All Chapters of The Scandal In Room 214: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

CANDACEI stared at Bridgette, waiting for her to explain what she meant by “I might know his.” She hadn’t moved from her spot on my bed, and the way she kept rubbing her thumb over the edge of the blanket made it obvious that whatever she was about to say wasn’t something she was comfortable sharing. After everything that had happened tonight, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to hear it either, but there was no way I could simply ignore it after she’d just told me the man who broke into her apartment knew her name.“You think you know who did this?” I asked carefully.“I’m not saying I know for sure.” She shook her head. “I didn’t see his face clearly enough. Everything happened too quickly, and by the time I turned around, he was already wearing the hood over his head. But his voice…” She paused, her brows pulling together as she searched through the memory. “Something about it felt familiar. The way he spoke, the way he said my name. I didn’t recognize him immediately, but after

CANDACEThe email came while I was sitting at my kitchen table, staring at an unfinished assignment and wondering how many more times I could reread the same paragraph without actually absorbing it.I almost ignored the notification because I had spent the entire morning applying for part-time jobs and most of the responses I’d received had been polite rejections or automated emails thanking me for my interest. I had started to assume the whole thing was pointless, but when I finally opened the message and saw the first line, I sat up so quickly that my chair scraped against the floor.Dear Ms Winters,My eyes moved down the screen.We are pleased to offer you the position of part-time waitress at Bellini’s.I read it twice before a smile spread across my face.I had actually gotten the job.The restaurant was only a block from campus, which was the main reason I’d applied in the first place. I could walk there after lectures, work a few hours and still make it back in time for anyth

CANDACE“CANDACE EVELYN WINTERS!”My entire body stiffened.I turned toward the voice and immediately recognised my mother standing at the edge of the driveway with one hand resting on the handle of her suitcase.For a second, I just stared at her.“What are you doing here?”Her eyes moved from me to the car parked behind me. Then they shifted to the man sitting in the driver’s seat.Her expression changed.“I could ask you the same thing.”I glanced back at Elias.He had already lowered his window, and when our eyes met, I could tell he understood that this was probably not a conversation he needed to be part of.I stepped farther away from the car.“My car broke down.”My mother looked toward the Civic parked on the roadside a short distance away before returning her attention to me. “And that man?”“He stopped to help me.”“He stopped to help you?”“Yes.”She looked at him again.I could practically see the questions forming in her head.“He’s my professor.”Her eyebrows lifted.“

CANDACEI woke up the next morning convinced I had dreamed the entire conversation.Italy.There was no way my parents had actually sat together and decided that the three of us were going to Italy. It sounded like something my mother could just suggest over dinner and then forget about two days later. I rolled over, grabbed my phone, and checked the time before getting out of bed. I had barely stepped out when I heard my mother's voice.“You can’t book that one. The layover is too long.”Another voice answered.My father’s.When I finally reached my small kitchen, I found my mother sitting at the table with her laptop open while my father was on a video call beside her. Several tabs covered the screen, most of them displaying flights, hotels, and travel information.“You’re actually doing it.”My mother looked up from the laptop. “Good morning.”My father smiled through the screen. “Good morning to you too sweet face.”I pulled out the chair beside my mother and sat down, still sta

CANDACEMy mother was already knocking on my door. “Candace, get up.”I pulled the blanket over my head. “I’m awake.”“You’re not. Then open the door.”I groaned and sat up, rubbing my eyes before checking the time on my phone. Seven fifteen. I stared at the screen in disbelief before getting out of bed.“Why are you waking me up at seven in the morning?”“Because your father said we were leaving at seven thirty.”I opened the door with my hair completely messed up. My mother looked me over and immediately shook her head.“Look at you. You look like you fought your pillow.”“I was sleeping.”I laughed and walked back into the room. “I’ll be ready in ten minutes.”She watched me walk toward the bathroom before adding, “And brush your hair.”I turned around. “Mom, I know how to brush my hair.”“Clearly.”I laughed and shut the bathroom door before she could say anything else.By the time I came downstairs, my father was already sitting in the lobby.“You really did say you were going to