Ch.2

🔹️🔹️Crystal Hayes🔹️🔹️

Ugh!

Why can't one day of my life go on without troubles? All I had planned for today was to go to my bride-to-be friend and spend the night chit chatting with her. Something I haven't done in ages. But if nothing else, mother earth decided to spoil my day by pouring heavy rain and thunder.

For the sake of my safety, I decided to halt my travel and stay in a lodge that fell on my way for the night. The journey from Brooklyn to Manhattan wasn't long, but definitely tiring. I was already dripping wet because when the rainfall had started, I was out on the street waiting for the taxi.

I came inside the lodge room and stretched a little. I took a pair of dry clothes from my bag and was about to change when I heard a knock on the door. Sighing, I threw the clothes on the bed and unlocked the door, only to see the most unexpected people.

There stood my loan sharks, Philips's men with a sly smirk on their ugly faces. "Did you really think that you could run away without returning our boss' money?" One of the three said.

"I- I wasn't running away. I came here for some business." I tried to sound confident but I was terrified.

"Whatever. Either you return the boss' money right now, or we have the orders to bring you to him. Dead or Alive." Another one smirked at me while playing with a dagger.

"Wh-what do y-you mean? I have a-already given the money for t-this month." My feet automatically moved back with fear. "Where will I get more from?" I asked.

"Not our problem." They all came forward at once and I practically saw my life flashing in front of me.

No! I cannot die already. I deserve to live a little longer. I looked around and my eyes fell on a water bottle kept on the bedside. I picked it up and opened the lid and threw the water on them making them flinch. Taking this as my chance, I ran past them out of the room. They didn't take long to start following me. I had no idea where I was going. I was just running for my life. By the time I entered another wing, those goons were coming closer every second. I knew I couldn't run for long without being caught so I tried to find a place to hide. I tried opening every door on my way and thankfully, one of them was unlocked.

I barged inside and locked it, breathing hard. Leaning back on the door, I struggled to catch my breath with my eyes shut closed.

"Excuse me?" I opened my eyes when I heard a deep but tired voice. Pushing my hair back, when I looked in the front, I was knocked out of breath. I was standing face-to-face to a literal blue-eyed greek god who had his shirt off, putting his extremely defined torso on show. For the next few seconds, I stood their ogling at his handsome features and body.

When my eyes met his, he folded his arms across his chest and raised his eyebrows, making me realize what I had been doing. To escape from the embarrassment, I started speaking. "I- I am really sorry. Actually, I am in a bit of trouble and I barged into your room to hide."

"Trouble?" He frowned. I told him about some goons following me and his frown deepened. He wore back his shirt and was about to say something but was interrupted by a hard knock on the door that made me flinch.

"Open the door!" The disgustingly familiar voice yelled and I looked at the guy I intruded with helplessness and whispered, "Please."

He came forward and made me stand behind the door before opening it. "Yes?" One of the men described me by my height and clothes and Mr. Greek God smoothly declined seeing someone as such and shut the door, relieving me.

I was practically shivering, so he insisted that I sit and passed me a towel that I wrapped around myself. He also raised the temperature of the heater and I inwardly blushed at his generosity. When he asked me about the goons, I told him that they were my loan shark and had followed me here without my knowledge. It was my personal information but since I was bothering him and yet he was helping me, he deserved to know it.

Few minutes later, when there was silence in the hallway, we assumed that the goons had left. He checked the hallway for me and insisted on walking me to my room although the way was clear. But to my dismay, right before I could take a turn towards my wing, I spotted those goons waiting next to the door of my room. I was quick to hide behind the wall, involuntarily trapping myself between it and Mr. Generous Greek God. Our closeness and proximity stirred a few emotions inside of me but the terror in me overwhelmed it.

He pulled me back to his room and I couldn't control my emotions as I started crying. Why did my life have to be such a mess? I worked my ass off in the nine to five job that I had as an event organizer, receiving the salary that paid my rent and a part of Philip's debt. Working as a part-timer in a café at night was of barely any help. With nobody on my side, nobody to support me or look after me, nobody I could count on, I was living my life as a twenty-two year old with extreme struggles.

I felt the bed next to me sink a little and I wiped my tears. He passed me some water that I drank and looked down at the floor helplessly.

"I won't let them harm you. You'll be safe as long as you are with me." He held my hand and as those words left his mouth, I looked at him to see assurance in his eyes. Those words brought up the emotions I had suppressed for years. My heart beat sped up and warmth filled in me. The sense of security I hadn't felt in a long time had my eyes fill up with tears but I blinked them away before they could fall. I thanked him and apologized for being such a bother but he just gave an assuring smile. He contacted the management to take care of the goons situation and to my surprise, they got to it without any delay and objection.

'How worse can this night become?' I thought and as if my fate had taken it as a challenge, I started sneezing non-stop. Great. I had caught a cold. When Mr. Kind King suggested that I change my clothes, I remembered that I had forgotten the room card in the room itself.

"Woman, you are a magnet to troubles." He commented and I bit my lip, guiltily. By making another few calls, he ordered hot coffee for both of us and took care of the room card situation. Very Impressively, I must add.

My shivers and sneezes refused to stop even after the rise in temperature of the heater to maximum and coffee, so I guessed getting out of the wet clothes was the best and the only way. Finding no other option, I changed into a bathrobe that was in the closet of his room. When I came out, there was a sudden change in the atmosphere of the room. I had become kind of conscious and the air around us started to feel heavy and thick.

The awkward silence was finally broken after a few long minutes when the manager had come and informed us that everything had been sorted out. Thanking him, we walked to my room and stopped by the door.

"Thank you and sorry once again. I have caused a lot of trouble to you." I smiled guiltily at him and he returned a genuine one. "I am glad I could be of help." He replied. I was about to go in but something struck in my mind and I turned around. "Can I know the name of my savior?"

As if the realization that we didn't even ask each other our names hit him too, he smiled and replied. "Adrien. Adrien Russell."

"Crystal Hayes." I raised my hand for a handshake which he took gladly. After bidding each other farewell, I came back into the room and got comfortable.

Adrien Russell.

It was the last thing I had my mind on before I fell asleep.

🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️

"Crystal Hayes!" Yelled the high-pitched voice I've known for years. I turned around to look at the source and a huge grin automatically plastered on my face. But it soon flattered as I saw her giving me a deathly glare.

"You are eleven hours late." She folded her hands and said, gritting her teeth.

"I am so sorry, Hannah! You know how the weather changed last night. I thought it wasn't safe to travel." I reasoned and her mad expression changed to an upset one.

"Yeah. I know. But you missed my bachelorette party." She whined and pouted, making me chuckle.

"I know." I smiled sadly, holding her hand. "Nevertheless, I am here now, aren't I?" I jumped in excitement and hugged her.

Hannah Johnson and I had been best friends since college. She was the only one who always supported me at my worst. If not for her, I'd have given up on life when mom and dad had died.

"Alright! Now let's go inside." She pulled me along with her after instructing a servant to carry my bags to my room.

"I still can't believe that you are getting married. That too to the guy you have had a crush on since forever." I squeaked. Hannah had fallen head over heels for our senior, Ethan in college on the very first day. Although she had always been of the bold kind, it took her two years for her to confess her love to him. They dated for another five years and finally a month ago, he proposed to her.

"If you are tired, you can take a rest for sometime. We can do other stuff later." Hannah said as we walked inside. The wedding was to start at five in the evening and it was still eight in the morning. Hannah introduced me to all her cousins and friends after I greeted her parents. Everybody welcomed me warmly and I could mingle with all of them quite easily.

"The wedding is going to be simple, in a church that we have decorated ourselves." Said Racheal, one of Hannah's cousins. "There were millions of great ideas on the internet."

"Talking about the internet, have you guys seen the news today?" Megan, Hannah's younger sister asked. "About Adrien Russell?"

That name made me stop doing what I was and now had all my attention.

"Of course we did. It's literally everywhere. Newspapers, TV, magazines." Hannah stated and I looked at her in confusion.

"What is? Who is Adrien Russell?" I asked and everyone, literally, everyone looked at me as if I had just landed from another planet.

"You don't know who Adrien Russell is?" Racheal asked and I shook my head.

"You must be living in caves to not know him. He is the most handsome, single billionaire in the states. He will soon take over his father's business of restaurants and hotels all over the world." Megan explained and I stood there shocked.

So the person who helped me and saved my life yesterday, was a freaking billionaire. No wonder the management of the lodge gave him so much importance.

"But I highly doubt that now. Seeing that his and his family's reputation is at stake. I never knew he was such a player." Hannah shook her head.

"Why? What is the news about?" I asked as my palms started to sweat for some reason.

"Here." She showed me her phone and my eyes widened like saucers.

Holy Crap.

'THE ONLY HEIR OF 'THE RUSSELL HOTELS'- ADRIEN RUSSELL SPOTTED WITH A BRUNETTE AT A CHEAP LODGE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.'

Yesterday night, pictures of Adrien with a brunette were leaked on twitter. Although the woman's face wasn't visible, she dressed indecently as Adrien brought her out of one room and walked her to another? Who is the mystery girl? Adrien's girlfriend? Or one of his bimbos? Russell's reputation is now on stake right before Adrien could take over his father's business.'

In big bold letters was the headline about the young man. My heart started thumping against my chest as I scrolled down reading the entire news along with two pictures in which Mr. Adrien Russell and a girl in a bathrobe were in the hallway of the lodge.

I suddenly started to feel hot despite the cold weather. Slight nervousness and a sense of guilt filled in me as I read all of it. He is a kind man. He helped me and that caused him all of this defame. I felt like I was being selfish as I didn't want anyone to know that the 'mystery girl' was me.

I gave the phone back to Hannah and everyone resumed their fun forgetting about that topic. But I couldn't. Someone like him did not deserve such defamation. He was kind and hardworking. He was down to earth and humble even after being a billionaire. He didn't deserve to have his career at stake in return for helping a poor girl. I wanted to do something but I knew very well that nothing was in my hands.