Chapter 4

~Charles

I paced back and forth in my hotel room, my mind racing as I tried to figure out what to do. 

The shower had been running for hours, flooding the bathroom and seeping into the hallway outside. It was obvious Megan had it broken.

My phone was submerged in a puddle of water on the bathroom floor, completely useless. "How could that woman be so cruel?" 

As I looked around the room, searching for a solution, my eyes landed on the hotel phone on the nightstand. A glimmer of hope sparked in my mind. Maybe I could call the front desk and ask them to send someone to help me. 

I snatched up the phone, but as I dialed the number, my heart sank. The phone was dead. Water must have gotten into the line and shorted it out. 

I was well and truly stuck. I slumped onto the wet bed, defeated.

"What sort of mess did I get myself into," I muttered to myself. "How am I going to get out of this?" I had to think of something, but what? 

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Hello?" I called out tentatively.

"Housekeeping," came the muffled reply from the other side of the door.

Could this be my way out?

Heart pounding, I hurried to the door and opened it a crack. There stood a hotel employee, her uniform soaked from head to toe. 

"Sir," she said, "there's water flooding the hallway outside your room. Is everything okay in there?"

"No," I replied, taking a deep breath.

"Everything is definitely not okay. Can you please help me?"

She nodded, a sympathetic look on her face. "Of course. Let me get my manager, and we'll figure out what to do."

Relief washed over me as she turned to leave. 

Moments later, the manager arrived with a maintenance crew, ready to tackle the flooding problem. 

As they got to work, I found myself faced with a new dilemma. I was still wearing the soggy bedsheet, and I had no dry clothes to change into. 

I cleared my throat, trying to muster up the courage to ask for help.

"Um, excuse me," I said, addressing the manager. "I, uh, don't have any clothes to wear. Could you maybe lend me something?"

The manager smiled, understanding the predicament. "Of course. We have lost and found clothes here at the hotel. The manager led me to a storage room, where a pile of clothes sat in a corner. 

"I can't promise that these will fit you perfectly," she said, "but hopefully they'll be better than a wet bed sheet."

I quickly changed into the clothes, grateful for the privacy of the storage room. 

I looked down at myself, slightly embarrassed by the oversized shirt and baggy pants. At least they were dry, I thought. 

As I emerged from the storage room, the manager handed me a towel and a fresh set of slippers.

"We'll get your room cleaned up as soon as possible," she said.

"Thank you so much," I said, the relief in my voice evident. "I don't know what I would have done without your help."

"It's no problem at all," replied the manager. "We're just glad we could be of assistance. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."

With a wave, she was gone, leaving me alone in the hallway. 

I took a deep breath and turned to leave the hotel. "I have a meeting to catch up with my dad at home. I just hope I'm not late."

As I stepped outside, the sight of people staring at me mockingly made me feel so uneasy.

"Hey, is that not Charles McCall, The billionaire Mr. McCall's son?" a voice called out as I walked past. 

"Why is he dressed like a crazy person? What a fashion disaster!" 

Another voice joined in. "Did he even look in the mirror before he left the house?" 

The laughter grew louder, and I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"Shut up!" I yelled, my voice shaking with rage. "Mind your own business!" 

But the laughter continued from the crowd, with camera flashes, capturing pictures of me. 

It was as if I were invisible, a mere object of mockery for these strangers. But I knew what they did will only increase my angry towards that woman-

"Megan! I'll make her pay for this,"I muttered to myself as I started the engine. "She will regret ever crossing me!" 

I jumped into my car, slamming the door behind me. 

As I drove, I tried to clear my mind. But it was of no use. My thoughts kept drifting back to Megan, and what she did about how I should respect ladies.

"I knew I deserved what she did to me, but there was something about her that made her different from other girls. Nobody has ever challenged me the way she did".

"I shouldn't have treated her the way I just did." I said, regretting my actions.