Chapter 4: Aiden

"There you are," my friend, Jack, said as he entered the room and stood in front of me. "What are you even doing here?" he asked, but my eyes were fixed on the band playing outside in the garden.

I heard him sigh and then settle down on the chair across from mine. "Man, I had no idea she'd find her way in here. I guess she bribed one of the new hosts, because there's no way someone from the old staff would do something like this. Anyway, I'll make sure to look into it myself."

When I didn't reply, he knocked on the table. "Are you listening to me?"

"All these rooms and the corridor have cameras, right?" I asked, dismissing his question.

"Yeah, but why—"

"I need today's recordings," I said, finally looking at him.

"Okay, you plan on suing her?"

I smirked, "Yeah, sure," and got up, buttoning my suit jacket. "I'll see you again soon. Send the recordings to my office tomorrow morning; actually, just send them to me before midnight today. Thank you. I had a wonderful night." And turned to leave the room. He hurriedly got out of his chair and followed after me.

"Wonderful night? You alright?" he shot me an incredulous look and shouted, "You were being stalked. It could've been dangerous, man!"

"I know, but it was worth it. Everything was worth it." I said, my lips curling up in a smile.

"What is up with you? We've known each other since we pissed in diapers, and one thing I know is that you don't take it kindly if someone tries to wiggle into your life. So why the fuck are you so calm? Did she drug you or something?" He asked with utter disbelief.

I halted in my steps and turned around, knowing full well about the smile on my face. I'm not one to smile much or without any reason, and Jack was fully aware of this, hence his astonished face. "No, she didn't. Perhaps I'm just a changed man now." I shrugged.

He looked at me skeptically for a long moment, then ran his hand through his hair and muttered something under his breath before looking back at me. "Either you hit your head or I am hallucinating."

"Neither, Jack." I exclaimed. "So, let's call it a night. Good night, and apologize to Mia and Rose on my behalf. I'll make sure to make it up next week, and don't forget about the recordings."

"Sure, I'll see to it—" He stopped in between his words and began walking forward, his eyes fixed on the lobby ahead of us. "Something's going on there."

I turned in the direction he was looking, and much to my delight, it was her—the reason behind my changed self.

She stood there, looking stunning and adorably confused, staring at a man, aghast at his presence. It looked like some things were about to unfold sooner than I expected.

My eyes regarded her as she looked around and then back at the man, dreading what lay ahead of her. I liked that. She was an open book; every expression and every thought were out there for anyone perceptive enough. And from my short conversation with her earlier, I could confidently say that she was neither a convincing liar nor a good actor.

My eyes refused to move away from her beautiful face, regarding even the slightest change. And despite the distance between us, I could very well hear the sounds of gears turning in her head. She sure looked in a dilemma, and I for once wanted to walk up to her and solve every problem for her just to get that tensed expression off her face.

"It seems that it'll grow into something big. Let me go take a look." Jack said.

But I stopped him. "Don't. I think it's better this way."

"What? The other patrons are definitely getting interrupted, and if they really want to create a scene, they better do it outside my fucking restaurant." Jack replied.

Well, his argument did hold some weight, and I could not outright disagree with him. "Remember that location you've had your eyes on for your new restaurant? Let this thing play out, and I'll make sure you get it; in fact, I'll buy it for you, you know, as an early birthday present." I looked at Jack only to find him eyeing me skeptically with an expression that said, 'Are you out of your fucking mind? Have you finally lost it?'

"Are you able to hear what you're saying? And isn't it a little too early for a birthday present? My birthday was last week." He raised his brow, but I just shrugged in return. He regarded me for a long time before sighing. "Fine, but make sure you live up to your words, and I don't want it as a present; just get the owner to sign the fucking deed over to my name."

"Have I ever made empty promises? Two days and you'll get an offer from the owner himself." I smirked at him.

He himself let out a humorless laugh, shaking his head. "I'll never understand what goes on in your head."

With no one there to interrupt any longer, I turned my attention back to my latest interest. She still stood there, frozen, with the atrociously large and tall bouquet in her hands. The man was certainly trying to compensate for something. Even from here, I could sense how desperate he was. Perhaps it was for this reason that the little thing prepared her little act.

What I saw next gave rise to a feeling I'd never felt before. The fucker beside her tried wrapping his arm around her waist; thankfully, the little thing stepped away, or nothing here could've been able to stop me from beating the shit out of him. I got the same nagging feeling I got when I saw that anxious expression earlier on her face.

I shook off the feeling and focused back on the scene in front of me. This time I noticed her close her eyes. She did the same earlier when we met; it was probably her thing to do whenever she felt overwhelmed. And, much to my pleasure, the moment she opened them, they locked with mine. The little thing wasn't having a good day.

I smirked, and she went pale, and her eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost. Well, here I was, her ghost. If she could have, she would have dug herself a hole and jumped right in, never to appear again. I shifted my gaze to the man in front of her, and hers followed suit; something must've snapped her out of her daze because her expression went from terrified to fierce in the blink of an eye. Clearly, the man was going to get it worse than I did.

And he did.

It wasn't long. There was no small talk; she got right in and tore right through his facade. And honestly, I felt a bit proud after seeing the entire altercation play right in front of me. Sadly enough, when she was done, the little thing left without sparing me a single glance.

"There you have it. Did you enjoy the live entertainment setup, my dear patron?" Jack snarked.

"Very much so," I replied.

"Man, what is wrong with you? You're scaring me here." Jack shook his head and chuckled, drawing my attention back to him.

"Changed man," I smiled at him and turned to leave, "don't forget the recordings if you want to live."

He said something back, probably about the land, but I didn't get it because my mind was already occupied with the thoughts of the little thing I encountered today.

I had come to the restaurant to have dinner with Jack and his family, but everything went downhill when Stella barged into our private room.

Stella was the daughter of a client, and she'd been at my back since the first day. I'd made it crystal clear that I wasn't interested in her, but she just wouldn't have it. It started with her following me, but things escalated pretty quickly, and I had to report her to the police. Her father begged me to drop the charges, and for old times sake, I did. But after what she did today, I wouldn't let her off, even if the man got down on his knees.

Thankfully, I was able to pull her out of the room before she could create a scene in front of everyone. My patience was already running thin with her, and the security arrived just in time and escorted her outside.

And as if the day couldn't have gotten any worse, my secretary informed me about the paparazzi outside the hotel. It was definitely part of Stella's fucking plan. I then had to leave through the back door, but luck wasn't on my side when I spotted a cameraman in the corridor. To say I was furious would be an understatement. But on my better judgment, I decided not to act on it because I didn't wish for my PR team to clean up any more messes; they were pretty busy as it is.

So, I entered the first room I found, and there she was. In all her glory, struggling to stand straight in a pair of high heels that were perhaps too high for her. And when she finally got a hold of herself, she began her act.

In my opinion, either she was a bad actor or I was excellent at seeing through people. I'd say both, but she had all of my attention anyway.

But I had to say it was cute, seeing her struggle and then fail miserably at pissing me off, which I believed was her motive. To be honest, nothing she said could have made me mad at her. And when she realized that too, she escaped. She ran away from me, which to me seemed hilarious. I wanted to go after her but stopped myself, maybe for the greater good.

The warm air hit my face the minute I stepped out of the restaurant, which on a normal day would've annoyed me, but today was anything but normal. I looked down the street, which was crowded with people, cars, and taxis. She ran away this time, but I'd find her, and there would be no running away this time around.