Chapter 4 The strangers bed

Chapter 4: The Stranger’s Bed

Diana’s POV

My phone buzzed relentlessly beside me, dragging me from the depths of exhaustion. I groaned, eyes barely open, as I reached for it.

Five missed calls.

Akira.

I hesitated before finally picking up. The moment I did, her worried voice hit me like a tidal wave.

“Diana! What the hell is going on? You’ve been off work for days now! Why aren’t you picking up? And…..wait, are you actually divorcing John? Because Mercy has been running her mouth…..”

My heart clenched at the mention of those names. I said nothing, letting her continue.

“And girl, the hospital’s been calling the office, saying your mom is looking for you. She’s awake, Diana! She needs to talk to you!”

I pressed my fingers against my temple, trying to make sense of everything. The words she’s awake should have jolted me, should have shaken me to my core….but my mind felt slow, like it was wading through thick fog.

“And one last thing,” Akira added, her tone lowering. “You know there’s an exchange of power happening in the office. The new CEO is arriving today.”

I swallowed hard, struggling to process. The hospital. My mother. John. Mercy. The office. My job. The new CEO.

It was too much.

“I’ll call you back,” I muttered, cutting the call before she could say anything else.

I exhaled deeply, squeezing my eyes shut. My head was pounding, my body sore. My mouth tasted of alcohol, my limbs felt like lead.

I shifted slightly…..and then I froze.

There was someone beside me.

I turned my head slowly, and my breath hitched in my throat.

Laying just inches away from me was a man….no, a gorgeous man. His skin was smooth, golden under the dim morning light filtering through the curtains. The sheets barely covered his lower half, exposing a firm, sculpted chest, the sharp lines of his abs, and the deep, relaxed rise and fall of his breathing. His brown hair was tousled in a way that made him look effortlessly sinful, his lips slightly parted in sleep.

I stared, my heart slamming against my ribs.

And then…..

I screamed.

The man stirred, groaning as he blinked awake. His eyes….dark, intense…met mine, confusion flickering across his face just before I bolted upright, clutching the sheet against my chest.

“What the hell are you doing on my bed?!” I shrieked.

He sat up lazily, rubbing a hand over his jaw, looking entirely unbothered. “Your bed?”

His voice was deep, husky from sleep.

And that was when I noticed.

The room….the sleek, modern decor, the high ceilings, the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows…this wasn’t my apartment.

This wasn’t my bed.

This was a hotel.

My stomach dropped.

Flashes of last night rushed back. The bar. The drinks. The way his hands felt on my body, the way he made me forget…

Oh God.

Shame crawled up my spine, burning like fire under my skin.

I turned back to him, my face twisting in disgust…more at myself than at him. “So, what are you? One of those nonchalant boys who preys on drunk women? A sex worker? A bartender looking for a rich lady to seduce?” My voice dripped with accusation. “Saw a beautiful, miserable woman, and decided to take advantage of her?”

His brows furrowed, and for the first time, irritation flashed in his eyes. “Excuse me?”

I didn’t give him a chance to speak.

I reached for my bag, pulling out a stack of hundred-dollar bills. If I had slept with him, then fine…I’d treat it like a business deal. A transaction.

“Here,” I said coldly, shoving the money toward him. “Since you’ve already done a nice job satisfying me last night, consider this your payment.”

His jaw clenched. “I don’t need your damn money.”

But I wasn’t listening.

I leaned forward, grabbed his wrist, and forcefully placed the cash in his hand. When he still didn’t take it, I let out a bitter laugh and sprinkled the bills onto his face.

The money fluttered to the bed around him, and I didn’t stay to see his reaction.

I grabbed my dress from the floor, pulled it on hastily, and stormed toward the door, my heels clicking sharply against the marble.

Before I stepped out, I took one last look at him.

He was still sitting there, half-naked, his expression unreadable, the money scattered around him.

Something flickered in his eyes….something dark, something unreadable.

But I didn’t care.

I turned and left, slamming the door behind me.

Because whatever had happened last night…

Had to stay in last night.

The cab ride to the hospital felt like a never ending torture session. My head pounded mercilessly, the remnants of last night’s alcohol still poisoning my system. I leaned against the window, eyes squeezed shut, trying to keep the nausea at bay. My body ached in places I didn’t want to think about.

By the time I arrived, I barely had the strength to carry the small bag of food I had picked up for my mother.

The moment I stepped into her hospital room, a lump formed in my throat.

She was awake.

Sitting up in bed, her frail hands resting in her lap, her once-vibrant eyes now filled with a mixture of exhaustion and quiet relief. When she turned to me, a weak smile stretched across her lips.

“Diana,” she whispered.

Tears burned my eyes, but I forced myself to hold them back. I couldn’t break. Not here.

I sat beside her, unwrapping the food, my fingers trembling slightly. I fed her slowly, watching her chew, taking in every small movement, every little breath.

She was here. Alive. Awake.

And yet, all I felt was guilt.

She had been looking for me after she regained consciousness, and where had I been? Drinking myself into oblivion. Waking up next to a stranger.

By the time I left the hospital and made my way to the office with a cab ,I was a complete mess.

My hair was wild, tangled, unkempt from sleep and carelessness. My clothes were slightly wrinkled from the way I had thrown them on in a hurry. I hadn’t even had time to fix my makeup or clean up my face. I looked exactly how I felt…like absolute hell.

And the office took notice.

The moment I stepped in, whispers erupted around me.

“Look at her… what happened to her hair?”

“She smells like alcohol.”

“Did she sleep in a gutter last night?”

Laughter followed, some quiet, some bold. I clenched my jaw, pushing forward, keeping my head down.

I regretted it. God, I regretted it.

What the hell was I thinking last night? Drinking myself numb? Waking up naked in a stranger’s bed? It didn’t make the pain go away. It only made things worse.

And of course, she had to be here.

Mercy.

She stood near the breakroom with a few colleagues, her arms crossed, her lips curved into a smirk.

“Wow, Diana,” she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Rough night?”

More laughter. My fingers curled into fists, but I kept walking. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.

Only one person stayed silent.

Akira.

She stood near the hallway, her expression filled with concern instead of mockery. Our eyes met briefly, and for a second, I thought she would say something…..but before she could, a voice cut through the chatter.

The manager.

“Everyone, listen up!” His tone was sharp, commanding. The room went silent immediately. “I hear that The new CEO is already in the building. I expect all of you to be in your respective posts and to behave accordingly.”

A hushed tension settled over the office.

No one had seen the new CEO yet, but the rumors had been swirling for weeks. Some said he was ruthless. Some said he was a billionaire who didn’t tolerate incompetence. Some even claimed he had fired an entire department in his previous company on his first day.

But none of that mattered to me.

Because at that moment, I had bigger things to worry about.

Like how to survive the rest of this day without completely falling apart.

Suddenly. The entire office was on edge.

Desks were organized to perfection. Employees stood straighter. Even the air felt different….thicker, heavier with the weight of expectation.

All because of one man.

The new CEO.

We had all waited, holding our breath, expecting him to arrive any moment. Some had even fixed their ties or adjusted their skirts, hoping to make a good first impression. The whispers had started again.

“Do you think he’s as ruthless as they say?”

“I heard he once fired a woman for wearing the wrong shade of lipstick.”

“Imagine if he just walks in and points at people to fire randomly.”

But when the doors finally opened, it wasn’t him.

A man in a sleek navy suit stepped in, adjusting his cufflinks before clearing his throat. He was tall, sharp-featured, but not the one we had all been anticipating.

His voice carried through the room with authority.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to inform you that Mr. Xander Knight….your new CEO….will not be able to make it today.”

The air shifted. A mix of relief and confusion rippled through the employees.

He wasn’t coming?

After all the tension, the preparation, the nerves….he just… wasn’t coming?

The man continued, his tone brisk and professional. “In his place, I will be overseeing operations for today being. Mr. Knight has entrusted me with his instructions, and I expect all of you to follow them as you would his own.”

Some people exchanged glances. Others immediately got back to work, afraid to show any reaction that might get them in trouble.

But I just stood there, staring.

Something about this didn’t sit right.Before Akira was able to drag me to my sit for me to explain to her about the divorce and why have i been at work lately