5

Chloe's Perspective:

I stared at Alessio's lifeless body on the floor, my heart racing, threatening to leap out of my chest.

"I didn't mean to," Waylen whispered, the sudden realization of his actions hitting him.

Frozen in place, I struggled to find words.

"You killed him," I whispered.

Waylen ran his hands through his hair, pacing the room.

I dropped to my knees, checking if Alessio was still breathing. It took a moment, but I felt his breath against my cheek. Placing his head on my lap, I checked for a pulse, relieved to find everything normal.

But I wasn't a medical professional; he needed help.

"You need to call an ambulance," I insisted.

Waylen hesitated, staring at the phone on the counter.

"Now," I demanded, snapping Waylen out of his thoughts.

Frantically, he grabbed the phone.

"We can't call an ambulance," he said.

I looked at Waylen in disbelief. "A man is passed out on the floor; we need to call an ambulance," I reasoned.

"No, no, no..." he whispered. "You don't understand the severity of this situation. If anyone finds out, he'll throw us both in prison," he shouted.

As surreal as it was, I couldn't believe he was reacting this way.

"What if he dies?" I spoke.

"If anyone else discovers this, our lives will be ruined. You know how powerful he is. The media will destroy us, and we'll never work again. We can't let this get out," he warned.

"This is your fault. I didn't tell you to punch anyone," I said. Why was he dragging me into his mess?

"I know you're having an affair with him!" he shouted.

He covered his mouth, fearing someone might overhear.

"We're going to cover this up, and no one will ever find out. If this reaches the media, our lives will be over. You know how powerful men like him are. He'll ruin us, and the law will be on his side. We can't let that happen," he continued.

"You're a cold-hearted monster," I said.

"Don't be so dramatic. He's probably just passed out from alcohol. He'll wake up and forget any of this happened," Waylen spoke nonchalantly.

How did I not see this side of him before? I couldn't believe I fell for his tricks.

"I'm doing you a favor; you wouldn't want your poor mother to find out you're a whore. The disgrace to your family. Let alone if you end up in prison," he mocked.

I wanted to prove him wrong, to show that his threats were empty. But I felt utterly hopeless.

Waylen turned around, examining the room.

"We need to move him to the bedroom and make it look like he was sleeping the whole time," he said.

"Maybe we could make an anonymous call or something. We can't leave him like this; he needs help," I pleaded.

"Don't be stupid; we'll get caught. Our best bet is to make it look like a bad night at the bar, and he came back here to sleep," he said.

Waylen got to his knees, pulling Alessio's arm over his shoulder. Struggling, he lifted Alessio to his feet, carrying both their weight.

"Take me to his bedroom," Waylen said. I could tell he was struggling.

Reluctantly, I led the way to Alessio's room.

Waylen struggled, holding Alessio to the room, Alessio's legs dragging on the floor.

It took a while before we reached the bedroom.

"Open up the bedsheets," Waylen demanded.

I did so hesitantly, feeling guilt wash over me. Why did helping Waylen feel like assisting in Alessio's demise?

"This guy weighs a ton," Waylen whispered.

Waylen lowered Alessio onto the bed, pushing his legs in. Waylen covered Alessio with the bedsheets.

How he managed to carry Alessio into bed without his towel falling off, I couldn't comprehend.

"What about when he wakes up? Do I just tell him he had a hangover and everything that happened was a bad dream?" I asked.

"Lie to him however you want. You must be great at it, cheating on me with this guy for so long," Waylen said bitterly. "If you mention I was here, you know what will happen to you. You and I both know your family still needs you."

He sighed. "Ensure our little friend doesn't die through the night."

Minutes later, I heard the front door shut. Waylen was gone.

I looked at Alessio, unable to believe I was complicit in this after he had let me keep my job despite the awkward encounter.

I moved Alessio's head from my lap, stood up, and grabbed the phone from Waylen's hand, ready to make the call.

"If you make that phone call, I'll ruin your life, Chloe," Waylen threatened.

I looked up, his words grabbing my full attention. "You can't do anything to me," I spoke boldly.

"If you make that call, I'll tell the police it's all your fault. You attacked him after he discovered you were trying to swindle him, and you're nothing but a prostitute who sells her body to the guests here. That's why you brought me here to cover up your mess," he threatened.

He sounded so convinced in his lie.

"No one would believe that," I said. "I'm sure he'll wake up and expose all your lies," I added.

"Come on, you saw how drunk he was. Do you think he'll remember any of this when he wakes up? The only thing he'll do is put you in prison. Besides, who would believe you? You wouldn't be the first pretty girl trying to swindle a billionaire," he mocked.

"You're a cold-hearted monster," I said.

"Don't be so dramatic. He's probably just passed out from the alcohol; he'll wake up in a few hours and be completely fine. Hopefully, he forgets any of this ever happened," Waylen spoke nonchalantly.

How did I not notice this side of him before? All that time I was with him, and I never saw a glimpse of the man standing in front of me. How could I have been this stupid and naive to fall for his tricks?

"I'm only doing you a favor. You wouldn't want your poor mother to find out you're a whore, would you? The disgrace you'd bring to your family. Let alone if you end up being thrown in prison," he mocked.

I wanted to show him he was wrong, that his words couldn't weaken me, and they were just empty threats. But I felt completely hopeless. Maybe because I knew he was partially right; Alessio would surely throw us both in prison. Did I have any chance at winning by telling the truth?

Waylen turned around, examining the room.

"We need to move him to the bedroom and make it look like he was sleeping the whole time," he said.

"Maybe there's something else we can do, like making an anonymous call. We can't just leave him like this; he needs help," I pleaded.

"Don't be stupid; we'll get caught. Our best bet is making it look like a bad night at the bar and that he came back here and went to sleep," he said.

Clearly, he wasn't thinking straight; there were so many loopholes in his plan.

Waylen got to his knees, pulling Alessio's arm over his shoulder. Struggling, he raised to his feet, carrying both their weight.

"I need you to take me to his bedroom," Waylen said. I could tell he was struggling.

I hesitated before leading the way to Alessio's room.

Waylen struggled, holding Alessio to the room, Alessio's legs dragging on the floor as they walked.

It took a while before we got to the bedroom.

"Open up the bedsheets," Waylen demanded.

I did so hesitantly, my hands shaking with guilt. Why did this feel like I was helping Waylen dig up Alessio's grave?

"This guy weighs a ton," Waylen whispered.

Waylen lowered Alessio onto the bed, pushing his legs in. Waylen covered Alessio with the bedsheets.

How he managed to carry Alessio into bed without his towel falling off, my mind can't comprehend.

"What about when he wakes up? Am I just supposed to tell him he just has a hangover and that everything that happened was a bad dream?" I spoke.

I looked at Alessio laying on the bed. My eyes welled up in tears; I couldn't believe I was helping Waylen get away with this.

"Lie to him however you want; you must be great at it since you managed to cheat on me with this guy for so long," he spoke bitterly. "If you mention to anyone that I was here, you know what will happen to you." He threatened. "You and I both know that your family still needs you."

He sighed. "Why don't you be a good girl and make sure that our little friend doesn't die through the night."

I watched him as he walked away from the bedroom. Minutes later, I heard the front door shut. He was gone.

I looked over at Alessio; I couldn't believe I was doing this to him after he had been nice enough to let me keep my job despite the awkward encounter.

I went to my knees and prayed. God was just going to forgive me for all the times I lied that I was sick so I wouldn't go to church and every other lie I told in between. He just had to help me out.

I walked to Alessio's bedside.

I moved my face closer to his.

My nose was met with his strong masculine scent; I found myself unable to resist taking in more of his scent. Just one sniff and I was an addict.

'No, Chloe, don't be creepy.' I reminded myself, stepping away.

I was once again relieved that he was still breathing.

Maybe he would wake up soon. As soon as he makes any movements, I would leave before he notices.

My teeth chattered at the cold. My uniform was still wet and was now hugging my body. I needed to get out of these clothes before I got seriously ill.

I took my phone from my pocket; it was completely wet from the shower earlier. I tried switching it on to find it unresponsive. Great, another problem!

I grabbed a towel from the bathroom. Next, I left the room heading to the laundry room. Usually, most of our guests don't have washing machines or dryers in their suits; we just send their clothes downstairs to the laundry room, but this suit pretty much had everything in it.

I unbuttoned my dress, feeling a cold breeze against my skin. I took it off and placed it in the tumble dryer. I'm sure in a few minutes, it would be dry and ready for me to wear again.

I was left in nothing but my bra and underwear.

I took the towel, wrapping it tightly on my body.

I returned to the bedroom; I needed to check on Alessio again. I couldn't let him die on me, even if it meant I would end up in prison.

I was happy to know that he still looked okay.

I think I saw his head turn.

Just thinking about it, I realized how stupid this whole situation was. I couldn't believe that I had allowed Waylen to blackmail me into this. I should just let the police take him to prison and then see how it goes. Luckily, Alessio didn't seem to be too serious.

I hugged myself tightly as the cold breeze continued. The room was freezing.

What else could I do to warm myself up? I couldn't put on any of his clothes; that would also be against hotel policy, not that I haven't broken too many rules already. Besides, I wasn't trying to leave behind clues of my presence here intentionally. My only option was to adjust the thermostat.

I found the remote control in the corner of the room. I pressed a few buttons to find it unresponsive.

Pressed two more buttons, but still no luck. The room was becoming colder.

This was nothing like the thermostats in the other suits. I sighed in frustration, but my stubbornness wouldn't let me give up yet.

I tried again having no luck. If my phone was working, this would be the perfect time to google. I returned the remote to its original position.

I hugged myself even tighter.

I turned around, looking at the empty spot next to Alessio; it looked so inviting.

"No," I whispered to myself.

Under no circumstances was I to get into his bed. I was only staying here long enough to make sure he was okay.

But maybe that meant it wasn't that bad of an idea to get into his bed. My dress would be dry in a little bit, and I would be out of his bed in no time as if none of this had ever happened.

"Just for a little bit," I whispered to myself.

I slipped under the bed sheets.

The sheets were cold for a while, but within minutes, I felt warm.

As soon as I noticed Alessio show any signs of consciousness, I would leave before he even notices I was here. Maybe if I'm lucky, he won't even remember I was here.

I stared at the ceiling, hugging the bed sheets.

My eyes slowly started to close. Before I knew it, I fell asleep.

________________________________________

I twisted in bed, smiling to myself. I don't know how long it's been since I slept this well. I felt the warm spot next to me as I extended my hand.

I squinted my eyes as the sunbeams entered the room.

Shot!

It was already morning; how did I end up oversleeping?

Just then, I felt a cold splash of water thrown over my head.

I sat up straight, gasping for air at the sudden shock of the icy water against my skin.

I opened my eyes to an angry Alessio holding a water bucket.