Chapter 2

I was a little annoyed.

What did he mean? Was he implying I was mistaken?

I was absolutely certain my necklace was on that bathroom counter.

It was a diamond necklace my mom gave me for my birthday last month, and it was worth a fortune.

"Your hotel lobby and elevators should have security cameras, right? Have someone pull up the footage."

"We'll see if I was wearing the necklace when I left. It'll be obvious."

Ryan sighed in relief and joined me in urging the receptionist:

"Yeah, that's a good idea."

"Have someone check the footage."

The receptionist froze, her eyes darted around, then she bit her lip, looking at me with a complicated expression.

"Ma'am, could your necklace have been taken by your companion?"

Both Ryan and I were stunned.

Ryan's face changed, and he pressed anxiously:

"Companion? What companion?"

The receptionist blurted out:

"The gentleman who stayed with this lady yesterday."

"This lady left first in the morning, and that gentleman checked out an hour later."

"Housekeeping went to inspect the room afterward and found the bedsheets covered in. stains."

"According to regulations, there's a cleaning fee for stained sheets, but that gentleman refused to pay and argued about it for ages."

Ryan was practically fuming, his face flushed crimson, and his voice shot up several notches.

"What gentleman! What gentleman are you talking about?!"

I was even angrier than him.

Is this receptionist out of her mind? Last night, I was busy revising and reviewing a contract, staying up until three in the morning to finish. What man could possibly have been there?

What kind of insane nonsense was she spouting?!

And what did she mean by "stained bedsheets"?!

I glared at her, my face hardening.

"You know, speaking like this carries legal consequences. Now tell me again, what man was in my room yesterday?"

The receptionist looked as if I'd scared her, taking two steps back.

"I-I might have remembered wrong."

Ryan pulled me aside, gritting his teeth and glaring at me.

"Scarlett, you can't threaten her."

Then he turned back, forcing a strained smile at the receptionist.

"Take your time, don't be scared."

Sarah nervously lowered her head, deliberately dropping her voice.

"I-we're not supposed to disclose guest privacy."

"I'm sorry, just pretend I made a mistake."

I nearly passed out from anger, a surge of pure rage shot through me.

Ryan was just as furious.

His eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving.

"Scarlett, is this why you didn't want to stay at my place?"

"No wonder you ignored my FaceTime last night... Who was that man?"

Ryan didn't believe me.