When Alice stopped me from taking the call, I was overthinking again. What if a creditor would suddenly call and I couldn't pay? “What is it? Don’t tell me that you have changed your mind about him,” I jested about Eleazar.
“No, it’s not about him. I forgot to tell you that someone booked a long term stay in Bellcana. You were still sleeping when he called earlier,” Alice mentioned.
“Great! Finally, we have a guest coming! Wait, I’ll take this call, and hopefully, it’s another reservation,” I said with excitement, even if Alice didn’t mention more details about the guest.
“He availed the exclusive use of the entire resort for six months,” Alice continued.
In a snap, the feeling of being excited was replaced with disappointment. “Exclusive use for six months? There’s no doubt it was a prank call,” I told her.
“Hmmm, he asked for your bank details where he could send the payment,” Alice added, and I arched my brows in response.
“We’ll see,” I said before dashing to the front desk to take the call. “Bellcana, good morning! How may I help you?”
“I need your help,” the man said on the other line, and I furrowed my brows while trying to remember where I heard his voice because it was familiar to my ears. “Where is Bellcana located? I tried asking the locals, but it seemed they never heard about your place,” he added.
“Perhaps, are you interested in reserving a room?” I asked politely, but the man muttered many curses on the other line, and I narrowed my eyes at the flower vase in front of me.
“Do you mind passing the phone to your colleague? I talked with Alice regarding my booking, but she ignored my calls!” He continued to complain, but then my eyes widened as soon as I recalled my conversation with Alice about the guest who booked for the exclusive use of the resort.
“Hold on,” I said. Then I immediately opened the online banking app installed on my phone to check if money was transferred to my account. “Oh shit!” I muttered in surprise, and my eyes blinked several times to double-check if what I saw was real!
“Did you curse at me?”
OMG!
I almost forgot about the caller because my mind was occupied with the money. “I am sorry, sir, but Alice is currently eating her breakfast. Do you mind telling me about the estimated date of your arrival in Bellcana?”
“Today, so do you think you can help me with the transport from here to your resort? I have trouble finding that damn place!”
“Yes, of course! Just tell me your exact location so I can ask the driver to pick you up,” I assured him.
“I’m here at a souvenir shop. Will that be enough?”
“Hmm, you have to tell me the color of your shirt so that he can recognize you right away,” I told him.
“I am shirtless and just wearing a board short and a slipper. Black cap and black sunglass.”
Did he have to include the fact that he was shirtless? I took a deep breath while trying not to imagine his overall appearance at the moment, but I could sense from his voice that he was handsome.
“He will be right there in less than ten minutes, sir,” I promised, but I knew it was going to take the driver more than ten minutes to pick him up.
As soon as the call was ended, I rushed back to the dining room, and Alice was surprised to see me breathless. Then, her reminders to gain some weight rang in my ears again.
“What’s the fuss all about?” She asked.
“It wasn’t a prank call,” I told her.
“So, he called again. His voice was pretty amazing. Do you think he’s attractive?” Alice asked.
“Maybe, but listen! You need to call Eleazar right now!”
“No way!”
“Alice, you have to! The guest is waiting in the souvenir, and I told him that Eleazar would be there in ten minutes. Can you call him now?”
Alice frowned, but she had to do what was necessary when it came to business, and Eleazar was someone they could trust. “I’ll try,” she said and then she went to the sink to wash her hands.
While Alice talked with Eleazar on the phone, I drank my hot chocolate to calm down a little bit. The amount I received on my account was overwhelming, and since I arrived in Bellcana, it was the first time someone had paid in advance for his six-month stay.
“So, what did he say?”
“I hate you,” Alice said, and I frowned at her in confusion.
“Hate me? But why?”
“He said he will do it as long as I’ll have dinner with him tonight.”
“Shit! I didn’t imagine him to be clever! Anyway, thank you so much, Alice. Wait, I have to show you something. Tada!” I said as I showed her the screen of my banking app, and just like me, Alice was astonished.
“That’s a lot of money, Krystal! Wow! But wait, if he’s coming now, we have to prepare the pantry!” Alice panicked at the thought that our pantry was almost empty and a guest was coming.
“Oh right, I forgot to ask him about his name. Did he tell you when he made the booking?”
“Nope, I didn’t ask him,” Alice replied.
“W-what?”
I have been practicing my best smile before his arrival, but as soon as he arrived, the smile on my face immediately faded. Alice and I had different reactions. While Alice was too stunned to speak because of the man’s appearance, I was shocked to see him again! It has been more than a year since I saw him, and I thought I was ready!
I tried to act nonchalantly but my heart almost skipped a beat as he strolled towards me. When he smiled, it was literally a game over for me. No matter how much I tried to convince myself that I could only be hallucinating at the moment, there’s no way it was another person. He still wore the same cologne, and as the scent assaulted her senses, I couldn’t help but recall how my knees wobbled that night.
“Miss? Are you daydreaming? Excuse me, Miss?”
“Oh, sorry. Welcome to Bellcana, sir,” she immediately composed herself but deep inside, she was so nervous.
“Is my accommodation ready?” He asked.
“Yes, sir. Here’s the key and-”
“No. Kindly take me to my room,” he cut my sentence and I was dumbfounded at his attitude.
With a furrowed brows, I looked up to him to inquire if I heard him correctly, but before I could do that, he raised the tip of his eyebrows, as if he belittled me or my position in the resort.
“I heard from the driver that his resort provides a personalized service, and personalized menu,” he stated.
“Eleazar was right, sir,” I confirmed.
“Perfect! I am a busy person, Miss, and I need someone to take care of my needs daily.”
“You have nothing to worry, sir! In Bellcana, we will take care of you like a family,” I told him with so much excitement from heart despite being nervous at the same time.
“Like a family?”
“Yes,” I replied immediately.
“Very well. I would love that. The driver said that this place has a private villa for your VIP guest.”
“Hmmm yes,” I hesitated to tell him the truth.
Actually, it’s not a villa but just a detached accommodation inside Bellcana. I couldn’t fathom why Eleazar had to lie about it, and put me in a difficult situation.
“I don’t think you will like it, I mean the villa.” Then, I explained to him that the main house has comfortable rooms upstairs, and since he’s the only guest, then he would have his desired privacy. However, he insisted on staying there!
“Is there a problem?” He inquired when he probably noticed how I frowned over the situation.
“No, there is none,” I said worriedly, but on the brighter side, it was beneficial to me if he wouldn’t stay in in the main building. “If you haven’t had your breakfast yet, you can join us.”
“I understand you are doing this because the villa isn’t ready, right?”
“It is clean and ready sir, but we never expected that you will demand to stay there. I assume that you are going to stay in the main building.”
“I see. Can you give me extra eggs for breakfast? I love eggs. Hard-boiled,” he instructed.
“Of course. Come and follow me to the dining area,” I told him and since Alice was listening to our conversation, the woman was quick on her feet and did what was necessary. “If you have a special request, you can tell me about it, and I’ll check what I can do.”
“I need a personal assistant,” he announced all of a sudden.
“A secretary? I don’t think we can hire someone that fast during this time, sir,” I told him the truth.
“You can stop being formal to me. Jordan will do, and I don’t need a secretary but a personal maid,” he clarified.
“A maid?”
“Yes. Since I will be staying here for a long time, I don’t want to compromise my comfort. I am not saying that you got a bad service here, but I want someone to live with me in the villa. The pay is good, so can you hire someone for me?”
“I’ll check what I can do, sir,” I replied while setting up the table for him.
“This place is understaff if I am correct. I didn’t see another staff since I arrived,” he noticed.
“Yes, you are right,” I answered. “About the maid, when are you going to start the interview? Maybe I can ask Eleazar to post a job hiring in town,” I suggested.
“I will need her after breakfast,” he replied.
“Why?”
“What do you mean why?”
“I am just asking sir,” I immediately replied because he looked pissed because of my being nosy to his business. “Enjoy your meal,” I said before excusing myself.
“Stay,” he called while I walking towards the door. “Please stay. I don’t want to eat alone,” he clarified.
A deep sigh escaped from my mouth before I strolled back to him. “I guess I need a cup of coffee to fuel my day,” I just said that to mask the nervousness inside me. Earlier, I couldn’t help but notice the intensity of his gaze towards me, and it was unnerving.
“Get your coffee, Krystal, then join me,” he said.
When he casually mentioned my name, I stopped on my track and my chest heaved high and low because of nervousness. My hands were shaking as I opened a sachet of an instant coffee, and I couldn’t stir it well. I took a long time stirring my coffee but when he called my name again, I panicked.