84. Antoniette

Hadid leaned back in her chair and exhaled heavily. "I think we both need a drink after all that," she said, reaching for a small telephone on her desk, she quickly spoke into the phone and asked for some refreshments, then turned back to me.

"You'll need to stay here tonight," she said to me. "I've got a spare room you can use."

I must have looked horrified because Hadid burst out laughing. "Don't worry, the room I'm putting you in has never been used for... business. I keep it for very special guests."

Before I could respond, there was a soft knock at the door and a young girl entered, carrying a tray with two glasses of what looked like fruit juice. She couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen, with pale skin, rosy cheeks, and an innocent face. She was very pretty and definitely did not seem like she was meant to be in this kind of place.

"Thank you," I said softly as she set a glass in front of me. She gave me a small smile before leaving the room.

As the door closed beh