managed to do it with Helen's help. It was a mere luck, but it was enough to make me sigh in relief. Luck was definitely the thing I needed the most these days.

I got up from my bed lazily and I couldn't stop yawning as I dragged my feet lazily to the bathroom.

I hate waking up early in the morning.

That was why I tried to search for available jobs online, but I had only hit dead ends, since I didn't receive any replies from the places I applied for and trust me, patience wasn't my strongest suit. I finally gave up and decided to do job-hunting today.

As I walked towards the bathroom which was situated next to the kitchen, I noticed that there wasn't any sign of Helen, which probably meant that she was still sleeping in her room.

Lucky her.

I sighed and quickly took a shower, applying my favorite strawberry scented shampoo to my hair. I finished up and strode towards my room. I walked towards my wardrobe and rummaged through it to find the most suitable outfit for today. I found a white silk shirt, which I tucked into a pair of black high-waisted jeans. As for the shoes, I chose a pair of comfortable white Vans, since I might have to walk all day for my job-hunting. After my hair had been blow-dried, I brushed it swiftly and left it untied. I grabbed my black handbag, putting all my necessary items into it. I made sure that my phone was fully charged before I put it into my handbag. After locking the front door, I heaved a sigh and began my walk to the nearby shops.

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I had been to almost 20 shops, but to no avail. Either they weren't in need for a new employee, or they were looking for a full-time worker, which wasn't an option for me. I was ready to give up when I saw an advertisement in front of a newly-opened restaurant, saying that they were looking for a new employee.

Oh God, please let me get this job. Please, please, please. I'm begging you.

I exhaled a breath before I made my way into the restaurant. The restaurant was neatly-designed, furnished with modern tables and chairs, but it didn't appear too expensive like those mainstream five-stars restaurants. It looked fancy yet affordable. I slowly approached the nearby waitress and asked her about the job vacancy. I followed her through a door where there was a sign that read "Employees Only". As soon as I entered the room, I noticed that the people in the kitchen were bustling about, the chefs were cooking while the waiters and waitresses were on their way to serve the newly-made food to the customers. Pleasant aroma filled my nostrils as I breathed in. The waitress then led me to the corner of the room past the kitchen where there was a small room which appeared to be the office.

"You'll meet the manager in there. Good luck." The pretty girl gave me a smile before she walked away.

I gulped nervously, breaking the silence by knocking the door a few times before I heard a voice calling out to me.

"Come in."

I moved slowly into the office and greeted the man who appeared to be in his early 40's. "Good morning." I tried to force a smile.

"Good morning." He smiled warmly. "Sit down."

I sat on the chair in front of him anxiously. I noticed that there was a name card on his desk that wrote, "Sebastian Carter'".

"What's your name?" he asked. I answered his question and soon after that, I was bombarded with a few other questions, like my work experiences and other things. After I was finished with the interview, he told me that they would give me a call if I got the job. Deep down I felt a little disappointed, thinking that I'd get the job instantly, but unfortunately, I had to wait for their call, which I might not receive at all. However, I still thanked him and I was about to open the door but someone beat me to it.

Someone none other than Ian Matthews.

My mouth gaped open in surprise and my eyes were wide as saucers.

"What are you doing here?" I snapped.

Did he follow me? Is he a stalker?

I truly wanted to believe that was the case, but I knew, his presence here was more than that, which could only mean one thing...

"Did you two know each other?" The manager, Mr. Carter asked us.

"No," I answered immediately, while Ian answered at the same time, "Yes."

He almost looked amused by our different answers, but he tried to stay expressionless.

"So, Miss Anderson, did you or didn't you know that Mr. Matthews here happened to be the son of the owner of this restaurant?"

His question left my speechless. It couldn't be...

I had tried so many times to avoid him, but I suddenly met him today out of all other days. 

Why was fate so cruel to me?

I didn't want to believe it, but I knew I had to. If he was the son of the owner of the restaurant, then if I got this job, I'd have to bear meeting him frequently. Now a part of me wished that I wouldn't get the job.

"I didn't know, Mr. Carter." I then excused myself from his office and began to bolt towards the restaurant's door, but I was blocked by Ian who appeared in front of me from nowhere.

"So how's your plan in avoiding me working so far?" he asked with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. "Get lost." I tried to reach for the door, but he blocked my way with his body.

"You know, I actually missed you, Rose," he said with a serious expression.

Such a good actor. If I hadn't been hurt by his brother before, I might have believed him. But I knew for sure now that I was just another new toy for a guy like him. 

And I certainly won't fall for guys like him again.

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Ian's POV

"Oh yeah? But I didn't miss you at all. In fact, I was glad that I didn't meet you these past few days. But you just had to wreck and destroy my mood today by appearing in front of me." She snarled.

Wow.

I would be lying if I said her words didn't sting me. But I tried my best to appear unaffected by her hurtful words. What did I ever do to her until she hated me this much? All I wanted was just to get to know her, but why was it so hard?

Without saying anything, I moved away from the door and she used the chance to get out of the restaurant. I caught the glimpse of her getting swallowed into the darkness. I just stood there like a statue before I went to the washroom and sprinkled cool water onto my face to calm myself. The more she pushed me away, the more I felt like I wanted to get closer to her.

No. I can't do this anymore.

I found myself searching for Owen's phone number without thinking and dialing his number. His voice was muffled by the background noise and it seemed like he walked away from the source of the noise as his voice sounded clearer. "Hello?"

"Where are you?" I asked him without hesitation.

"At Lucy's house."

"Who's Lucy again?" I grunted.

Owen barked out a laugh. "Dude, that hot chick invited you to her party personally last week. She was all over you. How the hell did you manage to forget her?"

It seemed a bit pathetic to admit that I didn't care to remember about her party because I was too caught up with trying to get closer to Rose these few days. So instead, I brushed it off. "Text me her address. I'll be there in 10."

Lucy, huh?

If I can't make myself forget Rose, I'll make sure someone else does it for me.

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Hailey's POV

Was I too harsh on Ian last night? 

Regret began to fill my mind, but I tried my best to suck it out and replaced it with hatred.

My hatred towards Isaac Matthews.

The Matthew brothers were both womanizers and man-whores. They went around to play with girls and shatter their hearts. What I did wasn't wrong. That kind of guy deserved such treatment from me.

I got up on my feet and began to make my way to the bathroom to take a shower, but my intention was delayed when I heard my phone buzzing. The caller ID showed a phone number that I didn't recognize.

"Hello?"

"Hello, it's me, Mr. Carter. Congratulations Miss Anderson. You got the job as a waitress at our restaurant. You can start working today at 3.00 p.m."

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I walked into the restaurant once again, but as an actual employee this time. The familiar surrounding caught my eyes. The restaurant was packed with customers relishing their food other than the waiters and waitresses who were busy taking orders from the customers.

I started my pace towards the back of the restaurant and hesitantly walked into the room for the employees. Mr. Carter who noticed my presence began to introduce me to the other employees and ordered the girl I saw yesterday to teach me about the basic things to do as a waitress.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"I'm Hailey," I answered shyly. "You?"

"I'm Rachel."  Her lips curled up into a smile.

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10.30 p.m.

To say that I was tired seemed to be an understatement. I was extremely exhausted, my body was aching from the walking that I did today without resting, my feet were weak and I was currently limping as I moved. Thankfully, there were only two more groups of customers left and their food had already been delivered, so we only had to sit by until they finished eating then we were off to go home.

"Tired, huh?" Rachel asked with a grin.

"Very," I complained.

"It's your first day. That's normal. You'll get used to it."

"I hope so," I muttered.

"Forgive me for asking this, but I'm curious about your relationship with our restaurant owner's son."

"Who?" I then realized that she was talking about Ian. "We don't have any sort of relationship that you might be thinking about," I defended.

She chuckled and shook her head. "Don't worry, I didn't think of anything like that. I was just curious."

I smiled awkwardly. "It's okay. Where did you even get the idea that we had some sorts of relationship anyway?"

"I saw you guys bickering like an old married couple in front of the door yesterday. It was a sight to see." She laughed a little.

My face reddened. "Don't get the wrong idea! It was nothing."

"Don't worry. I'll keep it a secret." She winked at me.

"Rachel!" I groaned and swatted her arm. She winced. I quickly changed the subject. "So the restaurant is his mom's? Not his dad's?"

"Nope. As far as I heard of, his dad owns a lot of hotels, while his mom owns this restaurant and a few more restaurants in the city."

Both of his parents have their own businesses. So that's where his fortune comes from.

"And I heard some people gossiping that his mom started opening restaurants because she was bored of feeling like she was abandoned by her own husband since he was too busy working. The other co-workers said that their marriage was turning bad and she might ask him for a divorce," she whispered.

I started to feel bad for Ian and Isaac. No matter how much I loathed them, having to face with parents' divorce was never a good thing. No matter how bad a person was, nobody deserved to feel that way.

"Good job everybody. You guys can go home now." Mr. Carter's voice cut my chain of thoughts.

I started to wave goodbyes to the other employees and they went to their vehicles to leave. I just gave Helen a call and she said that she'd be here in five minutes. 

That was when I noticed something. I was all alone in the dark.

All the other shops had closed down, the streetlights weren't functioning, the only light I could make was from my phone's glowing screen. The breeze was blowing around me, I could hear the wind howling, causing the dead branches from the plants nearby to click-clack off of the feeble windows of the restaurant. The chill air ran down my spines, making me clutch my body tightly as my eyes roamed around my surrounding. My pulse ramped up, my breaths felt like they were trapped inside of me.

"It's nothing. I'm imagining things," I whispered to myself.

Just then, I heard the sound of an animal howling, breaking the silence in the darkness. It sounded like... a wolf? No, it couldn't be. It was impossible for wolves to be here, right in the middle of the city.

But then I heard another howl.

I froze.

Goosebumps started to form on my bare skin. I strained to hear other sounds around me, but my heart pounded too loudly against my chest and my breathing was harsh, which made it impossible for me to focus on my hearing.

After that, I felt something cold was touching my shoulders.

I screamed.

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The next chapter will be updated in 3-4 days. Don't forget to VOTE, COMMENT and SHARE if you liked this chapter!

xx,

Tris.