Alyssa ran towards the elevator not wanting to create a scene at the pool. No, she could heal her broken heart all alone. She didn’t need to disturb Nicholas with her unwanted feelings. Quickly getting into the elevator, she made her escape in the blink of an eye. She had no wish to go to their bedroom and spend another night with him. Wandering off to the ground floor, she walked out of the hotel towards the Marina Bay Promenade a few minutes away. It was a clear evening and the sun had just set, a perfect time to enjoy the sights around the place.
Nicholas wore his clothes and rushed after her down the elevator to his room. After having a few pegs of whiskey, he had completely forgotten that he had asked her to accompany him tonight. He unlocked the door of their suite room but surprisingly she wasn’t there anywhere.
“Are you sure that she has come here?” asked Seth, his school buddy who lived here in Singapore with his wife Everly, who was also a close friend to Nicholas. They had married after graduating from school and Nicholas still remembered the fun he had at their wedding. He always met them when he visited Singapore on his business trips.
“I’m sure she might have misunderstood you, Nick,” said Everly, recalling the tears in Alyssa’s eyes.
“You should have brought her along, bro. No wonder she misunderstood you,” said Seth who had just gone to get more drinks when Alyssa saw Nicholas and Everly together.
“I was upset with her so I downed a couple of pegs and then forgot everything,” Nicholas defended himself guiltily. He searched the entire suite but she wasn’t there. Where could she have gone?
“Not a couple of pegs, Nick. You had nearly ten pegs,” pointed out Everly, almost scolding him.
“Let’s not stand here and waste our time. I think we should inquire at the reception desk about her,” said Seth. They locked the room and rushed back to the elevator to go down to the ground floor. Nicholas was extremely worried since Alyssa didn’t know her way around the new city. Seth spoke to the hotel authorities about Alyssa missing and they launched a search operation all over the property but Nicholas had a feeling that she might have gone outside.
“I’ll go look for her,” he said, ready to go out to search for her.
“I’ll come along, Nick. You’re a little drunk and you shouldn’t go around all by yourself. Seth can stay here and coordinate with the guards,” said Everly. They left the hotel, walking down Bayfront Avenue towards the Promenade.
“We’ll look around the Promenade before going further,” said Everly, who was a local resident. They walked briskly towards the Promenade and started looking for Alyssa. Nicholas wanted to tear his hair off with frustration and worry. Why did she have to run off like that when all he did was take a dip with a friend? Couldn’t she have confronted him instead of jumping to her own conclusions?
“She isn’t on this side. Let’s go to the other end,” said Everly. They went to the other side when Nicholas stopped in his tracks. “What happened? Why did you stop?” asked Everly, following his line of vision. She gasped seeing Alyssa rush towards a ferry at the far end, eager to get away from them.
“Stop, Alyssa. Where the f*ck are you going?” yelled Nicholas as he ran at top speed to stop her. Everly too followed and they both caught her just before she could step onto the ferry. Nicholas pulled her away and she collided with him, both panting hard.
“What are you up to, Alyssa? Have you really gone crazy?” he yelled at her, shaking her by her arms to put some sense in her head. Alyssa struggled to get free, the tear stains evident on her face under the bright lights of the Promenade.
“Yes, I’m crazy. I should have realized long before what you really are, Nicholas. You can’t fool me anymore. You are a disgusting man who*e who just wants to use me but you know what? I refuse to spend another night with you in that room. I’d rather spend the whole night here,” she yelled back. Nicholas was shocked at her outburst and gaped at her insinuations, unable to defend himself. He was upset to see the hatred, hurt, and disappointment reflected in her eyes for him.
“Please guys, can you discuss this in your room? You have gathered an audience around here,” said Everly, coming closer to separate the two of them. Alyssa’s blood boiled seeing the woman she saw semi-naked at the pool with Nicholas still with him.
“Shut up, who*e. You have no right to interfere in our matters.” Nicholas caught her wrist in a tight grip and swung her around to face him.
“Alyssa mind your language. You’re not in your senses right now. Apologize to Everly right away. She took so much pain to look for you,” shouted Nicholas, his eyes flashing angrily at her.
“No, never. You know what? You both can go to hell.” She wrenched her hand free and ran towards the hotel to pack her stuff while Nicholas’s shoulders drooped as the alcohol he consumed started working on his system.
“Take it easy, Nick. I think she loves you and is suffering from jealousy. Just don’t be too harsh on her. You can clarify when she calms down,” said Everly who was more mature being a mom to three kids. They trudged along towards the hotel. Nicholas thanked Everly and Seth and they left to go home. He went up to his room to see Alyssa packing her stuff.
“Where are you going?” he asked her, massaging his temples from fatigue.
“I won’t sleep here in this room with you.”
“Please can we deal with this tomorrow morning? I’m not feeling very well,” pleaded Nicholas.
“I don’t care how you’re feeling. I’m booking a room for myself. I’ll ask dad to pay for my expenses here,” she said, walking out, banging the door shut on his face. Nicholas didn’t have the energy to protest or run after her. His head started swooning and he felt dizzy and somehow got rid of his shoes and socks and discarded his clothes. He fell into his bed as the effects of alcohol started taking a toll on him.
Alyssa was surprised that Nicholas didn’t stop her as she had expected him to. She went to the reception and booked into a single occupancy room on the floor below his. She ordered a simple dinner, all the while worrying about Nicholas. What was he doing alone in his room? Why didn’t he come after her? As she picked at her food, her glance went to the door all the time but sadly Nicholas didn’t come to fetch her.
All throughout the night, she had a restless sleep wondering if Nicholas was with the woman or not. Was that the reason why he didn’t stop her? She woke up early in the morning but realized that she forgot her mobile phone in Nicholas’s apartment. She had to check today’s schedule and needed her mobile immediately. Sighing, she freshened up and went up to his room. Despite knocking three times when he didn’t open the door, she felt alarmed. Nicholas was always an early riser so why wasn’t he opening the door? Was he alright? After all, he was complaining last night that he wasn’t well. Feeling guilty she went to the reception to get a spare set of keys to his room.
Unlocking the door, she went into the bedroom. It was in a state of mess with Nicholas’s clothes and belongings strewn all over while he lay on the bed at an odd angle, in deep sleep. There was a bad stench of stale alcohol all around and she switched on the AC. It was evident that he wasn’t joking when he told her last night that he wasn’t feeling well. Maybe she should have listened to him. A fresh bout of love welled up in her heart and she picked all his clothes and shoes up. The clothes were soiled and needed to be sent to the laundry. Later she sat down beside him wondering whether she should return here to his room but the memories of the woman made her angry. No, she wouldn’t give in so easily. She needed an explanation for his behavior. Picking up her phone and a few more belongings, she walked out of his room.
There were no meetings scheduled in the morning. They had a press conference at noon still she showered and waited for Nicholas’s instructions. Now she knew she had to think of a way to ask her stepdad for money. Maybe he would have his own set of conditions that she would have to follow in return for the money. Was she ready for that? She knew what the first condition would be. She would have to move back into his apartment and the second would be to join his company.
She sighed and picked up the phone when the door clicked open and an angry and grumpy Nicholas strode into the room. He started picking up her stuff randomly alarming her.
“Nicholas, what do you think you’re doing?” she asked angrily.