The following morning around 7 a.m., Alethea stirred to the warmth from the sun calling her to wake up. But she wasn't ready to face the day just yet, so she lingered more in the comfort of the bed.
Right then, Axel let out an audible chuckle from the corner of the room.
The sound jolted her out of her peaceful reverie, and she suddenly recalled what transpired between them last night.
Her face burning with embarrassment, she felt so timid under the bedsheet as she contemplated how she'd get out of bed.
But to her disappointment, Axel's voice cut through her thoughts, shattering the silence. "This is past 7, and it seems you still want to sleep more. But in case you don't know, we're leaving here at exactly 8 o'clock. I got the document signed, and I have no business here anymore."
His words, landing like a slap to her face, she suddenly sat up. "He got the paper signed?" she thought, confused, and heartbroken, as she held the bedsheets tightly to her chest.
"It seems you don't want to have your bath before we leave. But judging from what we had last night, I doubt you really want to step out of here without freshening up," Axel interrupted again, as he focused on his iPad.
Slowly turning to face him, she took a deep breath, and spoke. "Please, sir, I'd like us to act like what happened last night never did happen."
Axel's gaze darted to her in surprise, and his expression went from amused to intrigued. "Of course, what happened last night means nothing to me, as we were only flirting," he replied, and paused briefly to study her.
"But regarding your request, I'm really not ready to grant it. You were awesome last night, Alethea. Go have your bath now," he concluded, and left for the balcony.
Watching him walk away, Alethea felt a mix of relief, frustration, and shame at once, as she recalled the whole scenario that played between them, right from the previous night to the present. Heaving a sigh, she decided to let it all settle at the pit of her belly and get ready for the day's activities.
Getting out of the bed, her eyes abruptly landed on the document on the shelf, and she couldn't help but blame herself more for foolishly getting laid with no other person than her womanizing boss.
~
Arriving at the facade of the hotel, they found Gabrielle leaning against her car door, with her arms crossed over her chest.
"I was thinking you guys don't want to leave anymore," she murmured, stepping away from the car.
A sly smile playing on her lips, she stopped right in front of Axel and locked eyes with him. "I'm still gon' have you just to myself, Axel," she whispered to his face and stepped back.
Alethea's eyes rolled in disgust, and she couldn't help but let out a low scorn beside Axel.
"Till we meet again, Axel. The car is waiting," Gabrielle added, and with this, she walked back to her car.
As the other available car ignited, Alethea felt so uncomfortable sitting beside Axel. She didn't want to be near him for like the next few days, but she knew that wasn't going to happen. Especially not when they were on their way back to California.
~
After hours of flight, they were eventually back in Axel's penthouse in California. The moment they both stepped into the living room, Alethea hurried to her room without a word.
Having freshened up, she took her phone from the bed and dialled her aunt's number.
"Mommy!" Her daughter's tiny voice was the first to boom over the line.
"Hey, baby," Alethea cooed, her heart swelling with love.
"I've really missed you, Mommy," Elora, her daughter muttered, sounding dull over the phone.
"Oh, my girl. Mommy has really missed you too," Alethea replied with guilt.
"Is that my niece?" Lexi's voice came sounding from the background.
"Yes, Grand-aunt," Elora replied, handing the phone over.
"Hey, dear," Lexi muttered the moment the phone touched her ear.
"Good evening, Aunt. How have you been?" Alethea murmured with a smile.
"Oh, dear. We've been good. How's work been?"
"Glad to hear that, Aunt. And talking about work, it's been so financially good that I recently got paid a huge weekly wage. I will transfer 80,000 dollars to you as soon as I'm done with the call," Alethea said, trying to sound casual despite the enormity of the amount.
"What!? You got such a huge amount from your secretary job?" Lexi exclaimed.
Alethea hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond. She didn't want to lie to her aunt, but she couldn't tell her the whole truth either.
"Ummm... something like that, Aunt. Just trust me, it's clean money," she finally replied, hoping it would convince her.
"I can't wait to see you, Mommy," Elora suddenly interrupted, saving her the explanation.
Aunt Lexi didn't have a choice but to hand over the phone back to Elora immediately.
"You'll see me soon, baby. I'll be there next weekend," Alethea muttered, feeling so remorseful for having been away from her for so long.
"Pinky swear?" Elora articulated.
Alethea smiled at how smart her 5-year-old daughter could be. She knew how to hook her up with a promise, and she couldn't help but admire her spirit.
"Pinky swear, baby," she replied, and shortly, the three all kissed each other good night.
~
The following morning, on Monday, Alethea ate together with her boss in silence, but yet she still felt uneasy sitting across from him at the dining.
As she tried to focus on her breakfast, her eyes kept drifting towards Axel, who was only eating his breakfast with a calm and collected demeanor.
Once they finally finished eating, she thanked the stars that they didn't at least have to face each other while in the car on their way to the office.
Despite the fact that they shared the same office as his manager, they didn't say a word to each other until it was closing hour.
"We have to visit a fashion mall. I'll be hosting a party to welcome back all my lost business partners by 8 p.m. today," Axel said in a deep voice.
Alethea's eyes blinked erratically, amused by the big event coming right after their business trip in Paris. "Alright," she managed to say, before directing her focus back to her briefcase.
~
Back at the Penthouse. After freshening up, Alethea slipped into the pitch gown Axel had gotten her earlier at the mall. The moment she was all set, she stepped out of her room, only to see Axel coming out of his too. Looking breathtakingly handsome in his tailored tuxedo, she couldn't resist the urge to stare at him.
Axel was also mesmerized by her beauty, but he managed to compose himself as he approached her. Stopping in front of her, he stretched out his arm. "Ready?" he muttered.
"Sure." Alethea replied calmly, and gently placed her hand in his palm.
With their hands locked, Axel helped her get into the limousine waiting outside for them. Shortly, the chauffeur glided them away to where the event would be held.
