Chapter 873 - Matthew Young (1/2)

~ Chicago ~

October 4, 9:37 AM

Ellie is sitting at a corner table of a busy coffee shop.

She is upset that she ended up coming here considering her super-busy schedule. She has a show in the evening, and there were some issues with the fabric, and new batch arrived only last night, so even at this time two dresses are not ready.

Ellie has so much work that she had to cancel on Jasper last night. And he was not happy when she told him that tonight she will be busy until late as well. He calmed down only after she promised to spend her day tomorrow with him. She has a breather until the next show, so she can afford a day off.

Ellie glanced at the time nervously. He is late!

”Hi Ellie, you look prettier every time I see you.”, man in his mid-forties greeted her with a big smile.

Ellie looked at the man and her sight fell on the big scar across his left cheek. That scar is a new addition to his image since they saw each other last time. It makes him look... mysterious. ”What do you want? I am busy.”

”Is that how you greet your father?”, the man pouted, and that expression didn't match his face at all.

He has a pale complexion and sharp hazel eyes which are dancing in amusement. He is wearing a white crisp shirt which is not hiding his fit physique, and if not for the scar on his cheek and a tattoo on his neck which disappears under the collar, you could mistake him for a handsome respectable day-job holder who likes to frequent the gym.

His pout morphed back into a smile while he pulled a chair and made himself comfortable across the table from Ellie. ”You can't be that unfriendly toward me. After all, you agreed to come and meet with me.”

”I agreed to come here so that you don't show up at my office.”

Ellie's father pretended not to notice her hostile attitude.

He glanced around before speaking: ”A busy coffee shop. Not a bad location. However, you choose a corner table. It's easy to get cornered.”

Ellie looked at her father and rolled her eyes. Even after all this time, Matthew Young is pretending to be a father who is teaching her survival skills.

”Do you think this is Belfast? This is not your territory, and here I am not a daughter of a gangster. I am a respectable citizen, and no one will come and corner me.”

Matthew clutched his chest and looked at Ellie with an exaggerated outrage. ”Gangster? Is that how you describe me to your friends?”

Ellie sneered. ”I don't talk about you to my friends. Or to anyone else… If possible, I do my best to pretend you don't exist. Now, are you going to tell me why we are here? There must be a reason why you tracked me down and came here personally all the way from Northern Ireland.”

”I wanted to see you. And I miss you.”

Ellie looked at him while trying to control her sudden burst of anger. ”Miss me? I don't think that is true... you were never the lonely type. Don't you have Amanda to give you company? Or is it Stacey? Oh, maybe it's Cheryl this time?”

Matthew closed his eyes and took a deep breath. ”Will you ever forgive me?”

”You should ask my mother for forgiveness, not me.”

Matthew nodded solemnly. This is not the first time he heard Ellie say that she will not forgive him. And every time his heart hurts.

After a long silence, he spoke: ”I'm here to tell you that someone is following you.”

Ellie snorted. ”Someone other than you?”