Changing into an everyday outfit and looking at herself in the mirror without any spirit, she sighed, closed the hotel room door, went to the elevator, and down to the front desk.
"Hi, how can I help you?"
Not the front desk yesterday.
Flora tried to stay calm and nodded to the front desk, recounting the myth she had encountered last night.
"… I want you to help me check if anyone else received room card 2109 but me yesterday. There's no way a man would suddenly appear in my room. Or is there something wrong…"
This is a five-star hotel, and security good, why a tall man enter her room without a trace.
Yesterday, when Matthew Charles arrived, the new receptionist was so obsessed that he forgot his job and forgot to put his information into the hotel's management system.
Today's receptionist has worked at this hotel for a long time. Her face color suddenly changed as soon as she heard her mention room 2109, but she quickly regained her composure.
"The management system saved the room, and only Ms. Flora checked in. What happened to you… You said you were drunk last night, right?"
Flora was a little bewildered but nodded anyway. She didn't think the receptionist's following sentence would turn the conversation differently.
"While drunk, people can do many weird things that they wouldn't normally do. For example… ask for some special service. Or are you ordered special services while drunk, sobered up this morning, and forgot?"
Her face flushed red, and Flora first heard someone mention this particular type of service in front of her blatantly, even doubting she had called it.
"What are you talking about? I'm a girl, why call a special service...! Besides, that person left money in the room. If it's a special service, why should he pay me?"
The receptionist girl gently shook her head.
"I don't know much about this because it's not our service. But usually, the people who provide that kind of service follow every request of the customer… Apart from this explanation, there is no other more reasonable explanation. Because all hotel room doors are equipped with magnetic locks, without a room card will not be able to enter. The booked room is also a VIP room, security is guaranteed, and the system shows that you check in alone."
Flora shook her head.
She couldn't accept this explanation.
"Is it possible to check the camera?"
The receptionist nodded.
"If you want to, you can check, but if you call for exceptional service, that person will also come in from the front door with dignity."
The receptionist said, but their face is not red, and their heart is not beating fast as calmly as telling the truth. Flora realized that the front desk clerk was trying to deny responsibility.
"What do you mean the hotel has no responsibility for this?"
The receptionist smiled.
"Our hotel cannot manage outside services called in by customers, ma'am."
This attitude of hers is not helping.
Flora had no choice but to turn around and go straight out reluctantly. As soon as she stepped out of the hotel door, the phone in her pocket rang again.
She sighed and took out her phone. It was her boyfriend, Patrick Jones. He was the person she didn't want to face the most.
"Hello."
Her somber tone caught Patrick's attention, but he thought she was sulking because he missed his date yesterday. With guilt in his heart, he immediately spoke softly to her.
"Are you still mad at me? Please don't be angry anymore, and you won't be beautiful if you get angry too much, my princess… What happened yesterday was a problem."
She let out a sigh and stopped at the side of the road.
"Yes, I understand. I don't blame you."
Patrick had to find her comfort:
"Don't cry, and I'm back. Where are you now, send me your location, and I will send someone to pick you up."
She could not contain her tears.
Flora leaned against a tree by the roadside, wrapping her arms around herself. Her heart is highly conflicted. She wants to meet him but dares not meet him.
One thing is for sure, it is impossible to meet too soon. At least… let her readjust her state first.
"You don't have to be like that. You just returned from a long trip, so you should rest first. We… we can meet later….”
Patrick smiled, looking forward to seeing her again.
The two have been in love for five years, but they are far away from each other. It has been a long time since he has seen the beautiful face of the person he loves and misses.
But as she said, he doesn't need to be too hasty.
"That is okay. I will come over to pick you up in the afternoon, and we will go out to walk around. Also, my father will hold a small party to celebrate my return... well, I will tell you more clearly in the afternoon."
From now until the afternoon, it would probably be enough for her to adjust her mood and not behave abnormally in front of him. When she didn't say anything, he was about to say goodbye when he heard her trembling voice again.
“I… Patrick…”
Putting the phone to his ear again, he smiled, still as gentle as in her memory.
"What happens? You miss me so much?"
She kept nodding, even though no one was in front of her.
“Yes, I miss you… miss you so much… I miss you so much… so much… I have wanted to see you since yesterday….”
Patrick laughed.
"My stupid princess, aren't we going to meet soon?"
He wanted to fly to her right away.
Behind the lobby of the ROYAL INVITE hotel, a woman wearing a hotel staff uniform looked extremely worried, her brow furrowed, and she kept glancing at the hotel entrance.
A beautiful girl just came out of the hotel from that door.
“Manager, what should we do?”
She couldn't hold back the anxiety in her heart, constantly changing her standing position, but the "manager" didn't seem very impatient.
Without waiting for the “manager” to respond, she continued.
“Yesterday's receptionist arranged her into the VIP room reserved for the president of the SEI group. The man she was talking about was him. They slept together…! If he finds out about this ....”
The significant investment of their hotel is still waiting for SEI group to pour capital.
If Matthew Charles had discovered this disastrous mistake and withdrawn the investment, they would not be able to bear the consequences.
The hotel manager looked at the impatient woman in front of her, reached out, and grabbed her hand.
This is her practical assistant, but she loses her temper when there is a big problem.
“You calmed down. Last night he didn't notice anything unusual. Maybe he thought that we arranged the girl. That girl also ignored this. Currently, the only people who know the truth are you and me. We can be able to hide it..."
She thought for a moment, then added:
"First, you force firing the receptionist yesterday."
***
With the warm morning sun on the pavement, Patrick looked outside, taking a deep breath. Filling his nose was the familiar air of the friendly city.
The time difference does not seem to affect him too much because now, in his heart, there is only the expectation of meeting the person he loves.
He had been away from this city for three years and hadn't seen her for that long.
The driver looked at his master through the rearview mirror, smiled, and said:
“You have been away from home for three years. Do you think this city has changed much?”
Patrick nodded without hesitation.
"It's changed a lot, but that's okay. I think I'll get used to it soon."
The driver laughed. He had heard very well what Patrick said to the person on the other end of the phone. That little girl he knew was his master's girlfriend.
Calculating the time, it seems that it has been three years since Patrick has not seen her. He has also experienced his youth and understands his impatience to meet his lover.
“You haven't seen her in a while, little girl Flora, right? She's a young girl now, and she must be wonderful."
That little girl three years ago was lovely. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so memorable to his master.
It is still said that a girl will become more beautiful when she grows up, and he also wants to see what such a little girl will look like. On Patrick' face was undisguised pride.
“Of course, she's sure wonderful. You've never seen anyone as beautiful as her before. Besides… She's already graduated, not like she just became a young girl. She can….” He slightly lowered his head and smiled: "She is possible to get married to me…”
By this time, Flora had returned home. Flora's mother has a small flower garden. Her mother and she relied on the profits earned from the flower garden and on each other to live. As soon as she entered the house, she saw the scent of flowers filling the air. Roses are in full bloom, red in the corner of the garden. Her mother was busy all the time, cutting each beautiful rose, folding it up, and preparing to bring it to the flower shop. "Mommy." Her mother heard her daughter's voice, only turned her head to look, then resumed her busy work. “The roses are blooming beautifully, and I cut this one-off. The next one that blooms will probably be in time to decorate your engagement… But I thought you would pick up Patrick. Why didn't he come back now?” Flora stepped forward to lend her mother a hand. Her mother frowned as she watched her daughter clumsily cut a flower stem and begin to nag. “You messed up again, and only Patrick can handle you… Stand aside, don't entangle my hand.
So far, Flora has yet to be able to adapt to the atmosphere of such luxurious parties. If she had her choice, she would have chosen to sit in her mother's afternoon tea rather than wear high heels and a ball gown and dance like this. Bored in her chair, she folded her arms on the table. Waved her sore feet from her high heels, trying to hold back the feeling of wanting to put her head down for a nap. "What's wrong with you?" Patrick took a glass of juice with him and put it on the table in front of the girl was sitting dumbly. Suddenly seeing a long thin hand and a glass of juice appears in sight, Flora was startled and out of a state of stupor. Seeing Patrick's worried eyes, she just gently shook her head. "I'm fine, maybe... a little nervous..." She almost figured out what the party was up to through the last conversation with his mother. Patrick smiled, naturally turning around behind her, putting his hand on her shoulder to help her gently massage. "Isn't it too stressful
Some delicately made sweet breakfasts on the table, including Flora's favorite green tea tiramisu. She rested her hand on the table, puffing her cheeks at the opposite man. "Do you want to hurt me fatter or what? I didn't fit my dress earlier, ate many sweets, and it didn't fit. Are you going to expand again?" Patrick laughed, pushing a plate of green tea tiramisu from the middle of the table in front of her. "You can't gain weight in a few days, even if you finish eating this cake. Moreover, it's okay to gain another one or two pounds, you'll be prettier, and I'll... love you more." Green tea tiramisu has an eye-catching light green cake base mixed with a thick cream of smooth white sprinkled with green tea powder on the cake, which is highly stimulating to the hungry caterpillar in the stomach. In Patrick's attentive gaze, Flora held a small spoon and turned the piece around to see where to get her hand down. Patrick's eyes were filled with tenderness. He coughed slightly, cat
Patrick had just left, and the hospital room door was once again jammed open, and this time the person who entered was her mother. She looked at her daughter quietly, deeply disappointed. "My stupid daughter, how can you be so clumsy..." Mrs. Smith also doesn't know how to do more than lament such a unclear sentence. She remembered a day more than two months ago, just before Patrick's return home, her daughter spent the night outside. It was the only time her daughter did not sleep at home. Without thinking, something so big could happen that night. The appearance of her mother, a unclear lament, and her sad look made Flora burst into tears. She regretted, panic, she is scared, and don't know where to go, what to do. It all turned out like this, something she never thought of. "Mom..." Mrs. Smith's eyes were full of water, still stubbornly refused to wipe them in front of her daughter but turned back, wiping tears from her sleeve before she could even fall out of the eye soc
Seven years had passed in the blink of an eye. In a small house located in a narrow alley of the city, a little girl was clinging onto Flora's legs, refusing to let go while sobbing and begging: "Mom, take me with you... I want to come with you..." Flora had a vision that her daughter would cry and cling onto her for fifteen more minutes before she could finally leave. If she hadn't left, she wouldn't have made it. Looking at her daughter's round eyes filled with tears, Flora was at a loss for what to do. Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the staircase. A young boy appeared, around the same height as the little girl, yawning and stretching. Flora see like pleading with her son for help with her eyes as she frowned "Paul, let go of your mom. She needed to find a job. You won't get cake to eat if she doesn't have a job," a young boy said. Did she really need to tell him that she needed to find a job urgently? She had lost her previous job and income, and n
Flora held her breath, intending to take the chance to sneak into the room without disturbing her son, ignoring his detailed questions. As if telepathically, as soon as she moved her feet, the boy frowned. "Where are you going? I just heard you say SEI Corporation recruited you. That corporation has almost taken over the movie, television, tourism, and advertising markets…." He looked her up and down, and then bottom to top: "Why would they hire you?" Flora frowned again, unable to control her emotions, but then pinch her son's ear: "Why don't you trust me at all? I'm your mother! Six years ago, you came out of my belly, and for six years, you've been nagging me." Her son had never overpowered before his mother, struggling desperately, wanting to escape her evil hands. She pretended to be angry, pinched her son's ear a little, and went downstairs. How could she hurt her child? At that moment, her mother, the grandmother of the two children, heard the noise downstairs and came down.
Arriving in front of the interview room, she took a deep breath before knocking cautiously. From inside, a female voice responded: "Come on in." The candidate's resume was on the table, and the direct interviewer, a woman in her forties, was very distinctive. But the candidate dared not mention that the interviewer was the general director's fiancée, her imagination was too far-fetched. Flora tried to maintain a professional smile, but it seemed a bit silly given the attire she wore that day. The interviewer pulled down her glasses, frowned, and looked at the candidate in a manner similar to a teacher looking at a student. She hesitated before setting her pen aside and asked: "Your appearance..." Without saying it directly, she glanced down at the candidate's appearance, making an "x" sign with her fingers. Flora responded, "Yes, my appearance may not be as attractive as some people, but please believe that my abilities are excellent. I graduated from a prestigious university with
"This is my house. Wait a moment for me to open the door, and when the door opens, you can see those two little devils."The key rattled in the lock. The little girl was bored, swinging her legs on the sofa. When she heard the sound of the lock opening, she looked out. When she confirmed that the person opening the door was her mother, she ran over joyfully and hugged her mother's leg: "Oh, Mommy's home!"Turning around, she shouted: "Charlie, Mom's home!"From upstairs, a boy slowly descended the stairs with his hand in his pocket and yawned as he walked. He saw the person behind his mother, bowed politely, and said hello."Hi, Auntie."Flora happily tousled the little boy's hair, at that moment, the little girl noticed the person standing right behind her mother, with sparkling eyes and a hesitant voice, she greeted: "Hello, Auntie."But the adult standing behind the child's mother stared intently at the little boy and couldn't take his eyes off him: "Your son... looks just like our
“The pearls on the dress are so beautiful!” Matthew brimmed with delight, his smile twinkling as he turned to the person beside him: "The pearls are locally harvested by the islanders, they're all natural... As for this wedding dress, it's a heartfelt gift from them to us." Despite being not the creation of skilled artisans or renowned designers, the dress bore the love and blessings of the island's inhabitants. He believed that once Flora donned this gown, she would be the happiest bride on their big day. Standing aside, Grace rolled her eyes: "I never imagined you could be this sentimental, big brother!" Turning to Flora, she teased: "Sister-in-law, remember to keep him on a tight leash, don't let his sentimentalism make others feel queasy." Grace had long forgotten her once earnest desire to marry Matthew. Now, she genuinely wished him and Flora a life of shared happiness. Matthew chuckled: "My dear sister, no need to feel jealous of your sister-in-law. Perhaps you should seiz
Matthew, spotting his son, asked: "Don't you want to bid Anna farewell? You two had such fun together, I bet you can't bear to see her go, right?" To his surprise, Charlie shook his head: "No, Dad, I don't want to say goodbye to that liar." The boy lowered his head, his voice steady: "She said she would stay here with Paul and me, but then she just left without a word. She really is a liar!" The boy slowly walked back to his room. Flora watched her son's retreating figure, unable to hold back a sigh: "He must be really upset." "We can't do anything about it. She's their child after all, we can't force her to stay. I know you worry about our son being upset, but don't worry, our boy is strong." And, if the children truly cherish this hard-earned relationship, they can always reconnect when they grow up. "You don't seem worried about him at all." "What else can we do? If it were Paul or our boy staying at someone else's home, I'd certainly rush to bring them back too, I wouldn'
Flora waited until they were away from their daughter's room to give Matthew a playful tug on the ear: "What's this about the wedding? You told me it was in two weeks, how did it suddenly become three days?” It was now that she finally began to question him. Earlier, when Matthew didn't see her react, he thought he had managed to escape unscathed. Little did he expect that she had noted down his wrongdoings, only to bring it up when they were away from their daughter's room. "I was wrong! I was wrong! Oh, my dear wife, please forgive me!" He cried out: "But it's really for you!" "What? How is it for me?" Flora's voice was filled with shock. Why would he move the wedding closer because of her, without her even knowing anything? Matthew rubbed his ear that was still tingling, explaining: "When I was massaging you, you said that two weeks was too long, that you wanted to get married sooner. I thought that since we were almost prepared anyway, it wouldn’t matter if we did it a bit so
Flora, with drowsy eyes, suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, I spoke with Grace yesterday, and she told me a lot about you. She said most of the houses on the island were built with your money, even the public facilities. I wasn't aware of this before. Seems like I've landed an immensely rich husband, a man of vast wealth?" The cost of construction, let alone the transportation of materials from the mainland, was astronomical. "I knew S.E.I Corporation was huge, but I had no idea you'd also invested in this..." "That's not true." Matthew chuckled: "S.E.I's profit is indeed enormous, but the money used for the island's development didn't come from the corporation. It's a personal endeavor of mine, not part of the corporation's philanthropy." So, the funds for this island's construction, are they Matthew's private money? Such a thought might not be entirely appropriate, yet upon hearing his words, Flora immediately wondered, could he have used money earned from the underworld to
Once they had settled in, they brought up serious matters. "I heard from him that there is a spy in the organization, but we don't know who." Flora had only heard about this from Matthew. The person opposite her nodded: "I asked our brother about it last time, but he didn't say anything. His demeanor seemed... rather upset." He sighed after speaking, then quickly changed his tone: "But don't worry sister-in-law, once your and brother's happy event is over, we'll investigate the organization. Sooner or later, that spy will expose himself." This matter nagged at Flora's heart. She couldn't understand how Selena had the capacity to manipulate Matthew's subordinates. According to Matthew, she was merely a pawn in Daniel's game. Who was Selena leveraging? Or rather... who was secretly assisting her against Matthew? "Ah... It hurts so much!" A sudden scream from outside in the flower garden startled Flora. She hastily ran out to see Matthew's two brothers, whom she knew, fighting.
Grace asked anxiously: "Sister-in-law, still no word from my brother?" Flora shook her head in despair. The rescue team had commenced operations, initiating a wide-scale search at sea. There were no updates so far, and Flora was forced to believe that no news sometimes can be good news. "Is there no way to contact him?" Grace furrowed her brows: "Isn't he a tech whiz? Isn't there another way..." Grace's words caused a light to shine in Flora's eyes: "Yes! There is a way!" After a few long dial tones, the call connected successfully and a lazy voice dripped with familiar sarcasm: "Ah, beautiful lady, you finally called me. Didn't you know how much I've missed you..." "Hubert, cut the crap." Flora interrupted Hubert's grandiloquent remarks: "I need you to locate Matthew, can you do that?" "I can track him down, yes..." On the other end, keyboard clattering sounded: "But for what purpose? Are you trying to catch him cheating?" Hubert clicked his tongue, completely exaggerating.
After waiting about five minutes, the door opened and Grace walked straight in. "Matthew, you wanted to see me?" "Did your sister-in-law tell you to talk to me?" Grace's words took Matthew aback, not because he didn't expect her to know the ins and outs of the matter, but because she referred to Flora as her sister-in-law. It suddenly occurred to him, could the girl he saw as a sister have figured things out on her own? He let out a sigh and said softly: "She's quite worried about you." "In the past, we used to head to the beach at this time, swimming and discussing everything under the sun. In the blink of an eye, several years have passed, and you have brought your wife and children here, even proposed on this island..." Grace looked up at the sky: "I used to think that I would marry you someday, become your wife. Only now do I realize it was all a fantasy of mine. You have already found your happiness, and perhaps I will too, with someone truly suitable." Matthew had been
After dinner, Matthew took the children stargazing. Flora, feeling upset, decided to sit back and rest in a corner. A man in his early forties, presumably the owner of the house, seized the opportunity when Matthew was not around to bring a plate of fruits over, setting it on the table: “Try some island specialties. These are all fruits you can't find on the mainland.” Seeing her pick up a piece of fruit, he continued: “Grace was a bit impolite today, please don't take it to heart. We've spoiled her too much.” “She… seems to have a liking for my husband.” The affection in her eyes when she looked at Matthew and the hostility when she looked at Flora were easily discernible, even to a blind person. The man nodded, recounting: “The girl's a good swimmer. A few years ago, she saved two men out at sea. One of them was Matthew. He stayed here for nearly a year, learning to swim with her. During that time, he became quite close with everyone on the island. The girl… has wanted to
His cold eyes bore into Winky, he barked: "You want to die after your lady, then die! There's no one stopping you anymore! Go ahead and die! If you don't want to die, then get out of my sight!" "No... I didn't intend to..." Winky clutched his head, his voice trembling: "I had no idea she would just stand there and not evade..." His move wasn't swift, Mimi could've easily dodged if she had been alert.. The medical team arrived swiftly, and Mimi was immediately taken into surgery. Her wound was deep. Not only did Mimi not evade Winky's blade, but she also leaned forward, allowing the blade to pierce deeper into her chest. "Fortunately, the wound isn't in a critical location. Her life isn't in danger, don't worry." Andrey remarked, although he suspected Winky had intentionally missed vital organs. Otherwise, a renowned assassin like him surely would've known where to strike to take a life. The surgery lasted nearly two hours. Flora sat outside the operation room until the doctors c