“I want to see the security footage,” Waylen tells Michelle, “Take me to security offices.”
“Of course, Mr. Bamford, I’ll show you the way,” Michelle says, already running after him.
Waylen turns to look at her and coldly commands, “Go away.”
Robert Tinder pushes Michelle aside and begins to lead Waylen. Michelle staggers and falls into the hallway wall; she grits her teeth in fury, but her mood improves when she sees Waylen’s rage. There’s no way he’d be so angry if he’d asked Leilani to take the secret photos, and Leilani wouldn’t have run away if she wasn’t guilty.
Michelle smiles to herself. “Even Mrs. Bamford herself can’t take secret photos of Waylen and get away with it,” she thinks with satisfaction.
She imagines that Leilani has already been caught. In her mind she sees Waylen’s bodyguards slapping Leilani around while Waylen looked on coldly. What a brilliant scene that would make! She hopes she’ll be able to record it and send it to her classmates for a laugh. Ever since Leilani married Waylen, they’ve all felt somewhat bitter towards her.
“I can’t forget to send a copy to the Summers sisters,” she thinks, “I need to curry favor with the woman who’s going to become the next Mrs. Bamford.”
“Let’s go,” Michelle gestures to a waiter and heads for the garden.
It’s early spring, and a variety of precious flowers bloom in the garden at the Zuri Hotel. Their fragrance perfumes the air and the butterflies dance from petal to petal.
After Leilani jumped down from the window, she checked the hotel map posted on the wall. According to the map, there’s a back exit at the hotel through the garden. She’s so busy trying to locate the exit, she doesn’t notice that her pant legs have caught on a thorny, peach Juliet rose bush.
When she feels the tug on her leg, an overwhelming and ominous presentiment takes hold of her. Suddenly, anxiety wells up in her chest. Scared by the presentiment, she tries to carefully remove her pants from the bush without breaking the budding flower. She pricks her finger and recoils instinctively.
The thorn is hard and sharp, and the small wound on her finger bleeds. She idly recalls the saying that roses are like women, the beauty hides the thorns. Just a moment ago, she felt lucky, but now she can’t shake the feeling that something awful is going to happen.
She pulls at the rose bush, and Charles’ ring starts to slide off her finger. She tried to pull her hand back, but the diamond is heavy and the band is loose. The ring flies off of her finger and makes a faint sound when it hits the ground.
Hearing the sound, she looks around and finds that the grass is thick and lush. It’s impossible to see below the blades of grass without getting down on hands and knees. She drops to the ground and tries to dig through the grass with her hands and feet. Her palms turn itchy where they touch the grass, and she can feel the sun beating down onto her back.
A gust of wind blows, and the trees and grass rustle and ripple. She worries she’ll never find the ring in time. From across the lawn, she sees a pair of black high heels walking toward her. She raises her head further and sees that the shoes belong to Michelle Cindy. Hands grab her arms and pull her to her feet.
“What are you doing here?” Leilani asks unhappily.
The wind blows again, catching on Michelle’s already messy hair. Her lips look cracked and cruel like a vampire.
“You’re really surprised? Is it so unexpected to see me at the hotel where I work,” Michelle says with a slight smile?
“What do you want? I already gave you the phone!” Leilani says.
“Well, it’s none of my business, but when I told Mr. Bamford about the secret photos, he was furious. He asked that I assist him in finding you.”
Michelle smirks, savoring her victory.
“You seem afraid,” Michelle says, “Naively, I thought that Mr. Bamford would probably let you off easy to protect your relationship. I guess I didn’t anticipate just how much he hates you. It’s one thing for him to have an affair with another woman, but it’s entirely different for you to take photos of him and the woman in secret. He’s furious, and honestly, I’m ashamed to know you.”
“Michelle, did you forget to take your medicine today? You’re insane,” Leilani scoffs, “My marriage is none of your business. Now I’m warning you to let me go before you regret it.”
“Let you go?” Michelle asks incredulously, “No Leilani, it seems that you’re insane.”
Michelle walks toward Leilani slowly, pausing between steps, “Even if I pretended I didn’t see you, Mr. Bamford will still hunt and catch you. I think you should give up.”
“I told you I didn’t take photos in secret, but that was only half true. I didn’t take any photos at all,” Leilani says, “The phone is literally in your hands. Check it and see for yourself.
“You just want me to check your phone so you can accuse me of invading your privacy. I’m not stupid.”
“I’m not so sure,” Leilani sneers, “At first I thought you were just insane, but now I think you may be stupid, too.’
“How dare you! What gives you the right to be so aggressive,” Michelle asks, clenching her fists tightly.
“Let me go. I’ll find my husband on my own.”
“And then what?” Michelle asks, “Will you run away? Will you ever come back?”
Leilani stares at Michelle defiantly, and Michelle senses an opportunity.
“Well, okay,” Michelle says, her tone becoming falsely friendly, “Like your old school friend, I do feel some affection for you. I know how afraid you are of Mr. Bamford. If you want to get away from here, I can help you.”
“What are you suggesting?” Leilani asks suspiciously.
Michelle Cindy laughs cruelly and tugs the hem of her skirt an inch higher, “Crawl through here.”
Her flaming red lips turn up in a smug smirk. The outrage on Leilani’s face is priceless. Michelle feels humiliated by Leilani, and she’s scared that her job may be at stake if Waylen becomes angry enough. She wants revenge, and she wants to see Leilani abused and humiliated.
The waiters holding Leilani are scared. Although Michelle has always been an arrogant boss, she usually acts very carefully. No matter what sort of disgrace she’s in, Leilani is still Mrs. Bamford, Waylen Bamford’s legal wife. Michelle is boldly asking a Bamford to crawl through her legs like an animal.
“Is she insane?” they wonder.
Leilani looks at Michelle calculatingly.
“Michelle was always a show-off and a social climber,” Leilani thinks, “If she’s heard the rumor about Leonie becoming Waylen’s next wife, she’s probably trying to prove her loyalty. Likely she wants to humiliate me, so she can tell everyone that she’s one of Leonie’s best friends.”
Leilani smiles coldly at Michelle, “I’ll give you one more chance: let me go now.”
Leilani’s expression unnerves the waiters, and they release her arms. Leilani lists the corner of her mouth in a half-smile as she walks towards Michelle.
“If I crawl through your legs, you promise to let me leave without pursuit?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Michelle smirks, “But you should hurry up and do it. Many people are looking for you.”
Leilani nods seriously. She looks down and finds that Michelle has slightly spread her legs. She’s not wearing stockings, and her smooth, tanned skin is beautiful.
“I want to do it,” she says with hesitation, “But—”
“But what?” Michelle snaps.
Michelle’s eyes brightened with malicious intent when Leilani agreed. She knows that this area of the garden is recorded on one of the hotel’s many security cameras. If she can send the footage to the Summers family, Diana will be very happy. She’ll have a good chance of ingratiating herself with one of the city’s elite families.
“You need to spread your legs wider,” Leilani says with embarrassment, “You’re shorter than me, even in heels. If you don’t spread them wider, I won’t be able to fit through.”
The waiter nods in agreement with Leilani’s words. Leilani is rather tall and she has a nice figure. She stands more than a head above Michelle. Even if Michelle is wearing heels, the distance between her two legs is too narrow.
Michelle turns down the corners of his mouth and pushes her legs out. Her tight skirt restricts her movement, so she hitches it up another inch.
“Fine, but you better not play tricks,” Michelle says, “If Mr. Bamford comes here, I won’t be able to help you anymore.”
“I’m trying to hurry. But I can’t fit through that narrow place!” Leilani says, biding her time.
She takes a moment to survey her surroundings and finds that several waiters have surrounded her. She looks at them questioningly.
“She’s right—it’s impossible,” one of the waiters says quickly. Michelle glares at him and he bows his head guiltily.
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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