~Jennifer woke up to the softest couch she'd ever touched, wrapped in a blanket she didn't own. Her head was heavy, her mouth dry while her memories were scattered.
The room around her wasn't hers.
High ceilings. Clean lines. Warm lights.
Too luxurious, too masculine.
She was putting on her white dress which still had slightly visible liquid markings at the top, surprisingly, her shoes were also carefully placed just beside where she lay.
Then he appeared from the hallway—the man from the club.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Eyes too sharp for someone she didn't know.
She scrambled up. "Where am I?!"
"My apartment," he said simply.
Her heart slammed. "Why?! Did you—did you bring me here?"
"You were barely conscious," he replied. "You couldn't even stand and you were in the middle of an alley."
"I'm not a child," She snapped.
"I didn't say you were."
She grabbed her bag, clutching it like a shield. "I don't stay in strange men's houses."
He leaned against the wall, not offended or amused, just watching her with an unreadable expression.
"You're safe, Jennifer."
She froze instantly.
Her name,
"I never told you my name," she said slowly. "How do you know it?"
He held her gaze for a long moment. Then spoke, quietly
"We've met before."
Her breath went low.
"And where did we meet?"
There was a brief silence, then:
"At the club, yesterday. Don't you remember?"
Before she could ask anything else, he added:
"I'll walk you out."
And something in his voice steady, low made her follow.
Even though she knew she shouldn't.
The elevator ride down felt far too quiet while Jenny was left in a swamp of her thoughts, the man beside her far too calm. He didn't speak, didn't smirk, didn't try to charm her. He simply pressed the elevator button, stepped in, and stood at a respectful distance with his hands in his pockets, looking at nothing in particular.
That almost irritated her more than anything.
*I had passed out in the alley*
*He knew my name.*
And he hadn't explained it. *I know I didn't tell him yesterday.*
The elevator doors opened. He waited for her to step out first. Even then, his gaze didn't linger on her legs or her face like most men she encountered. His eyes were sharp but detached—like he was observing, not wanting.
They walked down for a bit and got to the ground floor of the apartment and Jennifer couldn't hide her shock. It looked like a hotel, only that it wasn't. The living room was twice the size of her whole house and there were so many people moving about—most of them in working uniforms. She turned to stare at him, her face still bearing that shocking look, but his remained the same. Expressionless—like he knew that would be her reaction. She returned her gaze and continued walking.
They reached the exit of the building and he paused.
"You should drink more water today," he said quietly.
She blinked. "That's all you're going to say?"
He raised a brow. "What would you like me to say?"
"I don't know," she muttered. "An explanation? Something?"
He studied her for a moment, then:
"You were in danger last night. Everything else is secondary."
The sincerity threw her off guard. She opened her mouth to speak, but he continued, stepping back slightly as if giving her space.
"Have a safe trip home, Jennifer."
Then he turned and walked away—just like that.
No attempt to prolong the moment.
No dramatic goodbye.
No request for her number.
Just… gone.
Jennifer stared after him, annoyed that she couldn't remember where she'd seen him before. His face wasn't forgettable—there was a quiet sharpness to it, a cold sort of elegance. Someone like him didn't blend into crowds.
Yet her memory had nothing.
She wrapped her arms around herself and exhaled.
"Great. Perfect. Wonderful," she muttered. "Saved by a mysterious stranger who might also be a psychopath."
She began walking. "This is exactly the kind of thing Alex will never let me forget."
She grabbed her phone and booked a ride.
–––––––
JENNIFER'S POV:
I'm still in disbelief to all that happened yesterday. Visiting Steve's house, the cheating, the creep at the club, being chased in the alley, to waking up somewhere else. It was just too much adventure.
A nightmare.
That man, looked to familiar. Could he be a regular at the hotel? That could explain how he knew my name but I doubt elite guests take notice of concierges not to mention knowing their names.
*Was he the one chasing me?*
He couldn't have been.
Several thoughts kept spawning out of my head, even though I wasn't in the right emotional state for them.
Some minutes later, I arrived at Summerville Road. My house was third on the block, so as soon as we got past the entrance gate, I picked up my bag just as the cab parked by the building. I got out to see Alexandra and Katherine outside the apartment.
"Jenny?"
Alex appeared first, wide-eyed. "Oh my God, where were you?! We looked everywhere!"
"I thought the worst," Katherine said and rushed to embrace me.
"Hey, what's wrong? I'm fine. I promise." I gave a shocked expression as I tried to set myself loose.
"Fine?" Alex questioned. "We thought you were kidnapped by a serial killer, a cult leader, or—worst of all—your ex."
"Please don't remind me," I groaned but before I knew it Alex joined in the embrace.
They tightened their grip around me and I let out a playful sigh.
"Seriously, what's with the emotions?"
I placed my arms around them, finally deciding to play along.
Alex let her arms loose and stared at my face. Probably inspecting to see if I was alright.
"What's wrong with you? Why did you leave a text that you were going home if you knew you weren't? Did you know how worried I was?"
"If you were going elsewhere you could have just said so."
"It seems everyone's just out to scold me today," I muttered to myself.
"Alex told me what happened with Steve. Are you alright Jenny?" Katherine asked and stretched her hand, holding mine tightly, rubbing her thumbs against my fingers.
"Are we going to spend the rest of the day outside? And where were you guys headed? It's a Saturday."
"What does it look like? Of course the police," Katherine replied.
"No way, tell me you're joking" I cut in
Alex grabbed my right hand and began to drag me in while Kathy followed.
We took the stairs and arrived at the unit where we lived.
It was a three-bedroom apartment. A room for each of us. The living room was the first thing you could see as soon as you got in. It was moderate in size with a large TV on the opposite side of the sofa. Below it was a small shelf with three picture frames arranged neatly. It was a photo of me, Kathy, and Alex. One was taken when we were in 10th grade, the second was taken on our high school graduation, and the last one after college. Looking back now, I can't imagine how I would have been without them. We all decided to go to the same college after high school and I can remember the joy Kathy had when she finally received her admission to study food science a few weeks after Alex and I had received ours.
After graduating three years ago, we decided to live together, and it's been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I was always the type to tell them where I was headed, so I could imagine how worried Alex was when she got home and didn't find me here. To top it all off, I wasn't able to answer their calls either.
I jumped on the sofa and my girls sat beside me.
Katherine folded her arms. "Start talking."
So I did. "So after I left the text—"
I stared at Alex, who gave a keen expression before I continued.
"After I left the text I bumped into this guy at the club."
I told them everything—well, almost everything.
I left out the part where I nearly got kidnapped or worse, and woke up in a stranger's apartment, as I wouldn't be able to handle their combined screaming this early in the day.
Instead, I simply said:
"A man helped me. Pulled me away from some creep."
"I passed the night in a hotel"
Alex's eyes lit up instantly. "A man? How cute?"
"Not cute," I lied. "Just tall. And annoying. And… too calm."
Katherine smirked. "Too calm means too attractive. I know your type."
"I do not have a type." I cut in instantly.
"Yes, you do," Alex said. "Tall, mysterious, emotionally unavailable—"
I grab the nearest pillow and throw it at her.
There was a brief silence before I took a deep breath and spoke.
"He's tall, looks good, and smells really nice, by the way."
"Jennifer Wilton. Didn't you just break up yesterday?" Alex cut in and gave me a funny look
"It's not what you're thinking. You think I'm ready for another relationship. Never, I'm done with men!"
"My head is still aching a bit, I think I need to take some painkillers—" I rested my head on Katherine's and Alex's shoulder, then I heard my phone ring. I took it out of my bag and paused as I saw the caller.
Alex grabbed it from my hands and cut it.
"You are not permitted to speak to him anymore and don't even think of replying to his texts."
"He's old news now!" She added and placed my head back on her shoulder.
––––––
For the rest of the weekend, I tried to forget the man.
But my mind betrayed me every few hour.
The way he said my name.
The way he was unbothered in the elevator.
The way his eyes looked—dark, tired, intelligent.
He looked too familiar.
But, the memory still didn't come.
––––––
~9:00 am—M.K.S HOTELS
Monday morning greeted me with the familiar lobby of MKS Hotels—bright marble floors, polished counters, and the quiet hum of a hundred employees trying to look calm under pressure. My major attribute was getting to work early on Mondays, but today was slightly different. I overslept and ended up waking later than usual.
Rushing out of the elevator, I dashed into my locker and changed into my work outfit.
I fixed my blazer, smoothed my hair, and stepped behind my concierge desk.
*I guess my world was finally back in order.*
Until I felt a presence.
A shadow fell across my desk.
I looked up.
My stomach dropped.
He was standing there.
The man from the alley.
The couch.
The unreadable eyes.
Great. Perfect. Wonderful.
His expression didn't change. "Good morning, Jennifer."
I blinked hard instantly. "…You."
"Correct."
"What are you doing here?" I whispered. "Are you stalking me?"
A faint smirk ghosted across his lips. "I'm staying here.
"Why?"
"Because I need a room."
"Tha-That's not what I meant!" I stuttered.
He studied me for a moment, clearly entertained by my outrage.
"You work here," he said calmly. "I didn't come because of you."
I didn't know whether to feel relieved or offended.
He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. "If I wanted something from you, I would have asked.
I felt my heart do something stupid and I immediately hated it.
Before I could respond, he straightened. "I'll need a suite. Under Nathaniel Holmes."
The name sliced through my mind like cold water.
Holmes.
*As in Holmes Group.*
*As in the family that owned MKS Hotels.*
*As in my boss's boss's boss's family.*
I stared at him, horrified.
"You're—"
"Yes."
"And you brought me to your house!"
"You were passed out in a lonely alley."
Fair enough—I thought to myself.
"You knew where to find me!"
"You were unconscious." He replied.
I gaped at him. "You're… Nate Holmes."
His expression didn't change. "And you're Jennifer Wilton." He lowered his gaze to my identity card clipped to my blazer.
It wasn't fair how he made me feel small.
Not inferior—just seen, too clearly.
I swallowed a deep breath. "I'll get your reservation ready, Mr. Holmes."
"Nathaniel." He cut in swiftly.
"I'm at work."
His eyes warmed almost subtly. "Jennifer,"
My heart betrayed me again.
I glared at him. "Please go to your suite, sir."
For the first time, he actually smiled.
A real one.
It was a problem.
A very big problem.