Chapter 2

My voice echoed through the entire lobby. The noisy crowd instantly fell silent, and all eyes focused on Craig.

He glanced around, his eyes turning red-rimmed. "What are you talking about? My wife got this VIP card for me because she felt bad that I always had to travel for work. She bought these shoes for me, too."

"As for the condoms…" he added, scratching his head innocently. "I used them with my own wife. Is there a problem with that?"

He suddenly looked at me with pity. "Bro, are you not satisfied with the sex life you have with your wife, and that's why this triggered you? Should I call a therapist for you?"

The crowd immediately began whispering.

"Look at how shabby he looks. No wonder women don't like him."

"The VIP card starts at 300 thousand dollars. He doesn't look like someone who could afford it."

"Why does a high-end place like this let just anyone in?"

I was just wearing casual clothes today—nowhere as bad as they were making it out to be.

I couldn't be bothered with the whispers. Instead, I turned to Craig and sneered. "I never realized how much of a smooth talker you were."

Then, I turned to Fiona. "Did you verify his identity when he checked in?"

She stammered, "He said he forgot his ID, but Ms. Burdette is one of our regular clients, so…"

"So you just broke the rules?" I cut her off sharply. "Your hotel's security is practically nonexistent."

She was rendered speechless.

Craig immediately jumped in to play the good guy. "Bro, she's just the receptionist. Why make things difficult for her? As the saying goes, people stay in hotels that match their status. Stop causing a scene and making a fool of yourself here."

His words clearly implied that I didn't belong here.

Just then, his phone rang. The screen visibly showed the word "Wifey".

"Answer it," I said coldly. "Put it on speaker. Let me hear how Nyla is going to spin this."

Craig answered the call smugly. But the moment he put it on speaker, his tone turned panicked.

"Honey, get to the hotel quickly! There's a lunatic here insisting that I'm not your husband and is trying to get me kicked out…"

Nyla's furious voice came through immediately. "What lunatic dares to bully you? Don't worry. I'll be there right away!"

As it turned out, to her, I was the outsider.

The onlookers stared at me with open disdain. Someone even stepped forward to comfort Craig. "Don't waste your time arguing with a lunatic."

Craig thanked them softly, then turned to me with fake concern. "My wife will be here any minute. She's got a temper, so you'd better leave now.

"She gave me this 300 thousand dollar VIP card just like that. That's how much she spoils me. If you stick around when she gets here, there's no knowing what she might do to you."

His words sounded like he was giving me advice, but in truth, they were nothing but blatant provocation.

I trembled with rage, wanting nothing more than to rip his hypocritical expression off his face right then and there.

Nyla arrived even faster than I'd expected. She stormed into the hotel, and the moment she saw me, her gaze turned fierce.

She roughly shoved me aside, then grabbed Craig's hand tightly. "Don't worry, I'm here now."

She stroked his hair tenderly and gently. It was practically blinding.

The hotel's marble floor was polished so slickly that her shove sent me stumbling backward, and my lower back slammed hard into the armrest of a couch behind me.

If it hadn't been for the couch, I would've crashed straight to the ground.

Meanwhile, Craig wrapped an arm around Nyla's neck in open provocation and pulled her into a long, passionate kiss.

"You're the best, honey," he said breathlessly. "Hurry up and explain things to this guy. He doesn't believe a word I'm saying!"

Only then did Nyla turn her gaze to me. There wasn't a trace of guilt in her eyes, only pure disgust.