The waiters exchange glances again, but their expressions are different from one another. One is surprised, another looks amused, and a third looks sorry for Leilani.
Leilani still listens politely. She admires Michelle’s ability to invent such elaborate stories. She’s heard all of these insults before, and they no longer have the power to upset her. Listening to Michelle talk, she feels stupid forever caring what the Bamford or any other high society family thought about her.
“If I wasn’t so stupid I never would have fallen in love with a man like Waylen Bamford,” she thinks.
“So, you took photos of him in secret,” Michelle says, “What do you think he’ll do when he finds out? Will he punish you? Will, he hit you? Will there be a divorce?”
Her tone changes back to mock sympathy, “What can I do, Leilani? I know it’s hard when a husband has an affair with another woman, but I have to keep the hotel’s reputation safe. People have come to rely upon our discretion.”
Cindy becomes increasingly excited as she talks, but she’s slightly concerned that Leilani doesn’t seem more upset or heartbroken. Still, she’s enjoying herself too much to stop.
“Oh yes, once Mr. Bamford finds out, I imagine he’ll make your life rather miserable. To be honest, I feel a little bad for you,” Cindy says, pinching the petals between her fingers.
Abruptly, she turns to the waiters, “Grab her!”
“Is this the Zuri Hotel’s famous service?” Leilani asks coldly, “Even if Mr. Bamford doesn’t like his photo being taken, you think a proud and well-respected man like him would tolerate others bullying his wife.”
The waiters are horrified by Leilani’s words and they freeze. Michelle is concerned as well. It doesn’t seem right that Leilani is so calm and level-headed in such a bad situation.
Leilani steps forward threateningly, and the waiters retreat against the bathroom wall.
“Since you don’t believe me, I can show you the phone. As for the photos, you can delete them or ask Waylen what he wants to be done,” Leilani says with mock helplessness.
Michelle’s eyes gleam with a victory. Leilani has done exactly what she wanted her to do. The phone contains the evidence and will allow her to make her case to Waylen and see that Leilani is adequately punished.
“You can run but you can’t hide, Leilani,” Michelle thinks.
“Can you get out now? I’m quite anxious to use the restroom, and I’d prefer to do so without an audience,” Leilani says.
Cindy glances at her doubtfully.
“What’s wrong. Are you afraid that I’ll run away?” Leilani asks as she closes herself into the stall.
No one responds, but Leilani hears several sets of footsteps.
“Thank goodness, they’ve finally left,” she thinks.
Leilani opens the stall door and glances around the bathroom. After affirming that she’s alone, she opens the window and climbs onto the sill. She jumps to the ground without a second of hesitation.
In the restaurant, Waylen raises his arm and looks down at his limited-edition watch. Almost twenty minutes have passed since he sat down at the table. He checks his phone and is disappointed to see that Leilani hasn’t taken any new photos. He raps his knuckles impatiently on the table, and Robert hurries to his side.
“Go and check on Mrs. Bamford,” he orders.
Robert Tinder steps away almost running into a woman, in a short black skirt. She’s carrying a bright red phone that looks identical to the one he gave Leilani earlier in the day. He immediately realizes that something has gone wrong and runs out of the restaurant and down the hall.
Michelle doesn’t notice Robert; she’s too busy staring at Waylen. The breeze from the floor-to-ceiling windows gently ruffles his thick hair. Michelle gets lost in thought, examining his pert nose, chiseled face, and muscled figure. She stumbles and almost bumps into his table.
Waylen hears someone approach and turns to stare coldly at the stunned woman. Her heavy perfume annoys him, and he frowns. Before he can say anything, he sees the phone in her hand.
“Mr. Bamford. Nice to meet you. My name is Michelle Cindy and I am the Client Manager at the Zuri Hotel,” Michelle says self-importantly.
She looks at the seat opposite Waylen out of the corner of her eyes and is surprised to find it empty. The white velvet European chair must be intended for Leonie. On the table, a cl.u.s.ter of white lilies is tied with a matching white silk bow.
“This is not the Zuri Hotel’s usual décor,” she thinks, “Waylen must have specifically asked for such a romantic and beautiful setting.”
“Where did you get that phone?” Waylen asks.
Though impatient, his low voice sounds incredibly attractive.
“What a perfect man!” Michelle thinks, “Why did Leilani get so lucky?”
“We found someone using this phone to take photos of you in our restaurant,” she says.
She hands Waylen the mobile phone. As she bends over, he sees that one of her buttons has been fastened in the wrong buttonhole, and he can see directly down her shirt. Michelle looks at Waylen and sees that he has the same phone in black. She rolls her eyes.
“Leilani is really pathetic,” she thinks, “She even got the same phone as her husband.”
“She’s still in the restroom,” Cindy says, “As soon as we became aware of what she was doing we confronted her. She openly admitted to taking secret photos of you.”
“Taking photos in secret?” Waylen asks.
He doesn’t bother to check Leilani’s phone. Instead, he looks at him again. If Leilani had taken any photos they would have been automatically uploaded to his phone. There’s still nothing.
“What exactly did she say?” he glances at Cindy sternly.
“Well, she admitted that there were photos on her phone, and she even handed it over of her own free will.”
“She handed it over?” Waylen asks, confused.
“There are no photos, but she gave the phone to someone else. What is she trying to do?” he wonders.
Cindy quietly raises her eyebrows and carefully observes Waylen’s expression. The man looks furious.
“Taking secret photos of him must be even more taboo than I thought,” she thinks.
“Mrs. Bamford is probably afraid that you will punish her,” she says, “So she asked me to give you the phone.”
Footsteps approach the table and Robert sprints over.
“Mr. Bamford, Mrs. Bamford is gone!” Robert gasps.
“Mr. Bamford, Mrs. Bamford is gone,” Robert Tinder says.
“What do you mean she’s gone?” Waylen asks.
“No wonder she gave away her phone; she wanted to escape from the hotel,” he thinks, “She wanted to prevent the physical examination. It must be because she does care for Charles Meyer.’
He hates deception the most, but she and Charles Meyer conspired to tell him that she’s unfit for pregnancy. He can’t help but wonder about the affair again—what other reason could Leilani have for this deception?
Without realizing it, he flips the dining table over. The glasses and porcelain plates shatter into dozens of pieces under the table and across the floor. The lilies scattered everywhere, dropping petals. The wine bottle cracks in the middle, and red wine slowly seeps from the crack turning the embroidered white tablecloth a deep red.
Michelle Cindy bites back a scream. Her face is pale and shaking as if she’s cold, but she’s terrified. Waylen rages and fumes; he looks like a ruthless bear and the hotel staff are terrified.
“Find her,” he commands.
The bodyguards run from the room and begin to track Leilani.
“I’ll order our hotel security team to search as well,” Michelle says, trying to win Waylen’s approval. She turns and whispers orders to a waiter.
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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