“I thought I told you already,” Leilani answers, “My mother gave it to me to guard against bad men. As long as you’re around, I can’t take it off.”
Waylen wraps his hands more tightly around her waist.
“A bad man?” Waylen asks, lowers his lips to her white shoulders, “Am I the bad guy?”
Leilani trembles slightly. His voice is tempting, but she’s infuriated by the way he shamelessly flirts with her regardless of the fact that he was yelling at her moments ago.
“You are completely bad,” she snaps.
He snickers and stands up, pulling her with him, “Women always fall in love with bad guys.”
“What are you going to do now?” Leilani asks.
“I’m going to prove how bad I am,” he whispers.
Leilani sniffs. Although she’s reluctant to see what he means, she’s unable to defend herself. He wraps a bathrobe around and runs his hands up and down her waist and h.i.p.s as he ties the belt for her. Her cheeks are flushed red from the heat of the bath, and he fights the irrational urge the bright one like an apple.
He throws on a robe and shields her with his body. He doesn’t want any other men to see her partially undressed.
He calls for Robert, “Is everything ready?”
“Yes. The journalists are waiting outside, and so is Miss Summers.”
“Leonie?” Leilani asks with confusion.
She looks to the gate and sees hoards of journalists marching toward the hot spring. They are walking in an orderly fashion, unlike the massive turmoil at the hospital. Bodyguards are ushering the way and helping them carry their photo equipment. With respectful silence, they gather around the springs and begin to set up their cameras and tripods.
“Miss Summers has gone to change her clothes, but she will be here at once,” Robert announces.
Heads swivel toward the entry and Leonie appears in a white bathrobe. She walks quickly toward Waylen, keeping her head lowered.
“Waylen, please,” she protests pathetically.
“Take off your clothes,” Waylen orders coldly.
Leonie looks uneasily at the journalists standing around the hot spring and shakes her head, “Waylen, I told them that the hospital made a mistake. It turns out I was allergic to something in my makeup.”
With an unreadable face, Waylen says in a merciless tone, “Take them off!”
“Please Waylen,” Leonie says with tears in her eyes, “Let me apologize to Leilani. Please don’t make me go in the hot springs in front of everyone.”
Waylen turns to the woman behind him but continues to shield her body with his as if he’s protecting her from something dangerous. Leilani raises her head to meet his gaze. The expression on his face is questioning like he’s waiting for Leilani’s answer.
“Does he really care what I think?” Leilani wonders.
“Miss Summers we paid you a very handsome fee to appear in our promotional shoot,” Waylen says, his voice cold and business-like, “It’s your responsibility to protect and promote the image of the hotel. Now go and earn your fee.”
“But I’ve already explained the situation to numerous reporters,” Leonie blubbers, “I’m confident that they’ll believe me and restore the hotel’s image.”
“Actions speak far louder than words,” Waylen mutters.
Leonie turns to Leilani with a pleading look but quickly sees that the other woman will not intervene on her behalf. Leilani has a neutral expression, but there are daggers behind her eyes. Leonie can tell that Leilani is eager for her downfall.
“Hurry up,” Waylen says.
Leonie knows she can’t defy Waylen, but she hesitates. She’s never been n.a.k.e.d in front of so many people, and she’s terrified of all the cameras. It’ll be humiliating to see photos of herself all over the internet. But as horrified as she is by the prospect of revealing herself to everyone, she’s even more furious that Waylen has once again taken Leilani’s side.
In the past, Waylen took his grandmother’s word. Whenever something happened between her and Leilani, Waylen took Leonie’s side. Now, he’s humiliating her in public in order to protect Leilani. Leonie can’t believe it.
Leonie bites her lower lip and allows the bathrobe to fall to the ground, revealing her pale skin, mottled with a red rash. Instantly, she’s covered in goose-bumps. The reporters notice that she has just disrobed and they begin to scream. Leonie blushes and looks down at her n.a.k.e.d body.
As Leonie walks into the hot spring, the cameras begin to flash. Waylen turns away; he has no interest in her n.a.k.e.d body.
“Still think I’m a bad man,” Waylen asks Leilani.
“What?” Leilani asks distractedly.
“Am I a bad man?” Waylen repeats.
“Do you actually care about my opinion?” Leilani asks lazily.
“Yes,” Waylen looks at her meaningfully, “Don’t you want me to care about what you think?”
“I honestly don’t,” Leilani says with a dismissive shrug.
“You’re a dishonest woman,” Waylen says, smirking.
After soaking in the hot spring for half an hour, Waylen gestures to Robert and the butler allows Leonie to leave the water. When she emerges her skin has been transformed: the rash is gone and she’s covered in a healthy glow. Instead of worsening her allergy, the water has healed her.
The reporters begin to gossip and whisper amongst themselves. Leonie must have actually been allergic to her makeup, they agree. They’re thrilled about the potential headlines—the opportunity to expose Leonie as a liar and publish nude photos is almost too good to be true.
The frenzied journalists turn toward the Bamford. Before they can take pictures of Leilani in her robe, Waylen signals to his guards and they begin clearing the journalists away from the springs. Satisfied with the photos of Leonie, they leave without creating a fuss.
Leonie wraps herself in her robe and approaches Waylen and Leilani, but she’s met with cold looks.
“Waylen, I’m truly sorry,” she says.
Waylen ignores her, so she turns to Leilani. Through gritted teeth, she hisses an apology to the other woman.
“Leave us and get dressed,” Waylen says.
Waylen takes Leilani’s hand in his and leads her toward the dressing room. Leonie follows them, seething silently. They part ways at the dressing room as Waylen enters the men’s room and Leonie and Leilani enter the women’s. Leilani opens her locker and begins to gather her clothes.
“You should be careful with Waylen,” Leonie says darkly.
“Oh?” Leilani asks.
“He may have taken your side again, but he doesn’t love you,” Leonie says nastily, “He loves my older sister. He doesn’t like unruly, dirty women like you.”
“Thanks for your insight,” Leilani says blandly.
She flashes a dazzling smile at Leonie and strides across the room towards the showers. The smile infuriates Leonie. Even though Leilani has left, Leonie scowls intently at the contents of her locker.
Waylen showers quickly dress and relaxes on a velvet sofa in the hotel hall. Even with damp hair, he looks crisp and polished and exudes an aura of power and control. The hotel staff can’t help staring at him as they pass.
“Mr. Bamford here’s all of the information on the Zuri Hotel’s current employees,” Robert says as he hands a single sheet of paper to Waylen.
“That’s it?” Waylen asks incredulously.
“The hotel was already understaffed, and the hot spring incident caused even more employees to quit,” Robert says apologetically.
Waylen glances around him and notices that the hotel is conspicuously empty. Even the reception desk in the lobby is unstaffed.
“Deal with it,” Waylen orders.
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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