The Billionaire’s Unwanted Bride

Chapter 5:Bob’s coffee

The air in Bob’s Coffee Shop always carried a faint scent of cinnamon and fresh espresso, the kind of warmth that pulled even the most hardened souls into a momentary calm. It was Bryan's secret escape before the whirlwind of his arranged marriage. A place that didn’t scream luxury, wealth, or the burden of legacy. Here, he was just Bryan;a man with complicated thoughts and an addiction to caffeine.

He pushed open the glass door. The familiar chime rang above his head.

"Morning, Bob," he said, sliding his sunglasses up onto his head.

Bob, the burly, middle-aged owner, offered him a nod from behind the counter. "The usual?"

Bryan gave a tired smile. "Make it strong. I need it."

He slid into a corner seat, the same one he'd occupied every Thursday morning before everything changed. Before the boardroom, before the press releases, before Isabella.

Before Lydia.

His mind wandered.

He had met Lydia here by chance. Well, technically, he met her at a club, where her energy had matched his: wild, reckless, fleeting. But it was at Bob's Coffee that everything changed.

He had shown up the next morning, half-hungover, and there she was, in a barista apron, tying her braids back with a loose band and pouring coffee like she owned the damn universe. Their eyes locked. A beat skipped.

"Double shot, no sugar?" she had asked. He remembered the teasing smile on her lips.

He had raised a brow. "Stalker much?"

She'd laughed. "You're not the only caffeine addict that comes here yunno, Mr. Club Mystery Man."

They started talking. Then came the dates. Late-night walks, rain-drenched kisses, breakfasts that turned into afternoons. He didn't know what they were, only that it felt easy.

Then came the news. His wedding.

The media leaked it before he could even craft a way to explain. She ghosted him immediately after. Her number changed. She quit Bob’s Coffee. Vanished like she was never real.

He hadn’t come back here until today.

Bob placed his cup on the table. "You disappeared."

Bryan stared at the steaming coffee. "Yeah. Life happened."

"Or women."

He looked up sharply. "What?"

Bob shrugged. "She was good for you. Lydia. Smart. Kept you laughing. That girl had fire."

Bryan didn’t answer. He sipped instead, letting the silence answer for him.

Before he could spiral too deep into his thoughts, a familiar voice echoed from the entrance.

"Bryan?"

He looked up, cup frozen halfway to his lips.

It was her.

Lydia.

She had changed. A little slimmer. Shorter braids. Sharper cheekbones. But the fire in her eyes was unmistakable.

"Lydia?" he whispered.

She approached slowly, her face unreadable.

"You’re back," he said.

She folded her arms. "I work here again. Temporarily. Helping Bob out. He begged."

Bryan's heart thudded. "I looked for you. You changed your number."

She smirked bitterly. "You were getting married. To another woman. What did you expect me to do? Send a gift?"

"It wasn't what you think."

"Oh, so you weren’t forced into an arranged marriage with a stranger while sneaking around with me?"

He flinched. "You were never a side piece."

She exhaled. "Doesn’t matter now. You're married."

"Separated," he said quietly.

She blinked. "Already?"

He nodded. "It’s... complicated."

Lydia stared at him. Something softened. Then hardened again. "I have to go clean the back. Enjoy your coffee."

Before he could stop her, she turned away. He watched her walk behind the counter and disappear through the beaded curtain that led to the storage.

He felt something stir inside him. An old ache. Regret.

He stood and walked outside to catch some air, only to be greeted by a flash from across the street.

A camera.

Paparazzi?

He squinted. A man with dark shades and a long-lens camera was lowering it.

Great. Just what he needed: rumors that he was cheating again. The media would eat this up. He cursed under his breath.

Back inside the shop, Lydia returned to the front.

Bob glanced at her. "You sure about working here again? He’s going to keep coming."

She gave a dry laugh. "That’s the idea."

Bob raised a brow. "What are you up to, girl?"

Lydia didn’t answer. She just smiled.

Back at his mansion, Bryan reviewed the reports his assistant had emailed.

He wasn’t reading them. Not really. His mind kept going back to that moment in the coffee shop. Lydia. The look in her eyes. The pain. The defiance.

And that camera.

His phone buzzed. Unknown number.

He picked up.

"You don’t know me," the voice said. "But you should watch your back."

"Who is this?"

"Just know this: not everything about your new job or your ex-girlfriend is what it seems. Be careful who you trust."

The line went dead.

Bryan froze.

Was this about the company? Or Isabella? Or Lydia, they didn't even date.

He stood slowly and walked to the window, looking down at the city beneath him. So many pieces of the puzzle didn’t fit.

And suddenly, it felt like someone else was moving the pieces.