CHAPTER 04: STRANGER FROM MIAMI

JADA'S POV

Growing up in a Christian family, being a pastor's daughter, there were a lot of things that were strictly forbidden. Things that were considered a sin. I grew up hearing words like purity, discipline, and righteousness almost every single day of my life.

So, I knew that abortion was never an option. Not only because of my religion but because I personally could not do it no matter how scared I was or how complicated things were about to become. I just couldn't bring myself to punish an innocent baby for my mistakes.

For the past two days, I had been crying myself to sleep at night, questioning my life choices. But I quickly came to understand that there was no use in crying over spilt milk.

What was done was done.

There was nothing I could do that was going to change the situation I was in.

I had to accept it and keep moving.

I still had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do next, but losing my job was definitely not it.

So before Ms. Baron fired me, I decided to hurry my small bum back to work.

I was physically feeling a little bit better anyway.

"Ms. Baron said to report to her office as soon as you come in." Vince quickly informed me as he gave me my clearance card back after scanning it.

Oh no.

"Okay." I nodded, giving him a small smile. "Thank you."

I hurried through the employees entrance and beelined straight to the locker room. I greeted the few of the girls in there and quickly changed into my uniform. My hair was already tied in the usual bun at the back of my head. I only fixed my edges and attached my name tag before I walked out and made my way to Ms. Baron's office.

I knocked lightly on the door before clasping my hands nervously in front of me.

"Come in."

I slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Ms. Baron was seated behind her large office desk, typing something on her laptop. Like always, she looked perfectly put together in her dark burgundy suit with her blonde hair neatly styled.

The woman honestly looked intimidating without even trying.

Her office matched her personality too.

Clean, organized, and strict.

She briefly looked up at me over her glasses.

"You're finally back."

I swallowed nervously.

"Yes, ma'am."

She leaned back slightly in her chair, her sharp eyes locking with mine.

"Feeling better now?" she asked.

I nodded quickly. "Yes, ma'am."

She hummed softly like she didn't fully believe me. She looked me up and down like she was trying to find something unusual.

I stood there nervously waiting for her to yell at me or worse... fire me.

"Is there something I need to know, Adams? For an employee of the month, for the last three months, you have been very sluggish lately."

My throat closed up, and I felt the way my pulse spiked up.

Was it that obvious?

Did I look pregnant already?

Oh god.

I quickly forced myself to stay calm.

"No, ma'am," I answered carefully. "I was just sick."

"You've working here for less than six months, Jada but your performance has been excellent like you have been here for years."

I blinked in surprise.

Was that a compliment? From Ms. Baron?

I couldn't believe it.

"But lately your mind has clearly been elsewhere," she continued. "You're distracted. Slow. Are you sure you're alright?"

I nodded again. "I'm sure.."

The lie felt heavy in my mouth.

I hated lying.

Especially to someone like Ms. Baron.

Despite how terrifying she could be, she had actually been good to me since I started working here.

Strict? Absolutely.

But fair too.

She leaned forward slightly against the desk. "If something is going on in your personal life, don't let it affect your work."

"Yes, ma'am."

"The CEO of Sterling Hotels is here. This hotel needs to operate perfectly."

Ms. Baron picked up a file from her desk and handed it to me.

"You'll be handling the penthouse suite until Mr. Sterling leaves."

My eyes widened. "Me?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"No, ma'am," I answered quickly.

She waved her hand toward the door.

"Good. You can get moving then."

I gave a small nod before turning around and quietly leaving the office.

The moment the door closed behind me, I released a slow breath I didn't even realize I had been holding.

At least I still had my job.

That alone felt like a blessing right now.

Still, as I walked down the hallway with the file pressed against my chest, I couldn't stop wondering why Ms. Baron kept assigning me to the executive floor lately.

Not that I was ungrateful or anything.

Working there actually came with better pay, better tips, and more opportunities.

But it also made me feel completely out of place.

The executive floor was nothing like the regular guest floors. It was reserved for VIP guests, celebrities, billionaires, politicians, and people important enough to rent the presidential suites and penthouses.

There was also a special housekeeping team assigned only to those floors. They earned more money than the rest of us and wore different uniforms too.

While the regular housekeeping staff wore simple burgundy dresses, the executive staff wore cream and black uniforms with gold name tags.

I still remembered how nervous I felt stepping out of the private elevator two day ago.

I felt like everybody could immediately tell I didn't belong.

And now, Ms. Baron was sending me back there again. Not just to anyone but to cater to basically the owner of this hotel.

Being nervous was honestly an understatement.

I made my way toward the storage room to collect my cleaning cart and supplies. After signing the sheet near the entrance, I grabbed the cart assigned to me and started pulling it backward out of the room.

Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention and I bumped straight into someone. The cart tilted slightly, and before I could lose my balance completely, a pair of strong hands quickly grabbed my waist and steadied me.

"Whoa. Be careful." A deep voice sounded above me.

I looked up and immediately came face to face with Amechi Daniels.

That man was the literal definition of tall, dark, and handsome.

He worked downstairs at the hotel bar as one of the waiters, though honestly, he looked more like a model than someone serving drinks.

His dark eyes stared down at me with concern while his hands still rested lightly on my waist.

"You okay?" he asked.

I quickly stepped back, feeling my cheeks warm slightly.

"Y-Yeah. Sorry."

A small smile appeared on his face.

"Don't apologize. You should be more careful."

I nodded, suddenly feeling a little shy under his watchful gaze.

Mani and Nadia were convinced the man had a crush on me. Personally, I thought they were both ridiculous. Amechi was just naturally friendly with everyone. Plus, a guy that looked like him could literally date anybody he wanted. There was no reason for him to be interested in me.

"I haven't seen you for like two days, Jada" he said "Why is that?"

I briefly looked away, placing my palm at the back of my neck. "Oh... yeah. I was a little sick."

His expression softened immediately. "I'm sorry. Are you feeling okay now?"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Good."

He stared at me a little too long before he cleared his throat. He reached for the cart handle and turned it around properly for me.

"There," he said. "Less dangerous this way."

I laughed softly. "Thank you."

"You heading upstairs?"

"Executive floor."

His eyebrows lifted slightly. "Damn. Ms. Baron really trusts you huh?"

"Or she just enjoys stressing me out."

That made him laugh.

The sound was warm and deep, and annoyingly attractive.

"Relax," he said. "You'll do fine."

"I hope so."

For some reason, talking to Amechi always made me feel calmer. Maybe because he was easy to be around. Or maybe because he looked at me like I was more than just another employee walking around this hotel. I couldn't tell which.

"Well," he said, stepping aside so I could pass, "try not to run people over again."

"No promises."

He shook his head, still smiling, while I pushed the cart toward the private elevators. I could still feel his eyes following me down the hallway.

I entered the elevator and pressed the button to the executive floor. I waited until the doors finally opened and stepped out.

Everything up here always looked spotless and expensive. The soft cream carpets, the gold wall lights, the huge paintings hanging along the hallway... it almost didn't feel like part of the same hotel where the rest of us worked.

Even the air smelled different.

Rich people perfume and money.

I adjusted my grip on the cart and looked down at the file Ms. Baron gave me.

Penthouse Suite 01.

That was the biggest penthouse in the entire hotel. It was only reserved for the Sterling family whenever they visited.

I pushed the cart down the hallway until I finally stopped in front of the large double doors.

I just stood there for a few seconds trying to calm myself down. Then I knocked softly but there was no response. I waited a little longer before knocking again and still nothing.

Maybe nobody was inside.

So I reached for the master keycard attached to the file and slid it into the scanner beside the door. The light turned green immediately and I cautiously pushed the doors open and stepped inside.

The suite was absolutely massive.

Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city skyline, and the living area alone was bigger than my entire apartment.

I quietly wheeled my cart inside and closed the door behind me.

"Housekeeping," I called out.

Still no answer.

I glanced around awkwardly before pulling on my gloves and getting to work.

The place honestly wasn't dirty at all. If anything, it looked almost untouched.

I started with the living room, dusting the shelves and cleaning the glass tables carefully. After that, I moved toward the dining area.

My nerves started settling the more I focused on working.

At least no one was here. That made things easier.

I was just about to clean the kitchen counter when I suddenly heard footsteps behind me and my entire body froze. I turned around quickly and almost dropped the spray bottle in my hand.

The moment my eyes landed on the person standing there, my heart nearly stopped.

No.

My breathing instantly became uneven as I stared at the familiar face standing a few feet away from me. The face I could never forget.

It was him.

The man from that night.

The reason I was pregnant.

Neither of us moved as he stared at me with the same shocked expression spreading across my own face. His dark eyes narrowed slightly like he was trying to make sure he wasn't imagining things either.

My fingers were painfully tight around the spray bottle and I could feel panic slowly crawling up my chest.

What was he doing here?

Why was he here?

Before either of us could say a single word, a woman suddenly appeared behind him. She looked around the same age as the stranger and wore a white bathrobe loosely tied around her waist. Her wet hair rested over one shoulder while she casually sipped from a glass of whatever it was in her hand.

The woman looked between the two of us in confusion.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked.

I immediately lowered my eyes and stepped back quickly. "N-No, ma'am."

My voice sounded shaky and weak. The stranger from Miami still hadn't taken his eyes off me and there was something unreadable in his expression now.

Shock, confusion. Maybe even disbelief.

The gorgeous woman beside him frowned slightly before looking at him.

"Cas?"

So his name was Cas?

Cas finally blinked and slowly looked away from me.

"No," he answered calmly, though his voice sounded slightly distracted. "Nothing."

Nothing?

I felt something strange twist painfully inside my chest at that word.

Of course it was nothing to him.

That night probably meant absolutely nothing.

Meanwhile my entire life had changed because of it.

"I'm sorry," I said, forcing myself to sound professional. "I didn't know anyone was inside. I can come back later."

The woman smiled politely. "No, it's fine. You can continue."

I nodded. But there was no way I could stay in this room.

Not when the man responsible for the child growing inside me was standing right in front of me looking at me like he was trying to figure me out.

"I actually just finished here," I lied quickly while removing my gloves.

Before anyone could stop me, I grabbed the cart and hurried toward the door.

I could feel Cas watching me the entire time.

The second I stepped outside the penthouse, I leaned against the door, my heart beating in my damn ears.

"Oh my God..." I whispered, my hands trembling badly.