Chapter 49

I had played out a million ways meeting Tony could go down, and I even had this gut feeling he was dodging me.

But I never thought he'd spot me right away. And from the way he acted all cool, it was clear he knew I'd been tailing him that morning.

Zoey was totally thrown off by this sudden address and all the info that came with it. She looked a bit rattled but quickly pulled herself together, smiled, glanced at me, and figured it was best if I took the lead.

"Hey, Tony, nice to meet you. I'm Nancy Johnson," I said with a smile.

I had a ton of questions swirling in my head, but with this face-to-face, I didn't even know where to start. Since he already knew I was onto him, might as well just lay it all out there.

"Doesn't seem like the best time to chat," I said, eyeing Tony in his work uniform and pointing to the seat across from us. "The service here at Stardust Diner is top-notch. Why don't you take a break and join us for a bit?"

Tony shrugged and gave a wry smile, "If you want to see me get canned, Mrs. Smith, go ahead. Jobs are hard to come by these days. If I can't bring home a paycheck, you've met my wife, her temper's no joke."

So, he knew I had met Anna, which meant he was aware I was digging into his life. But how did he recognize me? My business card didn't have a photo, and the company website had my profile but no picture.

"Don't worry, I won't tell Anna you're slacking," I said calmly.

Tony let out a sigh of relief, patted his chest, and shook his head, "Toby's never wrong. Mrs. Smith, you're a good person. Just order the food for now. If it's not enough, call me anytime. I get off work at 10 PM, but I guess you can't wait that long. I'll take a break around 6 PM, and we can find a nearby café to chat."

"No rush, I'll wait until you're off," I gently declined.

Since he came to find me, it meant he wasn't going to hide anymore. No need to rush. His life wasn't easy, and taking a break would mean a pay cut. How much could a Stardust Diner waiter make in a month anyway?

"Mrs. Smith, you're too kind. It's fine, I have a lot to talk to you about." Tony grabbed the iPad and hurried off to serve other customers.

Zoey let out a long breath after he walked away, took a few gulps of coffee, and kept saying, "That freaked me out. Mrs. Smith, you're so calm. When he called you Mrs. Smith, I was stunned. I was trying to think of a way to stall."

"Come on, stop flattering me. And by the way, your acting skills still need some work... I saw through you right away."

"No way, Mrs. Smith, you're the best!"

Zoey must had noticed that I also got flustered just now. After Tony left, she tried to lighten the mood. But Zoey was too over the top. Where did she pick up this workplace experience?

I couldn't hold it in earlier, and there was no need to hide it in front of Zoey.

Winter in Silverlight City was freezing, and the glass windows were fogged up from the warmth inside the restaurant.

Soon, the waiter brought the hot pot and dishes.

Zoey also ordered an extra iced cola. Ice cream, iced coffee, iced cola-Zoey was happily munching and humming, not forgetting to give me some food.

"In winter, drinking so many cold things and eating Mexican food, be careful of stomach issues."

I poured Zoey a cup of hot milk, which I had specially requested from the waiter earlier. Mainly because I couldn't stand the overly enthusiastic service at Stardust Diner.

They didn't really care about what you needed; they just put on this big show of being super enthusiastic and caring. That fake concern was something I could definitely do without.

Zoey was munching away, her mouth all greasy, and she mumbled, "Mrs. Smith, if you don't drink iced Starbucks coffee, it's like drinking bad medicine. And don't Thalassia people do this? Wearing coats in winter and holding iced coffee. Thalassia male celebrities are pretty hot."

Seeing her so happy with her food, my mood lifted. It was like watching my little sister eat. I teased her, "Weren't you into Vesperia-style guys? When did it switch to Thalassia-style? Let me think, right, Benjamin's apprentice Ruben might not be your dream guy, but if he tries hard to nail that Thalassia look, there's still hope."

"No way, Mrs. Smith, I'll stick to hot drinks," Zoey pouted and made a face. "I think Ruben should ditch being a detective and get into making funny videos. He's a natural. Haha, thinking about that day still cracks me up."

Talking about Ruben reminded me of how Benjamin left him with me before he took off, saying I could ask him for anything.

That night, I added him on Facebook, and he messaged me three times a day: [Mrs. Smith, remember to call me if you need anything. Mrs. Smith, anything you need today? Mrs. Smith, do you need my help?]

Zoey and I were chowing down on Mexican food while chatting about Tony. I gave her the lowdown on Tony's situation, including his relationship with Anna and her affairs on the side.

Zoey was floored, her eyes wide open. "This is like a tragic second male lead in a novel. My God, there are really people this unlucky in real life."

"Why do you say that?" I didn't read romance novels much.

"In those novels, the main guy has it easy, while the second male lead's life is a mess. Betrayed by lovers, ditched by friends, all alone, and it usually ends badly for them. They either turn evil or end up dead." Zoey thought for a moment and summed up the plot of those stories.

Life was more vivid and wild than stories. Based on what I knew about Tony, Zoey's take made some sense.

"So, in the early stages of the story, what keeps him going through all the bad stuff?" I asked.

"Two things." Zoey held up two fingers, not forgetting to take a bite of ice cream. "Emotions and hatred. Usually, these two are all mixed up. When someone's mental world falls apart, they go bad."

As she was talking, we suddenly heard someone singing a birthday song not far away.

Tony was leading two waiters, singing with gusto. A couple was celebrating their kid's birthday at Stardust Diner.

The other two were half-heartedly dancing, but Tony was all in, singing and dancing with tons of energy, which seemed different from the Tony I had just met or heard about.

He was beaming, occasionally interacting with the kid.

If anyone else saw this, they'd think this Stardust Diner waiter had an amazing work attitude.

But knowing his story, I had a feeling he was actually savoring this moment.

Maybe it was regret or some form of self-compensation.