Seeing that it was Horace, Clara was relieved. It was fortunate that this someone was not a robber or the consequence would be terrible.
Yet, Clara’s relief soon turned into anger. She wondered why Horace could enter her room.
Clara only wore a bathrobe because she rushed out of the bathroom in a great hurry. Therefore, holding her in his arms, Horace could feel the softness of her body and smell the fragrance of her hair, which nearly set a fire in his heart.
Clara pushed him away and glowered at him, “Why do you have the key? How can you get in here?”
Horace recovered his composure and explained to Clara, “Clara, this is also my room.”
“What?” Clara was puzzled, “This is not your room. Didn’t Isaac book two single rooms for us?”
“Well, he did. Yet all the other standard single rooms were occupied, so a negotiation was made that we could have a suite together. I was kept in the dark until I disembarked,” Horace explained in a gentle tone.
Actually, Horace did not tell her all the truth-that Isaac booked two single rooms for them, that all the standard single rooms were occupied, and that there was a negotiation about changing the rooms were indeed real; yet that he did not know it until he disembarked was, of course, not real.
Isaac did not dare to make such an important decision by himself, so he consulted Horace once after the hotel called him and Horace did not object.
Horace’s explanation infuriated Clara. She left him alone and walked into the bedroom. She would definitely not believe his saying that he did not know it until recently.
She would never believe such nonsense.
She suddenly realized that it must be his excuse to leave the hotel for a while for business reasons and let her enter the room first, so that he could secretly settle down in the same room before she could realize the whole trick.
Ugh! How could a high-status CEO plan such an indecent trick? He was wicked!
“Clara…” Horace wanted to further explain but was stopped by Clara heavily slamming the door behind her.
Clara changed her clothes quickly and carried her suitcase out of the bedroom, intending to leave the room.
“Clara, where are you going?” Horace marched toward the door and stopped her.
“I will have another room. Let me go,” Clara said coldly. If there was indeed no vacant room, she would rather share a room with Sarah and her roommate than share a room with him!
“There was no vacant room now. What’s your plan?” Horace knew that she would choose to have another room after she knew the truth.
“I don’t see how that is any of your business! If there is no vacant room, I will share a room with other people or I can find a new hotel. I will never ever share a room with you!” Clara said angrily.
Clara’s words upset Horace, “Clara, why do you hate me so much? Can’t you just bear a few nights with me?”
“You mean that it’s inappropriate for me to change my room?” furious, Clara sneered, “Horace Kirkland, we divorced five years ago and I have had nothing to do with you from then on. I am single now, yet you booked a honeymoon suite for us? How ridiculous!”
“Well, Isaac agreed to change the room only because there was no vacant room…” Horace was then interrupted before he finished his explanation.
“Don’t use Isaac and the hotel as an excuse. Isaac would never dare to make such an arrangement without your permission! I am not that foolish!”
Horace lapsed into silence, staring at her.
“Well, no more excuses?” Clara glared at him with sarcasm in her eyes. Then, she took her luggage and was to bypass him.
“Clara,” Horace took her by her arm and said seriously, “I admit that I kind of arranged this suite for us. I just want to be with you alone so that I can take care of you, let you feel my love, and no more else. Can you give me one more chance?”
“So you want me to give you a chance to trick me into sharing a room with you?” Clara asked. “You never respect me! Have you ever thought about those terrible gossips after everyone knows that I live with you? Have you?”
“Clara, I am sorry I made a wrong decision. Yet I didn’t mean to offend you,” afraid that she would misunderstand his intention, Horace explained anxiously.
“Then let me go!” Clara shouted.
Horace did not release her since he knew that if he let her go this time, they would become total strangers from then on and he could never have another chance to be with her.
Such a worry made Horace scared, so he said threateningly, “If you leave now, everyone will know it and we will be in the center of gossip again.”
So that was why he dared to book a honeymoon suite. Clara was infuriated, rage flaming in her tone, “You threaten me? Horace Kirkland, how despicable you’ve become!”
There was no response from Horace. He himself also knew that his trick was despicable, yet he also knew that Clara would leave him if he did not do that.
Although Clara was angry, she hesitated since she admitted that what Horace said indeed made sense. Anger occupied her brain just now, so she did not realize the seriousness of her leaving the room now.
As professional journalists, her colleagues would insist on getting to the bottom of the matter if she was found changing her room. Then, the honeymoon suite would absolutely be discovered, which would be a great shame to her.
What a jerk Horace was! She was now trapped by the dilemma set purposely by him.
Clara’s hesitation sparked the joy in Horace’s heart, “Clara, don’t worry. I will stay in the living room during these nights and I won’t bother you.”
Compromising, Clara took her luggage back to the bedroom. She was indeed afraid of gossip. She comforted herself that a few nights would just be fine.
He then followed Clara into the bedroom. A smile was playing around the edges of his lips, “Clara, we…”
Clara interrupted him, “Horace Kirkland, this is really my bad day. I indeed hate being gossiped, so I’m gonna let it go.
“Yet, we have to make it clear that I will sleep in the bedroom and you in the living room. Without my permission, you can’t step across this threshold. Now I am going to arrange my stuff. Can you please get out?” with a poker face, Clara motioned him to the living room.
The flicking fire in Clara’s eyes convinced Horace that she knew she had been tricked and did not want to see him again.
“Then I will call you when we start our trip,” Horace turned around and left. As soon as he got out of the bedroom, he heard the door locked behind him.
He turned around to stare at the locked door, upset and sad. He wondered when their relationship could be totally repaired and when she could open up to him again.
After closing and locking the door, exhausted, Clara flung herself to the bed. It was really a bad day.