A few hours earlier. The party had ended, some of Gilbert's friends had already returned to their respective homes, and Gilbert himself was tired and eager to drop his body onto the bed. The tall and big-bodied man then went up to his room, but his steps stopped when he passed Haisley's room. Gilbert was surprised because the door to the room was open. As far as he remembered, he had closed it before going back downstairs. Gilbert walked closer and peeked inside. The room's lights were still off, and he opened the door wider. Haisley, the girl he had left behind, was not there. Quickly, Gilbert headed to the bathroom whose door was closed and knocked. He felt afraid that, because of her drunken state, Haisley might be drowning herself in the bathtub. "Haisley!" Gilbert pounded on the door while calling her name. Silence. No answer, no sound of water. "Haisley, are you in there?!" He asked louder, but still, Gilbert didn't get any response. "Haisley?!" Gilbert grabbed the doorknob,
"Love is just a camouflage, G. In fact, love won't last if we don't give women what they need. The main source of love is money and power. Will your woman stick with you just because you shower her with words of love? Can she buy designer clothes or collect diamonds with love? No, she won't be able to." "And also, what I felt for Crystal back then can't be called love," Nathan answered flatly. "Just consider it as an adrenaline trigger because I wanted to compete with Juan. Then I lost. And it's all over." Nathan spoke without expression. "Is that so? So you consider your feelings for Crystal just some kind of intense competition? Whoever she chooses is the winner?" "Yes, and I lost," Nathan replied without a hint of sadness. "So, what are you doing with Haisley now? Is this also your game? You act reluctant to accept her but take advantage of her innocence. You play with her feelings. Who's challenging you this time? Steven? Dean?" Nathan looked at Gilbert coldly. "I never played
Haisley nodded with a smile on her face. Mrs. Monica had extended her hand, calling for Haisley. The girl nodded and approached her, wrapping her hand around the arm of the woman she considered her own mother. Once on the plane, Haisley sat separately. Of course, their seating classes were clearly different. Haisley bought an economy class ticket, while Mrs. Monica purchased a first-class ticket. However, to Haisley's surprise, just before the plane was about to take off, Mrs. Monica walked into her class and asked the woman sitting next to her to change seats. "Aunt, why?" Haisley asked, confused. "I can't sit quietly alone for hours. It annoys Haisley," Mrs. Monica replied casually. They fastened their seatbelts, and the journey began. Haisley chatted during the trip, and when sleep came, both of them slept. Upon arriving in America, a driver was already waiting for them at the airport. Fortunately, Haisley hadn't asked Juan to pick her up because Mrs. Monica had instructed he
"I can't say you're already an adult, but you're not a child anymore who needs guidance and is confused in making decisions. Papa knows you've considered everything thoroughly, but does it really have to be like this? "Papa can't blame you; from the beginning, Papa didn't agree with your intention to study in England just because you wanted to be with Nathan. Papa has also been young, fallen in love, and been obsessed with the feelings Papa had. But Papa doesn't want to sacrifice Papa's future for those uncertain feelings. Papa doesn't want you to experience that." Haisley lowered her head and twiddled her fingers. She knew, very well, that her actions from the beginning could be considered impulsive. She was too confident. She was too sure that her past actions could stir Nathan's heart. But the reality was different. "Now, what do you want to do here?" Haisley lifted her head and looked at her father. "Haisley will work while studying to enter university next year," she said earn
Miami. Haisley took a deep breath, catching the penetrating scent of salt in the air. The hot weather immediately penetrated her skin, and then she smiled. Tomorrow or the day after, whenever she arrived in Bandung, her somewhat yellowish skin tone would undoubtedly turn into a shade of brown. But that was fine; change was occasionally necessary. She had also seen her place of residence. The roommates shared by two people, equipped with an en-suite bathroom and a small kitchen containing a single-door refrigerator, a stove, and some essential kitchen utensils. Her roommate, a 25-year-old girl named Astrid, seemed like a mature and friendly person. Haisley had also visited the hotel where she would be working. The hotel staff mentioned that for the next week, someone would provide her with training before she would eventually work independently. Considering Haisley was not a graduate of a tourism or hotel school, she had to truly learn about attitude and her job as a restaurant wait
Good news for Haisley the next day. She heard that Gilbert and Dean had planned to spend their vacation in Miami and had even given Haisley a photo of their plane tickets and the possible time they would arrive at the airport. Yes, Dean and Gilbert promised to meet in Manhattan before eventually using the same plane to fly to Miami. It's inconvenient, while there is actually a plane they could use to land directly in Miami. Haisley herself resisted telling Gilbert about Flavia's presence in Miami. Haisley knew that Gilbert had liked Flavia for a while, but he didn't dare to express his feelings because of religious differences. What would her friend say when he saw the increasingly beautiful Flavia? Surely he would like her even more. As a woman, Haisley herself admired the beauty of the Turkish-blooded girl, especially Gilbert. Haisley had already asked to swap shifts with her coworker the day before. Luckily, her friend agreed to exchange schedules, so now Haisley is here, waitin
They arrived at the hotel where Haisley worked. Haisley greeted the receptionist cheerfully, and the twenty-five-year-old girl responded with a friendly greeting. Yes, she was Astrid, Haisley's roommate in the staff dorms. "So, have your guests arrived?" the woman asked warmly. Haisley nodded enthusiastically. She had already informed Astrid that her friends would be coming and vacationing in Miami. Not to show off, just to let the woman know that maybe for a while she wouldn't be staying at the club, or perhaps she might arrive after closing time. She also recounted her meeting with Flavia and Abigail yesterday just so the woman would understand. And honestly, Haisley really liked Astrid; she considered Astrid as her own sister, given that the woman's age was almost the same as her sister Crystal's. "My friends want to book a room here, Ma'am," Haisley said, making the woman nod. "What kind of room would you like?" she asked politely, then handed over a book containing a list of
Haisley seemed to ponder for a moment. Her day off was still a while away. But should she become Loretta's tour guide? She wondered in her heart. And risk hurting herself by seeing Loretta's intimacy with Nathan or hearing the girl constantly recounting her beautiful moments with Nathan? No, Haisley wasn't a fool. "My day off is still a long way off. I even forced my coworker to switch shifts with me today," she confessed. "It's not that I don't want to accompany you, Loretta. It's just that my two friends are also here, and I already made plans with them first. If only I knew you were coming here, I definitely wouldn't have made plans with them," Haisley said, half of it being a fact and the other half just her invention. Because if she knew Loretta was coming too, she definitely wouldn't have picked up Dean and Gilbert and let them vacation in Miami without her. Loretta looked at her with a pouty face. And Gilbert, the man who was lying down earlier, now looked at Haisley with a