Perfect Deception

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My name was Annie and I was tired of living. Everyone told me life wasn't always easy and I shouldn't blame myself if mine was a struggle. So, everyday, whenever I woke up, I told myself it wasn't my fault my father abandoned us. It also wasn't my fault a man broke my heart and left me pregnant with his child. I sighed and took my eyes off the letter in my hands. Everything changed the moment I decided to travel out of LA. I folded the piece of paper, it was so old that it might tear if I wasn't careful. It had been four years since he sent this letter. I should have burned it a long time ago, I know I should. Everything written there were empty promises.

I kept the envelope in my clutch and tried to focus my attention on something else. I brought out my phone and checked the time.

"Ma'am, aren't you getting down now?"

I raised my head and saw the bus driver looking at me. "Yes?"

"We are at the last bus stop."

"Oh." I looked around and noticed I was the only passenger still in the bus. Gosh, when did the bus even stop? I quickly picked up my clutch and got down.

The driver smiled at me. "Have a nice day, ma'am."

I sighed. Nice day? I hoped so.

I walked the familiar path to the bakery where I worked as both a baker and cashier. The bakery only had three workers so we worked in different categories. Tessa, my co-worker, was decorating some cupcakes when I walked in.

She was carefully putting a bright pink butter icing on some cupcakes arranged on a tray. There was a peck of flour on her curly hair and her small lips tightened as she concentrated on her job. She had a small body build which made her look five years younger than her actual age. Well, she used it to her advantage whenever she flirted with men. She was the complete opposite of me. She was so jovial that she made life look so simple. It was one of the things I admired about her.

She took a glance at me and wiped away the chunk of butter icing that stained her neck. "Good morning Ann. You came late today. Mr Weston just ordered three boxes of strawberry cupcakes."

Mr Weston was one of our regular customers, he always ordered in large quantities.

"Good morning Tessa. The bus stopped a little bit far from my destination so I had to walk here." I observed her. "You look stressed," I said.

She puffed. "I sure do. I'm trying to meet up with the delivery time."

She took an apron from the hanger and passed it to me. I grabbed it and wore it quickly.

"Hurry Annie! Let's start mixing the dough before the customers' arrival," she said and continued decorating the cupcakes.

I nodded and took a bowl from the shelf. "Okay, I'm coming."

I brought out the bag of flour and took some scoop from it. I poured it into the bowl and looked around for Matthew who was also a co-worker. He usually tidies the bakery.

I turned to Tessa. "Matt isn't in the shop. Did he go for delivery?"

She shook her head. "No, he called in sick today."

Matthew was a sickle cell patient, he usually felt sick almost every week.

"I hope he gets better," I said.

Tessa nodded. "Me too."

Since Matthew wasn't around, the work was much for us. Matthew usually served the orders, while Tessa and I baked and placed the orders on the counter.

Although the bakery was small, it had huge customers every day. Tessa agreed to serve the orders, while I placed it on the counter. Soon, people were already entering the bakery and not quite long, the bakery was buzzing with customers.

I rubbed my palm against my floral apron and took my favorite glove from the counter. I removed the pan of cupcakes from the oven and placed them on the counter. Its delicious aroma wafted through the air.

I loved to bake, I had learned how to bake since when I was a kid. My mom used to bake for us every weekend. Then we would gather around the kitchen island mixing the batter and laugh at each other's funny or crazy jokes. I swallowed hard and dismissed the thought. Such memories were long forgotten and only brought painful thoughts. It was before everything changed.

I arranged the cupcakes on the tray, it was a mixture of strawberry and vanilla. Tessa came to the counter and studied the cupcakes.

"Nice work Annie, those cupcakes look tantalizing." She placed it on her tray and gave me a thumbs up.

I gave her my best smile. "Thanks."

Tessa winked and went to deliver the customer's orders.

The doorbell jingled, I raised my head just in time to see Mrs Will and her little daughter, Eva, approaching the counter. Mrs Will always stopped by at the bakery after work. We got along pretty well. She was a witty woman in her thirties, she was twice married and once divorced.

"How are you doing, Annie?" she asked. She gazed at the show glass where other confections were displayed.

I smiled as I placed the next set of waffles on a tray. It was hard to resist staring at my confections.

" I'm good, thanks for asking," I said sweetly.

She looked at the waffles. "Is this one of the special offers?"

I nodded. "It is a new recipe, I just tried it out."

She examined it and smiled. "It looks yummy."

I smiled. "Thanks. So do you want this special offer?"

"Yes, I want two for me and one for Eva."

Eva smiled and raised her head to check out the cupcakes I had left on the counter to cool down. She had a very cute smile just like my four years old daughter, Zoe. They had an unlimited love for cupcakes.

She poked the cupcake with her little finger. Mrs Will quickly removed her daughter's hand and held it.

"Eva stop doing that." Eva dropped her hands, hid it and smiled guiltily.

We both laughed at the way she smiled. It was cute.

Mrs will looked at me and smiled adorably. "She likes cupcakes."

"It seems so."

I packed their orders and gave it to her. She collected it and held her daughter's wrist.

"Bye," she waved at me and held the package up. "I can't wait to devour this."

I laughed and she joined me. I waved back as they walked out of the restaurant.

"Bye!"

~

By 8:00 pm, there weren't any more customers. Normally, Tessa and I usually cleaned the bakery before going home, but Tessa had gone for a date so I had to do the cleaning alone.

I changed the signboard on the door to close and started cleaning the bakery. I calculated the total sale of the day and kept it in the safe. I was mopping the floor when the doorbell rang. I raised my head and saw a man in a corporate designer suit entering the bakery. The man stopped and observed the bakery. It was obvious it was his first time in the bakery.

I gulped when my eyes met his. His eyes were so captivating, like a magnet, it was pulling me closer. He raised his eyes observing me slowly. I shivered and felt goosebumps on my skin. He was on a wheelchair. His relaxed chiseled face and well built body exhibited principle and pride. The suit was made of fancy wool and his wristwatch was of refined quality. He must be a wealthy man, probably a CEO of a big enterprise.

I looked at him closely. His well craved eyebrows were nicely set above his gray eyes. Those eyes looked so familiar, it reminded me of my past. My mistakes, my pains, my feelings, and everything I had wanted to forget of my past.

I studied him closely. Could he be him?

A lady was walking beside the man as his wheelchair rolled automatically towards a seat by the right angle of the bakery.

I paused. Wait, didn't they notice that we are already closed?

I dropped the mop and approached him. I was already stressed from the day's activities. There was no way I could take more orders.

He picked the menu on the table and observed it.

I gulped and fidgeted with my hands. I was nervous being around him, his appearance made me feel so self-conscious. I rubbed my sweaty palms on my apron. I built up my confidence and looked at him.

"Excuse me sir. Sorry to bother you, but we are closed for today." I told him, expecting him to leave with his girlfriend or whoever she was. I took a second look at the lady and noticed she looked familiar. I have seen her in some movies. Suddenly, I remembered. She was the famous actress Violet.

How could I not recognize her? She was madly famous.

"2 French rolls and a cup of hot tea," his husky voice sent shivers down my spine.

I shook my head, maybe he has a problem with hearing correctly, I just told him the bakery was closed, can't he understand that!

"What?" I asked, slightly confused. "Pardon me sir, I believe you don't understand what I just said. We are closed for today." I pointed at the door. "You can see the closed sign board at the door"

He dropped the menu and glared at me. "What's your name?" He looked at my work tag pinned to my shirt. "Annie?" He stared elsewhere and shook his head. "I'm not surprise, most Annie's are stupid and very frustrating to work with."

My expectations flew out of the window as I realized Rick would never regard me like this.

His words hit me so hard. I took a deep breath, calming myself. Patience Annie, you need this job. Just ignore him, he is a scumbag. Do your job and leave him alone.

"You should leave right now." I said calmly trying to suppress my anger.

He shook his head and scoffed. "You must be deaf or something."

I arched my brow, irritated. "What do you just say?"

He looked at me with a stern facial expression. I'm very sure he wasn't used to people asking him questions.

"I don't repeat myself," He declared with so much authority.

I eyed him disbelieving. Who the hell does he think he is?

I let out a fake gasp and covered my mouth acting surprised. "Oh, really? I guess you don't repeat yourself because you might end up saying something very silly."

His face suddenly hardened and I sensed fear gripping my whole body. I had hardly ever insulted anyone before, let alone, someone of his status. The lady beside him frowned at me like I was the one who was being rude. I ignored her and kept on glaring at the man. Why would she be with someone like him? She was a reputable celebrity.

He balled his hands and glared at me. "What do you just say?"

I straightened up and folded my hands. "I'm sorry..." I wanted to apologize but I changed my mind. It wasn't me who started the insult. So, instead I ignored how fast my heart was beating or how fear gnawed my whole body and said.

"I don't repeat myself."

Suddenly he chuckled and looked at me. "I'm not surprised, I guess you can't expect much sense from a cheap girl."

That was it. That was all it took to make me forget about all the consequences and just give in to anger. "You know what, I don't know if you have an issue with me or something, but it is better to be poor than to be a silly narcissist like you," I said.

His face hardened even more just when I thought he couldn't look any more angrier.

He gripped his wheelchair and pointed a finger at me. "You should watch your mouth, unless that mouth will put you in trouble!"

I took a deep breath and composed myself. He sounded like he was capable of getting me fired. I mentally slapped myself, I should have kept my mouth shut, but why do I have to respond to all his insults?

"It was you who insulted me first sir," I defended myself.

My life was a struggle, but I shouldn't take the whole blame. It wasn't my fault he couldn't stand my presence.

"Do you know who I am? Do you know that with just one call I can get you fired?" He challenged me.

"No, I don't need to know who you are because you are nothing without that money and fame," I said.

He stared at me, shocked.

I could feel my heart racing faster just thinking about losing my job. I knew he said that just to put me back in my place and I won't lower my standard because I was cheap in his eyes.

Just that instance, I wished I wouldn't see him ever again, but fate could be so tricky at times.