Chapter 45

As Mel woke up to a new day, she felt refreshed and rejuvenated after a restful night's sleep. She stretched out her arms and legs, feeling the tension in her muscles release. Reflecting on the previous day's long journey, she couldn't help but recall how exhausted she had been, barely remembering how she had made it to her hotel room.

As Mel got out of bed and stood up, her thoughts shifted towards the upcoming day. Anticipating someone knocking on her door soon, she decided to quickly take a shower. As she turned on the faucet, warm water splashed onto her skin, washing away the remnants of the previous day's journey.

Under the showerhead, Mel's mind wandered to her conversation with Ethan during their lunch together. She remembered how he had paid close attention to everything she said, and how they had easily conversed about various topics.

However, as she continued to rinse off, a faint recollection of Ethan helping her to her room flooded her mind. She could vaguely recall leaning heavily on him as he guided her to her bed and covered her with a duvet. The memory of his kindness brought a bright smile to her face.

-Lisa's Room-

Lisa woke up early in the morning feeling excited. She jumped out of bed, grabbed her keys, and headed towards the door. As she opened it, she saw her father waiting outside her room, ready to drive her to the airport.

"Morning, sweetie," he said with a warm smile.

Lisa rushed towards him and gave him a tight hug, feeling grateful for his support. "Thank you so much, Dad," she said, "but I think I'll drive myself. I need to be in control of everything today."

Her father nodded, understanding the importance of this moment for her. "Okay, but be careful on the road, and don't forget to call us when you arrive," he said.

Lisa nodded and headed towards the kitchen where her mother was making breakfast. Mrs. Kin tried to persuade her to eat before leaving, but Lisa was too busy to have anything. She knew that time was of the essence, and she couldn't afford to waste a single minute.

"Thanks, Mom, but I'm not hungry," she said, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. "I need to go now."

Mrs. Kin sighed, knowing that her daughter was too determined to listen to her. She hugged her tightly, wishing her a nice time before letting her go.

Lisa got into her car and drove off, feeling a sense of satisfaction as she hit the open road. She turned up the radio and sang along to her favorite songs, trying to calm her nerves and focus on the task at hand.

As she approached the airport, her heart started . She had a feeling that things were going to go her way. She just trusted herself so much to loose.

****

Meanwhile Mel quickly got dressed, slipping into a floral purple knee-length gown that she had packed for the trip. Since she wasn't planning on going out anytime soon, she decided to wear some comfortable flip-flops on her feet.

Just as she finished getting dressed, she heard a knock at the door. Mel's heart skipped a beat, hoping that it was Ethan on the other side. She rushed over to the door, her heart racing with anticipation. However, when she opened the door, she was met with a hotel server holding a tray of food.

"The young President asked me to bring this here," the server said, gesturing towards the tray.

Mel was momentarily confused by the server's words. "Young President?" she thought to herself. But then she realized that the server was likely referring to Ethan.

As the server walked past her and placed the tray on the table, Mel moved over to take a closer look. The food looked delicious – scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and a basket of freshly baked pastries. She couldn't resist taking a bite of one of the croissants, savoring the buttery flavor as it melted in her mouth.

But even as she enjoyed the delicious breakfast, her mind kept drifting back to Ethan. Was he going to show up at her door soon, was he working? Was he in a meeting?. She wondered

***

Lisa arrived at the airport with a sense of excitement. After successfully checking in, she boarded her flight to Kilton.

She was filled with eagerness as she thought about seeing Ethan at the hotel. She wondered how he would react when he saw her at the business dinner. Would he be surprised to see her there, or would he be pleased to have her as his companion for the evening?

Lisa held onto her confidence in her appearance and remained convinced that with a little effort, she could win Ethan over, despite his neutral and brief interactions with her. As she entertained these thoughts, a smile crept onto her face.

Although Lisa knew that Ethan had never shown any romantic interest in her, she remained undeterred. She believed that her plan to win him over with her looks would succeed, even though it was unlikely. Little did she know that she was about to learn the hard way that Ethan was not easily swayed by physical appearance alone.

- At Kilton Hotel-

Mel finished her meal and lay down on her bed, scrolling through her phone. She checked her messages, but her disappointment was evident as she realized that Ethan had not messaged her yet. She wondered why he hadn't at least come to say hi.

As she was lost in thought, there was a sudden knock on the door. Mel's heart raced as she hurried to open it, and as expected, it was Ethan standing there, she felt a jolt of happiness at the sight of him, but as he walked into the room, she couldn't help but notice the dark circles under his eyes.

"Hi, Mel," Ethan said, and Mel couldn't help but notice his tired eyes. "Ethan, didn't you sleep last night?" she asked, peering closely at him as she studied his face..

"I did. Yeahhh.... I did," Ethan replied, but his tired demeanor gave him away.

Mel moved closer to him, sitting facing him. "Those are bags under your eyes. Why didn't you sleep?" she asked, her concern evident in her tone.

"Okay, yes, I didn't," Ethan admitted, his fatigue showing. "There were lots of works compiled down for me since I wasn't around at the office."

"Oh that's tiring, You should have asked Assistant Charles to help with it. She replied still wearing a concerned look.

"No, it's not something he can do, most of it are complex and he won't be able to handle it. But don't worry, I'm fine. You're the only ones seeing the bags. Besides, I got so many striking stares from some ladies I met on the way; they must have found me handsome," he teased Mel.

Taking it seriously, Mel picked up a small mirror from her side table and pointed it straight at him, making him see the bags for himself. "Your eyes look so heavy. You look like you've been denied sleep for three days. So please, go. You need to sleep before the dinner. I can't end up dancing at the dinner with a man with big baggggs under his eyes," Mel stressed out the bags in the sentence.

Ethan's mouth was left open at her remark. Mel had just demoted his handsomeness in just a few words without batting an eye. "Wait? Mel, you're planning to dance with me? Who said we would?" Ethan teased, and Mel's face flushed.

"That's not what I mean. I was just giving an example and trying to come up with a reason why you should take your rest," she explained helplessly.

Ethan couldn't help but laugh at her frustrated look. He didn't want her to stress any longer, so he nodded with a smile. "Okay, fine. I will go take my rest now. I promise," he said.

Mel let out a little smile as Ethan got up and grinned before dashing out. She always looked so admirable when she got fired up, he thought as he walked to his room. Genuinely following Mel's advice, he slumped into bed and soon fell asleep.

****

Three hours later, the flight Lisa boarded landed at Lily city, the city where Kilton was located. After disembarking, she boarded a Bolt ride to Kilton. As the car drove through the busy streets, Lisa couldn't help but notice the exquisite buildings and bright lights that surrounded her.

Meanwhile, the time was now 6 pm in the afternoon. Mel had fallen asleep not long after Ethan left for his room. She was just waking up now, wondering whether Ethan followed her advice. She decided to text him asking if he did, but there wasn't a reply yet even after waiting for minutes, making Mel wonder if he was still sleeping.

Feeling bored in her room, Mel decided to get up and go check on him herself. She dialed the room service and asked to know Ethan's room, of which she was told number 15. Mel stood up and strode out of her room. She was in room 9, and Ethan was in room 12. That was nice, she thought, at least it wasn't far enough to make her go searching the whole place for the number.

She stopped at the front of room 15 and hesitated before knocking on the door. She knocked once, but there was no reply. The second time, still no reply, the third time, as she tried to knock, her hand accidentally pushed the door and it flew open. It seemed Ethan had slept off and forgotten to bolt his door, Mel thought as she walked further in.

Just then, she heard a voice behind her. "Who are you?" he asked in a bold voice. Mel spun around to see where the voice came from, and her eyes fell on a man with huge abs and a towel wrapped around his waist. His chest was bare too. As he asked his question, he began to take steps towards her. Mel wasn't very petite in nature; she was average in size but with the man's body build, she looked like a schoolgirl standing before him.

"Ummm," Mel stuttered, sounding confused.

"Are you Millie?" the man asked again as he continued walking towards her.

Mel didn't understand. Who was Millie? She didn't know anybody bearing such name. Who was this man anyway, and what was he doing in Ethan's room, she wondered taking steps back.

"Oh, Millie, it must be you. Your madame said you were really scared, she was right, you're very unfit for the job, but don't worry, it's not that difficult. I can guide you on how to do your job," the man said as he walked menacingly towards her.

"What job was this man talking about?" Mel turned around without thinking. She didn't understand why this man was here, but she couldn't stop to figure it out for now. The best thing was to leave first, she thought as she tried walking out, but then, a fierce strong hand gripped her from behind and forcefully turned her to face him.

"My dear Millie, where are you going when you haven't even started your job?" he said as his eyes seemed to grow little flames within them as he stared at Mel.

In that moment, he forcefully attempted to pull Mel towards him causing her to scream loudly. Mel used all her strength to resist his advances and avoid crashing into him, which resulted in her falling to the floor with a loud thud. The man was taken aback by Mel's unexpected reaction since he had assumed that his supposed target, Millie, was weak. Mel's sudden withdrawal surprised him, causing him to stagger backwards.

"You dare to resist me, Millie? Haven't you been taught how slaves are supposed to behave?" he roared as he charged towards her. Mel shut her eyes, anticipating a blow as he swung his hand towards her. However, the door suddenly burst open, and Ethan stormed in with a fierce expression on his face. Upon seeing Ethan, Mel opened her eyes and saw him standing at the door, radiating fury. "What is happening here?" he bellowed, eyes steaming in annoyance as he glared at the hefty man.