Chapter 06 The room where it happened

“Sir Adrien, good morning!” the woman behind the desk greeted politely, her voice bright with professionalism. The man beside her quickly echoed the greeting as well.

Adrien only gave them a brief nod before turning to me. With a small gesture of his hand, he motioned for me to come closer.

“Ma’am Cassandra!” the man suddenly called my name, his voice filled with surprise.

I looked at him carefully, and my eyes widened in realization.

“Wait… Aljur, right?” I asked, excitement slipping into my voice.

The smile on his face instantly disappeared. He pouted dramatically, looking almost wounded.

“Aljun, Ma’am Cassandra,” he corrected with an exaggerated hand on his heart. “You forgot me already? That hurts.”

I covered my mouth and gasped. “Aljun! Oh my gosh, you’re right—I remember you now. You’re still working as a receptionist here?”

“Of course I am,” he said proudly, puffing his chest slightly. “The salary here is good, why would I leave? Besides…” His eyes scanned me from head to toe before he grinned. “Woah, Ma'am, you look even more beautiful now. Is that the effect of studying abroad? You must be very successful these days.”

I laughed awkwardly, feeling my shoulders tense. “Y-yeah… studying abroad was nice. And no, I wouldn’t say I’m successful yet. I’m still relying on my parents. I only just graduated from college.”

Why was lying suddenly so difficult? I used to lie so easily when I was younger.

“Aljun, is room 308 occupied?” Adrien asked calmly.

I quietly sighed in relief. Thank goodness he interrupted the conversation, even when I know he wasn't aware that he just saved my ass from the unwanted conversation about my life in America.

“I’ll check right away, sir.” Aljun moved to the computer and typed quickly on the keyboard before shaking his head. “No, sir. It’s unoccupied.”

“Miss Cassandra will be staying there,” Adrien said. “From now on, reserve that room only for her. Please escort her to her room.”

He was about to leave, but I quickly grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Adrien,” I said, my tone sharp with warning.

He looked at me with a tired expression.

“Look,” he said with a quiet sigh, “I have a lot of things to handle right now. If you want to cook your own breakfast, you can do that tomorrow. If you want to be shown around, I'll have someone do that for you later. For now, the hotel staff will escort you to the room you requested. That’s the room you wanted, right?”

He gently removed my hand from his arm and walked toward another part of the hotel that I wasn’t familiar with. I didn’t follow him.

If I had been thinking clearly, I probably would have chased after him. But something he said made me pause—he knew my room number before. He knew exactly which room I used to stay in.

“He’s just shy, Ma’am Cassandra,” Aljun joked with a playful laugh. “Maybe he’s jealous of me.”

“Jealous?” I repeated, confused.

“He used to have a crush on you, Ma’am,” Aljun continued casually. “Whenever you visited the resort before, he always volunteered to assist you—carrying your luggage, bringing you food, anything you needed. He never missed the chance.”

My eyes widened, and I felt warmth creeping onto my cheeks.

That was impossible. Adrien acted like he had a grudge against me. From the way he treated me now, it seemed more likely that he hated me.

“I… don’t remember him,” I admitted quietly.

“Ah, that explains it,” Aljun said with a teasing grin. “Maybe he really is jealous of me because you remembered me but not him.”

Was that why he was rude to me? Because I couldn't remember him?

Now that I thought about it, it would explain some of the strange things he said earlier and the way he sometimes called me Ma’am Cassandra.

Did he really have a crush on me before?

Impossible. It would be hard to forget someone with a face like his.

“Uh, Aljun,” I said after a moment, “there’s no need to escort me. My room is on the same floor as before, right? I can find it myself.”

I put my stilettos back on. As soon as I stood up properly, I noticed the female receptionist glaring at me.

She nudged Aljun, who was busy looking at the monitor, and pointed at me while whispering something to him in a dialect I couldn’t understand.

Aljun suddenly burst into laughter.

“She’s Sir Lopez’s daughter,” he explained to her between laughs. “Aside from Miss Alejandra, Ma’am Cassandra is their youngest daughter.”

The receptionist gasped and immediately turned to me, bowing repeatedly.

“I’m so sorry, Ma’am Cassandra!” she said nervously. “I thought you were flirting with Sir Adrien. Miss Ale asked me to keep an eye on him.”

My sister liked Adrien?

I laughed at the thought. I wouldn't be surprised, she liked beautiful things and Adried was... that.

“I’m going to my room now,” I added. “Oh, and can I have room service sent there? I haven’t had breakfast yet, and I’m really hungry.”

“Of course, Ma’am Cassandra,” Aljun replied immediately.

I smiled at both of them and walked toward the elevators after they handed me the key. There were now two elevators side by side against one wall. I stepped inside the first one that opened and leaned against the wall. My reflection stared back at me from the mirror. For a moment, I found myself staring into my own eyes, lost in thought.

My heart began to beat faster. A strange feeling stirred in my stomach, almost making me feel sick. My palms were sweaty even though I kept wiping them on my skirt.

The elevator stopped on my floor. I walked slowly through the hallway until I reached my room. Even the door looked different now.

I unlocked it and pushed it open.

The strong scent of cleaning products filled my nose, and somehow my nervousness faded. Everything inside had changed—the walls, the floor, the furniture, even the decorations. It looked like a completely different room.

Strangely, it made me feel a little better.

I closed the door behind me and locked it before dropping onto the soft bed. I stared at the ceiling.

Everything started here six years ago.

Sleeping with a complete stranger... and it was my first. I was an idiot.

My phone suddenly rang. I had almost forgotten it was still in my skirt pocket. I lay on my stomach and reached behind me to grab it, checking the caller’s name. It was a video call request from Catherina, saved under the contact name “My Baby.”

All my anxiety disappeared and was replaced with excitement.

I answered the call. Her chubby little face appeared on the screen, though her eyes were still closed while she rubbed one of them with her fist. She yawned before smiling sleepily.

“Morning, Mamu,” she murmured in her tiny, sleepy voice.

“Morning to you too, sweetheart,” I whispered gently, touching the screen as if I could actually caress her cheek. “Go back to sleep, baby. It’s still early.”

“Are you downstairs, Mamu? Where are you?” she asked drowsily, her phone slipping so only her lips and chin were visible.

“Baby, I told you, Mamu is at work,” I said softly. “I’ll be gone for a few days, but I’ll bring you a gift when I come home. Do you want to come with me next time? My work is near the beach. It’s really beautiful here.”

Immediately, she lifted the phone back to her face. She still looked sleepy, but the excitement in her eyes was obvious.

She was only five years old, yet she was the most understanding child I had ever known. She always understood when I had to leave for work. She loved and trusted me so much, sometimes I wasn’t even sure if I deserved it.

“I’ll miss you, Mamu,” she said softly. “I love you.”

My heart ached at the thought of not seeing her for a little while. I blew her a kiss through the screen then bit my lips to force myself not to cry. God, I miss her.

“I love you too, baby. Be good with Mommy Granny and your nanny, okay? Don’t cause trouble.”

She was such a tornado of energy. She never stayed still and loved wandering around without caring about her surroundings. I could already imagine her nanny struggling to keep up with her, and my mother sighing in exhaustion.

But my baby was lovable. I was sure she would eventually win her grandmother’s heart, I bet it was already happening.

Catherina only hummed sleepily before her phone slipped from her hand. I heard a soft rustling sound, then silence. I stayed on the call until I heard her gentle snoring.

“I love you, my baby kitten,” I whispered before ending the call.

I hugged my phone to my chest and closed my eyes.

Maybe next week I could finally stop lying.

I couldn’t lie forever.

Soon everyone would find out the truth—that I wasn’t sent abroad to study. I was disowned by my family. I never finished college.

And I was a single mother.

I didn’t care anymore if people judged me or laughed at me. Being a mother was nothing to be ashamed of. What mattered most to me was making Catherina happy and never making her feel like I regretted having her.