The receptionist smiled and replied, “Our hotel has hosted countless guests, with many coming and going daily. Are you certain you’re not mistaken?”
“I’m positive that he stayed here before,” the cleaner insisted.
“Auntie, you have a great memory. That gentleman was indeed a long-term guest at our hotel. He did rent Room 1231 before!” the receptionist said to the cleaner in surprise.
Hearing this, the cleaner recalled something, clapping a hand to her forehead and saying, “That’s right! He was the guest of Room 1231. He’s handsome, so I have a deep impression of him. But why did he and that lady argue about who will have the room? Since they are a couple, whether they rent the room makes no difference. They will stay in that room with their two children, won’t they?”
“Auntie, how do you know they are a couple?” the receptionist asked curiously. “Maybe they are just ordinary friends.”
“I’m a good judge of appearance,” the cleaner said with a smile and glanced toward the elevator nearby. “They look like a couple.”
“You can judge their relationship just by looking at their faces?”
“Not entirely,” the cleaner chuckled and said, “Did you notice their two children just now? The boy looks like that gentleman, while the little girl looks like that lady. It’s obvious that the four of them are a family. And it’s not hard to see that the gentleman and the lady are a couple!”
Having entered the elevator, Estelle didn’t hear the conversation between the cleaner and the receptionist.
Looking at her reflection on the elevator door, she couldn’t help but sigh again.
Time is so ruthless.
‘It has only been three years, but all the traces of Mr. Mysterious’ existence have been erased by time little by little.’
‘And it’s ironic that now the only person that I can talk about Mr. Mysterious with is Mr. Lopez.’
Several seconds later, the elevator stopped. Then, Estelle walked out of the elevator.
Everything on the twelfth floor felt very familiar to her. She had walked along this corridor countless times.
The first time she came here, she was afraid. Later, she became acquainted with Mr. Mysterious and looked forward to visiting here every day. Every time they met, she felt a sense of security.
Now, she was here again, and a wave of endless sadness welled up in her heart.
Estelle couldn’t help but sigh in her heart, ‘Sir, if you are still alive, why didn’t you renew the lease? Have you given up on me?’
“What are you doing here?” Estelle heard a man’s voice.
Startled, Estelle stopped in her tracks, turned to look in the direction of the staircase, and then was stunned.
“Ron? You… Is Mr. Mysterious here?” She became excited at once, her eyes brightening.
Then she asked, “Is Mr. Mysterious here, right? Where is he now? Is he in Room 1231 or another room?”
“Mr. Mysterious is dead,” Ron said, staring at her coldly.
“He’s not dead!” Estelle quickly walked up to Ron, grabbed his sleeve, and asked anxiously, “Where on earth is he? Since you are here, he must be here too. Take me to him. I want to see…”
“Let go of me!” Ron said and pushed her away with great force.
In an instant, Estelle lost her balance. She took a few steps backward, and her back hit the wall behind her.
The next moment, her eyes filled with tears, both from the pain in her back and the heartache, as she looked at Ron in surprise.
Turning his face away to avoid her gaze, Ron said in a deep voice, “Go away and don’t come here again.”
“Why?” Estelle asked.
“Miss Hudson,” Ron said, his face turning livid with anger, “I don’t know how you have the courage to ask me why! Mr. Mysterious gave up everything for you, but what did you do for him in return? You got close to him with ulterior motives, deceived him, and left him when he needed you the most. Did he owe you anything? Why did you torture him again and again like that?”
“Again and again? What do you mean?” Estelle asked in puzzlement.
With a distorted face, Ron frowned and said impatiently, “That’s not the point. The point is, you have to leave Hadale as soon as possible. The money Mr. Mysterious gave you is enough for you to enjoy the rest of your life.”
“Then why are you here?” Estelle asked.
“I’m here because I miss Mr. Mysterious,” Ron said irritably.
Estelle closed her eyes in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Wiping the tears away quickly with the back of her hand, she said, “Ron, I had no choice but to leave him as soon as possible back then. I talked with Mr. Lopez before, and I know that Mr. Mysterious is still alive.”
Hearing this, Ron suddenly turned to look at her and asked in surprise, “Mr. Lopez? He told you that Mr. Mysterious is not dead?”
“He didn’t want to tell me, but I convinced him to share the information,” Estelle said. “I had my suspicions when he told me that before. But now, seeing your reaction, I’m sure that Mr. Mysterious is alive. Mr. Lopez has hidden him somewhere, right?”
Hearing this, Ron sneered, “Don’t play games with me. I’m not Mr. Lopez and won’t tell you anything about Mr. Mysterious. If I had known that Mr. Mysterious would suffer so much, I wouldn’t have encouraged him to be with you back then. Mr. Lopez is right. Women can be obstacles to men’s careers, and you were the biggest obstacle in Mr. Mysterious’ career. You not only sabotaged Mr. Mysterious’ career repeatedly but also nearly killed him.”
‘It’s the second time you’ve said ‘again and again’ just now. What do you mean by that, Ron?’ Estelle thought, her brow furrowing slightly.
‘I was with Mr. Mysterious for only a few months, and I did nothing to hurt him except for leaving him three years ago. Why do you keep saying that I destroyed Mr. Mysterious again and again?’
‘Did I ever do something that could have destroyed Mr. Mysterious’ career before I even knew him?’
“Ron, I beg you. You wouldn’t come here for no reason. It sounds too far-fetched that you are here because you miss him. The only reason I can think of for you coming here is that Mr. Mysterious is also here.”
Ron didn’t reply directly. Instead, he said, “Miss Hudson, if you still have a conscience, please leave Hadale and don’t come back again. Mr. Mysterious is living a good life without you. Your appearance will only push him into the abyss of pain again.”