Chapter 2: Who is that Girl?

As Grace strode confidently into the Shore Café, her slender legs, gorgeous, angelic face and bright blue eyes captured the attention of many. There were whisperings amongst a lot of the café patrons, in particular the men:

“Who is that Girl, isn’t she beautiful?”

“I’ve never seen her here before”

“Look at her long legs, I wonder if she is married or has a boyfriend.  She looks like she came straight off a modelling shoot”

Grace was oblivious to all the comments and whispers around her as her only intent was to get the same table she had been getting the last few times to sit down and enjoy her breakfast whilst she carried out some company work. She was still looking for new office space, so she was currently renting a small office for two months that only catered for ten of her staff until she secured a lease on a big office space for the staff moving from her Boston Office and new staff she intended to hire.  The whisperings continued, even when she sat down to look at the menu. Sean and Sebastian were no exception. Unbeknownst to Grace, from the moment she walked in and sat with her back to them, she had managed to capture their attention.  She was new in Straco City.  That man, whose name she did not even want to think about had found her in the last city she had settled in, but she managed to escape 2 months ago before he even laid eyes on her and landed right here in Straco City.  She had decided on settling in Straco City after visiting the city a few times the previous year after successfully acquiring some prime land for new hotel that she was building.  Her hotel that was going to called Del Mare Hotel (under her Company called ‘Messi Group’) was approved 6 months ago by the building authorities and the foundation on the building was just getting started.  It was going to be one of the most luxurious hotels in Straco City overlooking the ocean.  It was close to the City Centre where lots of companies ran their businesses from and was also only a few minutes drive to the Beach.

“Who is that Girl?  I’ve never seen her around here before”, muttered Sean.  “She is definitely a beauty beyond imagination”, he added. The man had never seen such a beauty in his entire life. Her eyes, her whole being captured his attention the moment she walked into the Café. She also captured Sebastian’s attention. “What a hottie, she must be new around her.  You know me, no beauty in this city has ever escaped my attention, nor have they resisted my charm.  I think I am going to have to get to know her”, chuckled Sebastian. “Steady there Sebastian, take it easy”, warned Tyra to Sebastian as she ribbed him.  Carter just grinned as he saw the situation with his two best friends.  Sebastian’s reaction was totally expected as the man had regained his confidence with women in the last 6 months.  He no longer dwelled on his ex-fiancée that cheated on him three years ago.  Sebastian wasn’t a Casanova, he was just a man starting to get his confidence back. Sean’s reaction on the other hand was something really unexpected. His interest in women was not something that his friends had come across before. Sean had dated women at University but nothing really serious and certainly had not dated anyone for the past 5 years. “Wow, if I am not mistaken, looks like we have some competition on our hands” Tyra Mumbled to Carter. Never had Carter’s two best friends shown any interest in the same woman. “What competition, as if Mr Harper here has a chance.  With my good looks, charm and experience, how is she going to resist me”, he confidently stated to his friends. Sean’s face darkened at Sebastian’s comment.  “Wow, she looks like she is a model exceptional good looks and beautiful body.  She is much more beautiful than any of the models that I have worked with.  Uncle Sean, I think with your good looks, she would definitely be a good match for you. Yes, I think I approve of her being my Aunt but you are definitely going to have to turn on the charm,” added Luana. Sean smirked and patted his niece’s hand, whilst Tyra, Sebastian and Carter laughed.

As Grace is working on her laptop, the waitress walks over to her and asks her what she’d like to order.  “I’d like an Almond Cappuccino and some Avocado Toast with some chilli on the side, thank you”, Grace told the waitress.  The waitress repeats the order back to her and then said to Grace, “I’m not familiar with your accent, are you perhaps from New Zealand?”  Grace smiled at the waitress and responded, “Actually, not New Zealand but very close, I’m from Australia, specifically from Sydney”. Taking out her hand to shake, she said to the waitress, “I guess I better introduce myself, I’m Grace.  I’m new in this City and I’ve been here for about 2 months”.  The waitress took Grace’s hand, shook it and welcomed her to Straco City.  “Welcome to Straco City Miss Grace, it is lovely to meet you.  My name is Heidi and I hope to see you around more often.  I believe you are the first Australian I have ever met.  Let me know if you need me to point you in any direction for best shopping venues, markets and even the night life but for now I better get your order in”.  Grace thanked Heidi and then turned around and immediately continued to work on her laptop responding to emails, organising meetings and reading through documents.  She had so much to do but working from the café with a great view just made it easier.

Typing away on her laptop, she noticed that there was a shadow next to her. “Hi, I’m Sebastian, Sebastian Gibson.  I’m sitting with my friends over in the booth behind you and I just couldn’t help overhear your conversation with the lovely waitress.  I knew when you came in that you were not from around here or I would have noticed someone as beautiful as you before.  Since you are new in town, how about I take you out and show you around town?” Sebastian confidently suggested.  “No thanks, I am happy to explore myself at my own leisure” she responded and then turned her head back to her laptop to continue working ignoring him. Not wanting to give up, he came closer and whispered, “a lot of women would jump at the chance to be taken out by me.  As you are not from around here, you would not easily know that”. Not looking up at him, she continued to work on her laptop but raised her voice a little and firmly responded, “Mr Gibson, if as you say, so many women would jump at the chance to spend time with you, then I suggest that you go and find them. I’m busy trying to work here, so kindly go back to your friends and stop bothering me”. As she finished off her sentence, the waitress returned with the cappuccino and Avocado Toast.  Sebastian stood there shocked.  He had never been rejected. What made matters worse were his friends were laughing at him, even Sean’s niece and Carter’s girlfriend were in hysterics trying to hold themselves together.

He returned back to his table where Sean with a smirk on his face didn’t waste any time adding more misery to Sebastian’s rejection by saying, “I guess she resisted you after all. Seems to me that Mr Sebastian Gibson with his good looks and charm must be losing his touch”. The others just laughed whilst Sebastian told them he was not going to give up. 

Whilst the others kept teasing Sebastian, Sean was looking at Grace. Not only did she have a stunning figure, but she was smoking hot and mesmerising blue eyes that he noticed when she came into the café. There was something about her that was familiar but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He admired her beauty and for the first time since university, he didn’t know but Grace stirred something in him. He wanted to get to know her. He didn’t realise that he was so lost in his thoughts about Grace that he didn’t hear Carter talking to him.  “Sean, Earth to Sean”, Carter called out to him. “Hmmm, seems like Sebastian may have some competition with regards to the young Aussie Girl”, Carter teased. “What competition, she outright rejected our dear Sebastian”, Sean confidently responded with a smirk.  

By the window, Grace was admiring the view.  The water was blue and serene, it always reminded her of the views near where she lived in Sydney as a younger girl.  Back then, things were much simpler.  She’d go to school every day, help out her parents with chores, do her school homework and go to the beach with Luigi which wasn’t far from the house where she lived.  Why did that man ruin everything for her, forcing her to flee from Australia and be away from her brother, her parents and Max?  The man was deranged, she knew he had been looking for her since then, so Grace had to stay away from home, at least for the time being.

Back to the present, Grace had finished her work and breakfast and asked the waitress for the bill.  “The bill has already been settled Miss Grace.  It was settled by the chap sitting behind you that was talking to you earlier” she told Grace.  The audacity of that man, how dare he. With an annoyed look, Grace reached out for her wallet, took out some money and with a stern face walked over to the table behind her.   “Excuse me Mr Gibson but I did not ask you to pay for my meal, thank you but I can look after myself.”  Grace then angrily slapped the money for her meal on the table in front of Sebastian, told him to keep the change but as she was about to turn around, she locked eyes with Sean for a split second.  The man had sharp features, a perfectly chiselled jaw and dashing good looks that could easily put him on the cover of any modelling magazine. ‘Oh no, she thought, it’s him, it’s the guy from the car accident.  Keep cool, I don’t think he recognised me. Ok, time to walk away’. Grace turned around, picked up her handbag, her laptop bag and hurriedly left the café. 

“Not only is she hot but she’s also hot-headed which only makes her more appealing”, commented Sebastian. “Yeah, a bit of a firecracker that one, quite a wild firecracker”, added Sean. When he looked at her deep blue eyes, he felt that he had come across her before but as she was new in the City, he knew it was highly unlikely, unless he had met her on one of his business trips.  One thing Sean was certain of was that he wanted to get to know more about her. There was something about her that was different to all other girls he had met before, but what are the chances that he’d even see again in such a big City as Straco City.

Outside the café, Grace caught her breath and thought to herself, ‘What are the chances, bumping into the guy I saved. I definitely can’t mistake his dashing good looks.  It didn’t look like he recognised me.  Well of course he didn’t, he was semi-conscious and I had my hood over my head during the ambush, so even the local cameras didn’t capture my face’.  Grace knew that if he had recognised her, he would have said something, so she pulled herself together and made her way to work.