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The Unlikely Love 11
VALERIAAs the door creaked open, I stepped into my home, the worn-out welcome mat beneath my feet a testament to the passage of time. I turned on the fan in the sitting room and listened to the soft hum filling the empty house. Although it was empty, I felt welcomed looking at the walls filled with family photographs. The loud laughter and boisterous conversations were still audible to me. The house was a bungalow with four bedrooms, each with its own story, whispered tales of joy, arguments, and dreams shared among all of us. My heart ached as I recalled all the beautiful memories and what had occurred presently.The only meal I had eaten that day was the bowl of soup my boss offered me at the hotel, so I walked into the kitchen to help myself with something to eat, silently hoping that there was something in the fridge at least. Sike. The fridge was totally empty; there was only a bottle of orange juice, which had been there for a very long time. With a shrug, I grabbed it, along
The Unlikely Love 12
ADAM“When were you going to tell me about this?? You know I oversee anything concerning the hotel.” I spat out immediately Ben entered my office. I called for him as soon as I returned to the hotel. He looked at me, confused. I sighed because I realized I wasn’t clear enough. “The financial situation of the hotel.”I could see him gulp hard as he closed the door gently and sat on the couch. “I’m so sorry, boss, but Miss Madeline warned us not to inform you about it.”“Us?”“Yes. The management team, and Kenneth, the chef.” He responded calmly.I breathed in deeply. This couldn’t be happening. I felt so angry all over again; I wasn’t expecting to return to something like this. It felt like my mother caused a huge problem and patiently waited to return and fix it myself. How could she have been so dumb? That isn’t love; that is utter stupidity.I would gladly prefer not to be involved in love if it is stupidity.I looked at the reports on the table again. I felt helpless; I sincer
The Unlikely Love 13
VALERIAI didn’t realize how long I slept until I looked at my phone; it was 7 p.m. I sat up abruptly and looked around the sitting room. Everywhere was pitch dark. I was so glad that Nikki covered up for me because I genuinely didn’t have the strength to attend to anyone. I didn’t have the strength to say things like:“Welcome to our hotel; we hope you have an amazing stay.” Or, “Front Desk, how may I help you, please?”Or pretend to smile when all I wanted to do was take my sister’s place in that hospital bed.I had decided to take up my boss’ offer, and I was extremely scared. I was scared of everything that would come next. How would I be able to explain it to everyone? How would I explain it to Nikki and Vanessa? What exactly would I say? “Oh, I married him for a year to pay my sister’s debts.”?I could already imagine their faces, looking at me with utter confusion.I sighed and buried my face in my palms. It was all too tiring. Mentally, I was drained. But Nessa only had me,
The Unlikely Love 14
ADAMI exceeded my limit. I didn’t know how Mike and I had drunk close to three bottles of tequila without any chaser. I didn’t know exactly why that happened, but I felt too emotional about the entire thing concerning the hotel. I mean, the financial decline was crazy, and it was still shocking that the press had no information about it, but the fact that my mum fell for his tricks after he showed how horrible of a person he could be made me so disappointed. I wasn’t expecting it from a woman who basically made that hotel what it was. I just wasn’t. Matters of the heart cannot be understood???? That’s bull, if you ask me; that’s total bull. She should have done better, and deep down, she knew. I sincerely hoped that everything would be fine. I mean, I know I could fix everything, but I wanted it to be done as soon as possible.As soon as I couldn’t feel my legs anymore, I proceeded to the couch. Mike begged me to scoot over, so we shared the couch. I didn’t know when I dozed off un
The Unlikely Love 15
ADAMI wanted to call the driver to come pick me up but decided at the last minute to do so on my own. My journey back to the hotel was a quick one, considering how hungover and tired I was. I parked the car and headed for the entrance, silently hoping to see Valeria’s face. I wanted to apologize for all I said that morning. I wanted to take it all back, I shouldn’t have done that to her. It was a win-win, but still, that was a messed-up thing to propose to someone who clearly was going through so much. As the door slid open, I looked at the front desk. There were a male and a female sitting and she wasn’t one of them. I felt disappointed. Once they recognized my presence, they both got up abruptly, forcing me to conceal a giggle.“Good evening, boss.” The lady said, clearing her throat. I recognized her immediately. She was the one who spilled my coffee on me that day. “How are you doing?” I asked when I got closer. “Perfect, boss. In fact, more than perfect.” The man responded. I
The Unlikely Love 16
VALERIAThe moment I was done with all I said with my knees on the ground, I started weeping. I was weeping because I was so embarrassed. I couldn’t look at him anymore; I couldn’t even look at myself. Was it that bad?Was that how dire the situation felt?I felt so bad. The things that kept coming to mind were my sister’s face on that hospital bed and the call we had where I promised her that she would live. I gritted my teeth. I couldn’t even get up. I was on my freaking knees, something that I promised never to do, no matter how desperate I was, but there I was. There I freaking was. Begging. The floor was creating a little puddle with my tears. I couldn’t stop myself; I didn’t even understand why. At that moment, I felt a hand on my arm, which made me look up. He held a handkerchief out to me. I looked at it, then looked at him.He huffed and used the handkerchief to clean my tears. Then helped me get up. My knees were wobbly; I almost fell.“Woah, careful.” He said as he assi
The Unlikely Love 17
ADAMI buried my face in my hands. The work was seriously getting to me, but I was figuring everything out slowly, but that was something. At exactly 8 a.m., I had already freshened up and headed to my office to figure out how to fix the mess my mother had made. I was already 2 hours into the “fixing”, and I already figured something out which was something.My stomach rumbled. I checked my Rolex; it was a few minutes past 10. I needed to eat something. Valeria was definitely going to come here so we could draw up the contract, but I didn’t specify when. However, I was certain that she would come this morning; I mean, it was a matter of life and death. Come to think of it, I still didn’t understand why we needed to be in an arranged marriage. I was willing to help her for free. I simply wanted to help her. When she knelt in front of me, I put myself in her shoes; trust me, I hardly did that. I felt her pain, I felt hurt, and I felt pity.So I was shocked when she declined that offer.
The Unlikely Love 18
VALERIA Listening to everything he said regarding the contract made my stomach churn. I wanted to get up and leave his office. I wanted to tell him that I had changed my mind, but it was too late. As he listed every clause, I balled up my fists, attempting to calm myself down. My heart raced. I believe he noticed my nervousness because he asked, "Do you want to take your words back?" I knew I wanted to say yes. I wanted to say, 'Yes, I'm sorry for wasting your time, but I can't do this.' But I refrained from doing so."No, no, I don't," I responded firmly while trembling inside. I dug my fingernails into my palm, trying to distract myself from my nerves, but it was ineffective. I silently prayed for all this to be over. The only thing keeping me going was the fact that my sister was going to be fine. She was going to be healthy. That was all I was looking forward to. So, all this was worth it.In due time, the meals I ordered were brought to the office, and he had finished with the c
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