Chapter 4
The hotel room was quiet. It has a silence that makes every sound feel louder than it should.
The bed sheets on the bed were cold. Aiden stood up slowly, placing his back against the headboard of the bed. He wasn’t sure of what woke him up. Maybe it was the sudden emptiness beside him, or the strange feeling he had.
He looked to his side. The woman was gone.
His eyes went to the pillow she’d rested on. The pillow still had her scent. But what caught his eye was the envelope. It sat on the bedside table. He stared at it.
Aiden collected the envelope with his fingers brushing the corner before he picked it up.
Inside it, he saw thick stacks of dollars, thousands to be precise. A lot of them.
His expression changed.
This was what she thought of him? He thought.
He felt the heat under his skin. It wasn’t the kind of heat that came with passion, it was the one that burned with insult.
Aiden was used to power and control. He loved being respected. And now he was waking up to money on the table like he’d been paid for a service. Like he was nothing but a body.
He threw the envelope on the ground and got out of bed. The woman didn’t leave anything behind.
No name. No number. Nothing but her scent, that he couldn’t get out of his head.
He put on his pants and grabbed his phone to call his assistant.
“Rex,” he said the moment the call went through.
“Yes, sir?” Rex said.
“I want you to find that lady. The lady that was with me last night. She left this morning, like an hour ago, I’m not sure. I want camera footage, lobby check-in, whatever you can find.”
Rex hesitated. “You want me to involve…….?”
“No,” Aiden cut in sharply. “Keep it quiet. It should be between us. I just want a name. That’s all.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll get back to you.” Rex replied.
Aiden hung up the phone. He walked around the room. She wasn’t supposed to matter.
It was just one night. She was drunk, clinging, and annoying. And now she was gone. She paid him off as if he were a nobody.
He sat on the edge of the bed, folding his fists and staring at the envelope with rage.
Meanwhile, Nathalie sat on her bed, her fingers shaking over her laptop. The walk of shame from that hotel had been long and miserable, but what surprised her more wasn’t the sex. It was the way she had acted. Like someone else had taken over. She had more reasons to hate her disorder even more.
She left the money because that felt easier than goodbye and explanations. She shook her head.
“This wasn’t part of the mission,” she whispered to herself.
She’d come to Oakwood with just one purpose. To track the arms broker that has to do with my brother’s death, stay undercover and never get involved with anything or anyone.
But now all she could think about was that stranger in the restroom. Her chest tightened. She didn’t even know his name. She was less interested.
“Hey,” a voice broke through her thoughts.
Nathalie looked up. Tessa stood by her door, arms crossed, a deep frown on her face.
“You good?” She asked
Nathalie tried to smile. “Yeah. Just tired.”
Tessa didn’t move. “You disappeared last night. I called you several times, but you weren’t picking up my calls.”
“I wasn’t feeling well and you caused it,” Nathalie replied.
“That’s not what the bar attendant said.” Tessa stepped closer. “He said you left with someone. One tall guy.”
Nathalie’s mouth went dry. “No way, it wasn’t like that.”
“Oh?” Tessa raised a brow. “What was it like, then?” She asked.
Nathalie couldn’t answer.
Tessa sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. “Look, I know I pushed you to go out and I switched your drink, and I’m sorry for that, but I just wanted you to have fun. But something feels… off. You haven’t said a word since you came back this morning”
“I’m fine, Tess.” She replied without looking at her.
“You’re not.” Tessa leaned in. “You didn’t answer my calls or reply to any of my messages.”
Nathalie looked down. “It’s alright okay. I forgive you. Can we change the topic now?” She said.
“Who was the tall guy?” Tessa asked with a curious face.
“Doesn’t matter Tessa,” Nathalie said.
“It matters if he hurt you,” Tessa replied
Nathalie looked up sharply. “He didn’t.” She laughed.
Tessa turned her head. “But something did.”
Nathalie didn’t respond. Tessa stood up. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”
“I know young lady, but it was just one night, okay? Talk about something else.” Nathalie chuckled.
“If you say so. Breakfast is ready, so I’ll be expecting you.” Tessa said.
Nathalie closed her laptop and went to freshen up.
Rex returned four hours later. Aiden stood behind his desk, arms folded, staring at the window of his penthouse office. Aiden didn’t turn, he already knew it was Rex.
“She left through one of the back doors. She was wearing a hoodie. We have no sign of her ID and the cameras caught her getting into a cab. The driver of the cab was unregistered. There are no tags or trails.” Rex said.
The office was quiet.
Rex added, “I asked around the club. The waitress said she came with a friend last night. The lady is a popular celebrity in her late twenties. Her name is Tessa Walter. She left alone.”
Aiden turned slowly. “So, what you're saying is…… I slept with a damn ghost?”
Rex didn’t answer.
Aiden moved to Rex and collected the folder in his hand from him. There were blurry photos from the hotel’s security footage. All of them captured the back of her head or her lowered face. There was nothing.
He slammed the folder on the table.
“I want her found,” he said, voice low but sharp. “Use someone else if you have to. Check cabs. Make sure you get traffic cams. Do you understand?”
Rex gave a slight nod. “Understood sir.”
As soon as he left, Aiden sat down. He had business deals stacked on his calendar, meetings with high-profile clients, and deals to finalize, yet all he could think about was a woman who didn’t even leave her name. He has been disrespected before but not like this.
A few minutes later, his phone rang. This time, it was Rex.
“I might’ve found something,” Rex said quickly. “But there's a problem.”
Aiden didn't blink. “What problem?” He asked. There was a long pause.
Rex’s voice dropped. “It's not just about who she is, it's about who she might be.”
