“There’s an indoor hot spring. We could head there to take a rest and soak in it,” Armond suggested while he held me to the edge of the pool.
I nodded. “Thank you for today.”
His lips curled into a smile. “I get thanked a lot every day.”
Stepping into the hot spring, I looked at him and asked, “How long do you plan to stay in A City?
“Not sure. Why?”
“I want to treat you to a meal, of course!” I exclaimed. I shifted and sat on a black stone. The warmth of the hot spring got my whole body to relax.
He found a spot to sit at, nodded, and smiled. “Sure, what about tomorrow?”
“For dinner?”
“Anytime!”
“For dinner then!” I had to work during the day and did not have much time at night either.
Just then, someone came to whisper into Armond’s ear. Armond looked at me. “It’s a date then! I’ll take my leave first. I have something to attend to.”
After Armond left, I sat in the hot spring and rested for a while.
“A few of the girls in the company have checked into a room. You should join them and have some fun later.”
A voice emerged from a distance. It was Savini’s.
I turned down his offer. “No thanks. I should head home soon.”
I need to turn in early tonight so that I can wake up early tomorrow.
He clicked his tongue. “Can’t you just be a team player? We all came here to have some fun, and yet you kept pulling yourself away from the crowd.”
I pursed my lips and looked at him. “So, the reason I’m here is to socialize with them?”
He raised his brows. “You should spend more time and talk to the girls. Why are you such a loner? Don’t you feel lonely?”
I shook my head. “Not at all. I’m used to it.”
My remark got him tongue-tied. He sat beside me and asked, “Do you know Mr. Murphy?”
I knitted my brows. “Mr. Murphy?”
“The man who taught you swimming just now.” He got into the hot spring, found himself a comfortable spot, and sat down.
“You mean Armond Murphy?”
He nodded.
I knew there was something unusual with that man. “So, who exactly is he?”
“He’s the chairperson of Animus,” he briefly introduced. “I thought you knew who he was since you two were chatting quite happily just now.”
“I just got to know him a while ago.” What can I say? I wasn’t always on my guard against strangers.
Savini nodded. He paused for a bit before continuing, “Armond is quite a mysterious figure. I heard of him when I was in K City and knew he was not a simple man, but somehow, I can’t find any information about him.”
After being in a hot spring for quite some time, I began to feel dizzy. I stood up and wrapped a towel around my body. “This world is full of mysterious people. I’m not surprised that Armond is one of them.”
He nodded. “As long as you know what you’re doing.”
After a short pause, he continued, “Go and spend some time with the others. Since you’ve decided to start afresh, you should interact more with your colleagues.”
I cocked my head and looked at him. “You’re a very long-winded man, Savini. Do you know that?”
After I had decided to leave Q City, I was determined to live alone in A City.
Never in a million years did I think I would bump into Savini again after he had been sentenced to jail for committing a crime five years ago.
I was surprised to see him when I was job hunting in A City. However, what surprised me the most was the fact that we actually became colleagues.
Life is so unpredictable, isn’t it?
At Zone A on the second floor, a few female colleagues from the company were singing in the karaoke room.
At Savini’s insistence, I decided to join them. Though I could not sing very well, I picked a song and hummed along to the music.
“Hey Sienna, do you have a phone charger with you?” one of the colleagues asked.
I nodded. “I left it in the locker. Do you need it? I’ll get it for you.”
She nodded. “It’s fine. You can give me your card. I’ll go and get it myself. “
Since there was nothing expensive in the locker, I gave her my card without hesitation.
The rest of us continued singing. We were basically venting our frustration through songs that none of us could sing properly.
It was getting late, so I thought of taking a bath before going home.
“The hotel still has another program at eleven ‘o clock. Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” a colleague asked.
I grinned and replied, “No thanks. It’s getting late. I should head home now.”
Most of the colleagues chose to stay back to enjoy all the programs planned for them. Since the company had paid about a thousand for each employee, they wanted to enjoy all the benefits to the fullest. Otherwise, a mid-range salary earner like us could never afford this kind of entertainment.
After taking a bath, I walked to the dressing room. A few attendants came in and apologized to the guests in the room. “I’m so sorry, but please put on your clothes as soon as possible. The cops are coming over to conduct an inspection. Once again, we’re so sorry for the inconvenience caused.”
All the ladies started packing their belongings. Those who were still in the shower, too, came out and put on their clothes.
Despite the early warning, there were still a few ladies who were not dressed properly when the cops arrived.
About ten female cops came into the dressing room and instructed all the guests to stand aside.
With the help of the attendants, the cops went through the locker and went through the items in front of all the guests.
Even though it was not exactly an invasion of privacy, some began to complain about the inspection.
One of the guests said, “What is with you cops? Shouldn’t you all be telling us why you’re doing this before going through our things? This is plain rude.”
The female cop, who led the operation, took a glance at her and said in a serious voice, “Sorry about it, Miss. We’re merely carrying out the order from the top, and we can’t tell you why. Please bear with us for a moment.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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