VALERIAI was having the worst hangover ever. I can’t recall the last time I took alcohol; this one really messed me up. As I stirred in my bed, I tried to prepare myself mentally for the day and how I would handle this hangover because I could tell that it was going to last for an entire day. With my eyes still closed, I stretched my hands as far as they could and opened my eyes.Wait a damn minute.I was staring at the ceiling, and it didn’t look like the one I had at home; it looked different. I felt the bedsheets.What in the world was going on??Where was I?? I sat up and screamed when I met a man sitting by the couch, looking at his phone with his legs crossed. It was my boss!!!!!!!!I suddenly regretted screaming because it affected my head pretty bad. “You shouldn’t scream when you have a hangover; it makes things worse.” He mentioned while his eyes were still on his phone. I was still trying to assimilate what was going on.Where was I, and why was he there?? What the hel
VALERIA“I’ve been trying to reach you!! Victor said you left. What happened??” Nicole shouted over the phone. Once I was done taking a shower, I checked my phone and saw missed calls from Nicole and Terrence. I had to give Nicole a call because she had left me multiple texts.“I had to go home because I felt so sick, babe.” I responded, sitting on the large bed. “Really? I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to you taking my shift.” “It wasn’t your fault, babe; besides, I’m better now.” I said, forcing myself to let out a little laugh. “Are you sure?” She asked. “Of course I am.” I responded. “Okay, are you still home? Are you on your way out?” She asked.I swallowed hard. “Yeah, I’m home. I’m preparing for work.” The lie was so easy to tell.“Okay, don’t come. I’m going to take your shift.” “Nikki, you don’t have to do that. I’m okay now.” “No, I insist. Take care of yourself, go out, or something. Besides, Victor seems to take a little too much pleasure in his work, so I could get h
ADAMYes, I thought hard about everything. I saw it as a win. Valeria was going to get what she wanted as well as mine.I don’t want to see it as me using her sister’s sickness as an advantage, but this was the best opportunity I had to get my mother out of my back for a while, at least, till I returned to Turkey.You did not anticipate that I would remain here permanently, after all. Or did you?Do you know how tough it was to keep a good image in this country?? Since your mother owns one of the largest hotels in the nation, you are well-known from the moment you were born.That wasn’t how it felt in Turkey; I could do whatever and whomever I wanted without finding myself on the news.My club days are still vivid here. I remember leaving one of the clubs at five in the morning to see this disgusting headline on the news at eight: “One of America’s finest bachelors, seeking a wife at the club.”What the hell was that??Being popular was extremely frustrating and tiring. It was also di
VALERIAAs the door creaked open, I stepped into my home, the worn-out welcome mat beneath my feet a testament to the passage of time. I turned on the fan in the sitting room and listened to the soft hum filling the empty house. Although it was empty, I felt welcomed looking at the walls filled with family photographs. The loud laughter and boisterous conversations were still audible to me. The house was a bungalow with four bedrooms, each with its own story, whispered tales of joy, arguments, and dreams shared among all of us. My heart ached as I recalled all the beautiful memories and what had occurred presently.The only meal I had eaten that day was the bowl of soup my boss offered me at the hotel, so I walked into the kitchen to help myself with something to eat, silently hoping that there was something in the fridge at least. Sike. The fridge was totally empty; there was only a bottle of orange juice, which had been there for a very long time. With a shrug, I grabbed it, along
ADAM“When were you going to tell me about this?? You know I oversee anything concerning the hotel.” I spat out immediately Ben entered my office. I called for him as soon as I returned to the hotel. He looked at me, confused. I sighed because I realized I wasn’t clear enough. “The financial situation of the hotel.”I could see him gulp hard as he closed the door gently and sat on the couch. “I’m so sorry, boss, but Miss Madeline warned us not to inform you about it.”“Us?”“Yes. The management team, and Kenneth, the chef.” He responded calmly.I breathed in deeply. This couldn’t be happening. I felt so angry all over again; I wasn’t expecting to return to something like this. It felt like my mother caused a huge problem and patiently waited to return and fix it myself. How could she have been so dumb? That isn’t love; that is utter stupidity.I would gladly prefer not to be involved in love if it is stupidity.I looked at the reports on the table again. I felt helpless; I sincer
VALERIAI didn’t realize how long I slept until I looked at my phone; it was 7 p.m. I sat up abruptly and looked around the sitting room. Everywhere was pitch dark. I was so glad that Nikki covered up for me because I genuinely didn’t have the strength to attend to anyone. I didn’t have the strength to say things like:“Welcome to our hotel; we hope you have an amazing stay.” Or, “Front Desk, how may I help you, please?”Or pretend to smile when all I wanted to do was take my sister’s place in that hospital bed.I had decided to take up my boss’ offer, and I was extremely scared. I was scared of everything that would come next. How would I be able to explain it to everyone? How would I explain it to Nikki and Vanessa? What exactly would I say? “Oh, I married him for a year to pay my sister’s debts.”?I could already imagine their faces, looking at me with utter confusion.I sighed and buried my face in my palms. It was all too tiring. Mentally, I was drained. But Nessa only had me,
ADAMI exceeded my limit. I didn’t know how Mike and I had drunk close to three bottles of tequila without any chaser. I didn’t know exactly why that happened, but I felt too emotional about the entire thing concerning the hotel. I mean, the financial decline was crazy, and it was still shocking that the press had no information about it, but the fact that my mum fell for his tricks after he showed how horrible of a person he could be made me so disappointed. I wasn’t expecting it from a woman who basically made that hotel what it was. I just wasn’t. Matters of the heart cannot be understood???? That’s bull, if you ask me; that’s total bull. She should have done better, and deep down, she knew. I sincerely hoped that everything would be fine. I mean, I know I could fix everything, but I wanted it to be done as soon as possible.As soon as I couldn’t feel my legs anymore, I proceeded to the couch. Mike begged me to scoot over, so we shared the couch. I didn’t know when I dozed off un
ADAMI wanted to call the driver to come pick me up but decided at the last minute to do so on my own. My journey back to the hotel was a quick one, considering how hungover and tired I was. I parked the car and headed for the entrance, silently hoping to see Valeria’s face. I wanted to apologize for all I said that morning. I wanted to take it all back, I shouldn’t have done that to her. It was a win-win, but still, that was a messed-up thing to propose to someone who clearly was going through so much. As the door slid open, I looked at the front desk. There were a male and a female sitting and she wasn’t one of them. I felt disappointed. Once they recognized my presence, they both got up abruptly, forcing me to conceal a giggle.“Good evening, boss.” The lady said, clearing her throat. I recognized her immediately. She was the one who spilled my coffee on me that day. “How are you doing?” I asked when I got closer. “Perfect, boss. In fact, more than perfect.” The man responded. I