Read Novel Full Chapter 386: The Room Next Door (2)
Chapter 386: The Room Next Door (2)
"Yes — yes, of course, Sir." Lydia’s fingers moved to the keyboard, her earlier performance forgotten entirely, replaced by the efficient compliance of someone who recognised an unmovable instruction.
But as she processed the check-in, her mind raced, her thoughts drifted back to the man from minutes ago... Howard Sterling.
’Was this man related to him?’ she wondered, but then she immediately shook the thought away. ’No, there is something far more twisted at play here.’
She remembered the woman’s reaction... the way she had visibly flinched at the unspoken mention of the man currently upstairs. It was a tell-tale sign of a deeper, darker connection.
"Don’t tell me..." Lydia mused, a sharp, cold thrill running through her. Outwardly, she maintained her mask of professional indifference.
These types of situations weren’t new to her. She had worked at the Red Rose long enough to recognize the architecture of a high-stakes scandal when she saw it.
And to someone like Lydia, a scandal wasn’t a problem... it was an opportunity. This chaos was an advantage she could eventually turn in her favor.
"The key, Lydia," Alex said, his voice dropping an octave, cutting through the receptionist’s performance like a blade.
Lydia blinked, her practiced smile faltering for a split second under the weight of his sudden coldness.
She quickly slid the golden key card across the counter, her fingers lingering on the plastic as if trying to tether him to the desk for just a moment longer.
"Floor twelve," Lydia whispered, her eyes darting briefly to Heena before snapping back to Alex. "The elevator is just to your right. Enjoy your... stay. Sir, Madam."
Alex took the card without a word of thanks.
He reached out, his hand finding the small of Heena’s back, his fingers splaying wide across her skin as he steered her toward the gold-paneled doors.
Lydia watched them walk away, her eyes burning with unmistakable envy as she traced the path of Alex’s hand splayed across Heena’s waist.
The moment the elevator doors hissed shut, her professional composure vanished, replaced by a feverish, calculated urgency.
She didn’t just want this man; she needed him.
"You, take over," Lydia barked at a junior receptionist, not even waiting for a response as she stepped out from behind the counter. "I’m handling this VVIP guest personally. Don’t let anyone disturb the desk."
She knew the rules of the Red Rose: the manager would usually swoop in for the Presidential Suite guests, but Lydia wasn’t about to let this golden opportunity slip through her fingers.
She hurried toward the staff locker rooms, her heart hammering against her ribs.
She had been preparing for a moment like this her entire life, keeping a emergency kit for the day a truly high-stakes target walked through the doors.
***
As they walked away, Heena could feel Lydia’s eyes boring into her back, measuring the distance, calculating the wreckage. She stayed silent until the elevator doors hissed shut, sealing them in a box of mirrors and silence.
As the lift began its smooth, humming ascent, the silence between them was charged with the electricity of everything they had just witnessed in the lobby.
"You didn’t like her," Alex murmured. He didn’t look at her directly; instead, he watched her reflection in the mirrored wall, his eyes tracking the way her chest rose and fell with each shallow breath.
"She was overstepping," Heena replied. She tried to adjust her skirt, her voice sounding steadier than she actually felt.
"Or you’re just jealous?" Alex moved beside her, his presence suddenly overwhelming in the cramped space. Their eyes remained locked in the mirror, a silent conversation happening between the glass.
"Why would I be jealous?" she cut in immediately, the denial coming out sharper than intended.
She wasn’t sure why she was acting this way... whether it was the lingering image of Howard with Siobhan or the way that girl behind the counter had looked at Alex as if he were a meal.
"She was hungry," Alex corrected, a dark, predatory glint in his eyes. He stepped behind her, his large hands reaching out to take firm hold of her waist.
"Mmm..." Heena’s head fell back against his shoulder as he began to trail hot, demanding kisses along the line of her neck and shoulders.
She closed her eyes, her knees nearly buckling as the sensation of his stubble grazed her sensitive skin.
"But don’t worry, Professor," he whispered against her ear. "I have a very specific appetite tonight. And she’s not on the menu."
The mention of her title... the very thing she had used to keep him at a distance... was the final spark. The rage she felt toward Howard and the raw, illicit hunger Alex had awakened fused into something explosive.
Heena didn’t just submit this time. She turned violently in his arms, her movements frantic and fueled by a newfound desperation.
Before Alex could even register the change, she grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him down, her mouth crashing against his in an active, thirsty kiss.
Alex stiffened for a fraction of a second, his eyes widening in brief surprise at her sudden initiative.
But the shock was gone instantly. He let out a low, guttural growl and hauled her flush against him, his arms winding around her like iron bands.
Heena poured everything into the kiss... her betrayal, her fury, and the terrifying realization that she wanted this more than she had ever wanted anything in her safe, boring life.
She was no longer the passive victim of his games; she was reaching for the fire with both hands, demanding to be burned.
Alex’s hands dropped from her waist, his fingers digging into the soft curves of her rear, pulling her so tightly against him that she could feel every hard line of his body.
Their tongues danced a frantic, desperate rhythm; neither was willing to yield, each tasting the salt of her tears and the heat of her sudden, dark transformation.
When they finally broke apart, the only sound in the mirrored box was the ragged, syncopated rhythm of their breathing.
Heena’s lips were swollen, her eyes glazed with a dangerous mix of adrenaline and desire. She leaned her forehead against his chest, her fingers still twisted tightly into the lapels of his jacket.
"Why—" she paused, her breath hitching as she tried to find her voice. "Why did you have the girl give Howard a room right next to ours?"
She looked up at him, her expression a mess of confusion and lingering hurt. "Do you want me to hear them, Alex? Is that it?"
"What, are you afraid of him?" Alex teased, his voice a low, playful rumble. He reached out, his thumb tracing the curve of her lower lip as a slow, arrogant smirk carved its way across his face.
Heena’s expression clouded, her gaze drifting to their reflection in the mirrors. She saw the Professor she used to be... composed, respected, safe... and compared it to the flushed, panting woman currently being held by a student in a pay-by-the-hour hotel.
"I’m not afraid, Alex." she whispered, her voice hardening with a crystalline edge of spite.
"Good," he murmured. "Because I’m not hiding you, Heena."
He pulled back just enough to look at her properly... the way he had been looking at her all evening, like something he had already decided to keep.
"That man spent fifteen years with the most compelling woman in any room he ever walked into," he said quietly. "And he spent every one of those years looking past her."
He shook his head slightly.
"I want you to see what he couldn’t. I want you to understand exactly what you are, not what he made you believe you were."
Heena stared at him.
Her throat tightened. Not from sadness. From something she hadn’t felt in so long she’d forgotten it had a name.
"And the room next door?" she asked.
"Let him hear," Alex said simply. "Let him lie there tonight and finally understand what he threw away."
The elevator chimed... a sharp, polite sound that signaled their arrival at the twelfth floor.
The doors slid open, revealing the hushed, carpeted corridor where the ultimate collision of her past and her future was waiting behind two different doors.
***
Howard and Siobhan had reached the third floor, the hallway muffled by a thick, crimson carpet that felt more oppressive than luxurious.
As Howard slid the key card into the lock of their executive suite, Siobhan stayed planted in the center of the corridor, her arms crossed over her designer dress.
Her dissatisfaction was written in the sharp line of her mouth.
"Darling, please..." she began, her voice trailing off into a whine that lacked any real playfulness.
"Why can’t we go to the Presidential Suite for once? This room is just... tired. At least let’s be on that floor. The view is better, the air is cleaner..."
Howard turned, staring at her for a long second. He ran a hand through his hair, his mind already calculating the evening.
He just wanted to have fun; why spend so much? A Presidential Suite cost multiple times more than this, and to Howard, a bed was a bed when the lights were off.
"Don’t worry," Howard said, his tone dismissive as he pushed the door open. "I’ll book it for our next visit. I promise. Besides, I have already prepared the things you asked for last time."
He offered a suggestive wink, expecting her to follow, but Siobhan’s face remained clouded. She wasn’t looking very happy at all, her eyes lingering on the elevator bank as if she belonged ten floors higher.
But before they could cross the threshold of the room, a voice rang out behind them, sharp and slightly breathless.
"Sir! Madam! Wait!"
Howard and Siobhan both turned, their movements synchronized by a shared flicker of annoyance.
Standing a few meters away was a girl dressed in the hotel’s staff attire, her chest heaving slightly as if she had just sprinted the length of the corridor to catch them.
"Is there a problem?" Howard asked, his eyebrows knitting together in annoyance.
"On the contrary, Mr. Sterling," The lady panted, smoothing down her skirt and regaining her sweet-tongued composure in an instant.
"I noticed you seemed... hesitant about your current accommodations. And as it happens, our management has just authorized a special upgrade for our most distinguished guests."