Chapter 23: You Can Stay With Me
The longer Scarlett waited, the angrier she felt. She cursed Chuck internally. If they finished within an hour or two, then she would still have a chance to get in and sleep. The clock struck 2 am. Scarlett was sleepy, and her phone was almost dead. She tried one last time to call Chuck.
“Sorry! The subscriber you dialed can not be connected for the moment, and please redial later.” The automated voice on the other end of the line said.
Scarlett leaned on the sofa and was about to fall asleep. Suddenly, the front door opened, and a group of people in suits walked in. The lobby manager, who had refused Scarlett’s request, immediately walked up to the door and greeted the boss in front with a professional, bright smile.
“Francis Sandler!” Scarlett recognized the man in front, and her eyes lit up. She had seen her savior! “Uncle Francis!” She almost yelled out. He had just gotten off the plane and looked tired. Because of his tight schedule, he had already been on several teleconferences along the way. The Hong Kong company partners had even followed him to the hotel all the way to deal with some early-stage preparations. At this moment, he heard a familiar and somewhat refreshing voice.
Scarlett rushed to Francis and grabbed his arm tightly.”Uncle Francis, thank god you are here. You gotta help me…” He looked at Scarlett and frowned, “Why are you here?” She held Francis’s arm even tighter and whispered in his ear, “Chuck locked me out.”
Francis felt a little bit aroused as Scarlett leaned her body against his. He felt the soft pressure of her chest on his arm. Plus, in this ravishing silk dress, she looked even more attractive. But Francis, as always, would not let any of his emotions show. Francis’s employees thought that this girl was really their boss’s niece and did not dare to bother the two. They took their own keycards and went away.
“You come here with Chuck? You two really are good friends.” Francis snorted.
“Not really. He turned his back on me to hook up with some girl. I hate him. Anyway, my passport and driving license are both in the room, so I couldn’t even get another room. I need your help. Please!”
Why was this girl causing him so much trouble recently?
“Don’t wear this dress anymore!” Francis said in a gruff voice.
“Wait… what? Scarlett looked down at her dress and said, “Chuck told me the dress suited me…”
“No, no, it does suit you. But you shouldn’t wear it out in public. Unless you want to call a lot of attention to yourself…”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.
Scarlett would do anything Francis asked. She just wanted to go to sleep. It was getting late. “Okay, fine, I won’t wear the dress. Do you think you could help me out, though? Could you get me a room so I can go to sleep?”
Francis gave the lobby manager a look, and she came forward immediately. She explained that the rooms were already fully reserved and the room reserved for Mr. Sandler was the last one. Scarlett thought about it and looked at Francis.
“How ’bout you lend me some cash that I can go to a pub or …”
“You can stay with me.” Francis stopped her and then strode away. The hotel manager quickly followed.
Scarlett had no choice but to speed up. Maybe Francis Sandler was not as cold-hearted as he looked, she thought.
The porter opened the door, placed the luggage down, and retreated swiftly. Scarlett chose the smaller room and left the master bedroom to Francis. She simply wanted to take a shower and go to sleep right away. She thought Francis would have left for work by the time she woke up the next day, so then she would not have to confront more embarrassing moments.
But after she finished her bath, she got really thirsty. She was dehydrated. So she put on her bathrobe and walked out of her room to pour herself a glass of water. She thought Francis must have slept by now. But as she approached the bar counter, she found a dark figure in front of the screen light. “Uncle Francis?” He frowned, “I’m not your uncle.”
Scarlett rubbed her nose and felt a bit embarrassed. She had pretended to be Francis’s niece to deceive his staff and the hotel manager.
“You got the Sandler Scholarship?” He broke the silence.
Scarlett took a seat on the high stool and slurped a mouthful of water. “I know it’s kind of inexplicable. I’m not the best, but…”
“You’re really not,” Francis said as he turned off the laptop.
Scarlett prickled at the comment and tried to defend herself, “At least I’m a good student!”
“If being a good student means getting terribly hammered and sleeping in a stranger’s house, and if it means skipping classes and flying abroad to have fun with some playboy, then yes. Yes, you are a very good student indeed.” Francis was sarcastic, but he couldn’t conceal his true anger. “He’s not just “some playboy”, he’s one of my best friends!” Scarlett didn’t recognize the jealousy in Francis’s voice. She was irritated by his words. “I’ve been getting attacked online and at school, and Chuck just decided to fly me out here for a quick trip so I could get some relief.”
Scarlett thought about the many times Chuck had comforted her, gone shopping with her, or done her huge favors at the drop of a hat. Even though he had locked her out tonight because he was hooking up with some girl, he was, overall, a good friend.
“How do you guys know each other?” Francis looked at the girl in front of him. She was so special, unlike any woman he had met before. She didn’t put on delicate makeup, and she was not elegant in the least. But she was beautiful. She was too rebellious and adventurous, yet innocent and tender. Her unique charm trapped his interest.
Scarlett replied, “I play snooker, and we knew each other because once I helped him win a game.” She didn’t dare tell him that they had actually met at a car race. She still wanted to act like she was a good student, after all. Sophisticated and experienced, Francis already discerned that Scarlett was not telling him the truth. “Go to sleep!’ He was too tired to pursue the details.”Good night, um…Mr. Sandler!” Scarlett jumped off the high stool and walked into her room.
Scarlett slept until it was almost noon, and as she expected, Francis had already left for work. Scarlett noticed that he left a stack of cash and a note with his phone on the coffee table for her. There were also several brand-new clothes, shoes, and bags from Dolce & Gabbana. Scarlett liked the girly pink dress and white ballet flats best.
“Francis is actually a nice guy. He seems serious and aloof, but he has a good heart. If he were kind to me in his words… I might just fall in love with him!” Scarlett looked at the presents and thought. She couldn’t wait to try on the dress. When she stood in front of the mirror, she found that her new clothes suited her perfectly.