"I see… Thank you, Carol."
I took the card, nodded politely, and quietly thanked the receptionist.
Still feeling confused, I walked to the elevator and showed my key card to the operator.
"The Presidential Suite, please."
I'd been here to meet Chad before, so the hotel staff recognized me. Still, because of how I looked, they only saw me as Chad's errand girl.
"Mr. Murray ordered several dishes. Looks like he has important guests tonight," the elevator operator gossiped as we went up.
I raised an eyebrow and said, "I wasn't told anything, so I have no idea."
I meant what I said. I really didn't know why Chad did that. If the food was for Monica, why did Mom ask me to make dinner? Was she just trying to punish me?
"Well…" The elevator boy looked me over with a mocking expression. I glared back at him.
I might not have looked my best, but that didn't mean I didn't care. Mom always hated it when I dressed up, but tonight, her rules didn't matter.
When I got to the presidential suite, I took a long shower and cleaned up. Afterward, I dried my hair and put on makeup to finish getting ready.
I was putting on red lipstick when the doorbell rang. Still in my bathrobe, I opened the door and saw the elevator operator from earlier, looking shocked to see me.
"It's you!"
"Is that my dress?" I ignored his admiring look, grabbed the shopping bag from his hand, and shut the door in his face.
I went back to the bedroom, opened the bag, and put on the dress right away. Then I stared at my reflection in the mirror.
The black dress hugged my curves perfectly, so I let my long, curly hair fall down my back.
Under the ceiling light, my porcelain skin seemed to glow. However, only Dad and Chad had ever seen me like this... Maybe that's why Dad felt so sure about sending me to Chad's bed.
Now that I was ready, I took a folder out of my attaché case and held my purse in my other hand.
At the elevator, I saw the same operator who had taken me up before. I raised an eyebrow as he kept glancing at me.
Once I was dressed and ready, I picked up the black folder and held my purse. The same elevator operator took me to the 20th floor, where an Edison executive waited in a private booth for our dinner meeting.
"Miss, I didn't know you were this beautiful. I'm sorry if I was rude earlier."
This time, the elevator operator apologized, but I walked past him without saying anything. Why bother? He was just another person who judged people by appearances alone.
"Good evening, ma'am? How may I help you?"
When I stepped onto the 20th floor, the floor manager greeted me politely. I recognized him right away; he was the one who had thrown me out for breaking the dress code. If Chad hadn't stepped in, I would have lost the Gilbert Group's investment.
Chad took me to the store downstairs and bought me a champagne dress. That was when he realized there was someone more interesting beneath my plain clothes.
After my adopted father drugged me and gave me to Chad, Chad accepted me right away. That acceptance was the start of his torment, just to please himself, while his real lover chased her acting dreams far away.
"I have a meeting with the Edison Group," I told the floor manager, my voice cold.
"Ah, the Edison CEO is waiting for you. This way, please…" He must have sensed my irritation, because he didn't ask any more questions.
Inside the spacious vip room, only two men awaited me: one seated at the head of the table, the other standing silently behind him.
I recognized one of them, Assistant Jerry Liang. But the man sitting in the chair was a stranger.
"Mr.—?" I asked, unsure whether this was the new, younger CEO everyone had been talking about. The way he wore his expensive suit made it clear he was in charge.
"Have a seat, Miss Collins, or should I address you as Jessie? I want you to feel comfortable around me, and so a formal address makes us distant."
"I..." I didn't know what to say since he hadn't introduced himself. "Alright, that's fine with me, but I still don't know your name, sir."
The man chuckled, and I thought it sounded sexy. 'Gosh, what am I thinking right now?'
I shook my head and extended my hand to him, but he ignored it. Instead, he rose from his chair and walked over to me.
"Miss Collins, I just said we shouldn't act like strangers, so shaking hands is too formal. Don't you think so?"
I didn't get what he meant, so I asked, "What is it then when I don't even know your name?"
Before I could react, the man pulled me into his arms, his lips close to my cheek. Suddenly, the door burst open.
"Stefan Hudson! Let her go!"
Stefan Hudson... The name echoed in my mind, but where did I hear of this name?
The name sounded familiar, but I couldn't dig my memory when, suddenly, a furious man rushed at me, pulled me from Stefan's arms, and wrapped his arm around my waist.
Stefan's lips curled into a smirk. "Mr. Murray, what brings you here? Hasn't your fiancée returned? Why get so close to another girl? Don't tell me? Are you juggling both Collins sisters?"
Stefan's words were teasing, hitting the head of the nail. I looked at Chad. I don't know what's gotten into me, but a part of me wishes he'd admit our relationship for once.
"Who I'm engaged to is none of your business. Since Jessica is part of the Collins family, her safety is my concern too."
His words should have made me feel better, but they weren't what I wanted to hear. However, I should know my place, and I don't have the right to feel heartbroken.
"I never realized Mr. Chadrick Murray was so considerate."
Stefan laughed, his voice echoing in the room. But when I looked at him, his smile faded as his gaze locked with Chad's. I could feel the tension growing between them.
"Don't you know? The future of the Collins family depends on this meeting. What if I end our partnership because you interfered?" he said, as if testing Chad's reaction.
Right then, I panicked. Mom would be furious if I mess this up!