Chapter 1

The hotel receptionist had been eyeing my boyfriend all morning. Now, she decided to make her move with a vicious, public smear.

"Miss, you checked in yesterday with a different man. And when you left, you stained the bedsheets and refused to pay for the damage."

Ryan stared at me in complete shock. The receptionist added with fake concern.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't say something I shouldn't have, did I?"

When I demanded security footage, she claimed the cameras were down.

What she never expected was that this luxury hotel answered to my family.

"Good afternoon, ma'am, how can I help you?"

The receptionist's words were directed at me, but her gaze remained locked on Ryan.

My eyes dropped to her name tag.

Sarah.

I remembered this delicate-looking receptionist quite clearly.

Last night, when Ryan brought me to check in, she was the one who assisted us.

She'd been so fixated on Ryan, she even knocked over a glass of water.

After clumsily cleaning up, it took her another ten minutes to finally finish my check-in.

I knew Ryan was a looker.

He was tall and muscular, with handsome features and eyes that were surprisingly gentle and deep.

Girls often stared at him, dumbfounded, and I never really cared.

After all, everyone likes to look at a handsome guy.

But this receptionist? Wasn't she a little too unprofessional?

"Hi, I checked out this morning. I left a necklace on the bathroom counter."

"Hello? Did you hear me?"

Ryan and I were college sweethearts. We met at a party during our senior year.

They say graduation season is breakup season.

Even though we moved back to our respective cities for work, joining the ranks of long-distance couples, our relationship remained solid.

This time, I was in Ryan's city for a business trip. He suggested I stay at his place, but his parents and grandparents lived there too.

Before getting married, I didn't want to move in with him and face the scrutiny of his entire family.

So, Ryan booked me a room at the only five-star hotel in the area.

I checked out early this morning. After lunch with Ryan, as we were heading home, I realized I'd left my necklace at the hotel.

I waved my hand in front of the receptionist's face a few times before she finally blushed and tore her gaze away from Ryan.

She looked down at her computer screen and replied without hesitation:

"Good afternoon, ma'am. Housekeeping already cleaned your room this morning. There were no items left behind. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

I was a bit taken aback.

This morning, while I was brushing my hair in front of the mirror, my hair got tangled in the necklace.

I'd taken it off and set it aside. After I finished my hair, just as I was about to grab the necklace, my phone rang.

My client, who I was supposed to meet later, had arrived early.

I rushed out, grabbing my bag, and only remembered the necklace after the contract was signed.

"I'm sure I left it on the bathroom counter. Please, could you ask the cleaning lady again?"

The receptionist didn't make a call. Instead, she stated firmly:

"We didn't find anything. You must be mistaken."

Seeing my frown, Ryan stepped forward and took my hand.

"Don't worry. Are you sure you can't think a bit harder?"

"Maybe you dropped it somewhere on the way out?"