Chapter 177 - The Ghost Of The Past (1)
After Stefan had gone out. Wirata carried on arranging the items they had bought. Summer was playing with his new toys and he made Wirata laugh. She missed his daddy right now. Since she was pregnant. He always was by her side. Especially, night time like this, he would be around closely and making her smile and laugh a lot with his style. Stefan Mackenzie could really make her giggle nonstop when he played with Summer and his baby pea in her belly.
"Are you missing your daddy, Summer?"
She turned to talk to the puppy. He stopped playing with the ball and looked up at her.
"Arf! Arf!"
He responded as though he understood. Wirata laughed out loud. Her mood lifted up easily just like that.
"Yeah, I bet, you are."
She murmured, touching her stomach gently. Where is he right now? He did not say where he was going and she did not want to ask to interfere with his personal business too much. She believed if he wanted her to know, he would tell her himself.
Wirata had been taught by her mother that, in the relationship, no matter how close and how much love between the couple, one thing was still important to a person was \'personal space\' and the relationship would need \'respect and consideration\' between two people.
So Wirata would put that in mind for a certain. Especially, Stefan was not like most ordinary men. Wirata smiled when thinking about this man of hers. Now he still could make her smile without him being here! She was so crazy in love with him.
"That\'s enough, Wine. You are not a teenager anymore, you know?"
She was talking to herself and finished all she needed to do. Looking at the time, it was nine p.m. She did not feel tired which she should have as they had been busy all day with the shopping. But somehow, without him in bed, it made her feel strange to lie there alone.
She gave Sophia and Sam a call. They were still out enjoying the Las Vegas nightlife. And Wirata guessed Jacqueline was still out with Michael, too.
Summer looked tired now so she took him to his room. Soon the puppy was silent and slept peacefully on his soft bed.
Today she did not go to the office at all, perhaps she could go down to look around and if lucky, her man might just walk in when she was in the lobby.
Wirata changed her clothes. She put on a blue sweater with a black long skirt, had a gray silk scarf around her neck. She wore a pair of ankle boots then went down to the lobby. The scene was nice, warm and busy with customers check-in and check-out at the front counter.
There were guests walking around enjoying the beautifully decorated space. Every corner of the hotel was well looked after and pronounced its elegance proudly.
Wirata walked to the counter. All the staff gave her friendly smiles. They greeted her with familiarity and full of respect as she was well-known in her own ability plus as the fiancee of the boss.
She was standing near the counter. It was 9.30 p.m. Wirata decided to ring Stefan but the phone was unavailable. She left it for a few minutes then tried again and it was the same. Wirata started to worry a little as Stefan Mackenzie was still a powerful man with a lot of enemies!
She waited and walked out of the front doors. And Wirata paused when she saw a woman who was getting off a taxi. The woman she had nearly forgotten about!
"Pichani."
Wirata mumbled while Pichani turned and saw her. Her face was beautiful with makeup. She stopped her steps and made wide eyes when she saw Wirata standing there in front of the seven-star hotel.
"Wine? Oh, wow! Is that you?!!"
She said and walked straight to Wirata. Pichani stopped in front of Wirata and scanned her from head to toes.
"Wow! Wine. It\'s really you! It has been a long time, hasn\'t it? How\'s everything with you? Are you working here?"
She greeted Wirata with her surprised voice. Wirata smiled lightly to the woman who she once shared an apartment with. The past was replaying in her mind. It felt kind of weird and she could not explain why.
"Are you a receptionist here? We haven\'t seen each other for many years Look at you! You still look so innocent, simple and ordinary the way I remembered you."
The sharp voice continued and said what she thought openly. This woman had not changed a bit about her attitude at looking down on people and the way she liked to step on people to make herself taller if she could.
"Um, ... Yes. I am working here. Are you coming for holiday here?"
Wirata asked. She saw that Pichani was coming alone.
"Not on holiday but work. I am a model, well, quite a popular one but you might not know because it isn\'t your interest I remember that. I come to do some shooting here with my agency. So I thought since I am here in the city, my man, Stefan. Do you remember him? Oh, yes, I guess you probably know him as he owns this place. Yeah, he is your boss. But as far as I know, he doesn\'t like lowing himself to mix with employees. You might not know him in person. I am coming to stay here. Missing him so so much. Look! I still have his picture on my phone. He\'s the best and the hottest man I ever slept with, hm."
The joyful voice said with excitement on her face. She pulled her phone out of the expensive brand name bag. Wirata\'s heart was skipping the beat. At this point, all the past memory had played back into her mind. The first time when she saw a man with his bare chest had only a towel wrapped around his waist. His chest had a colorful tattoo.
"Here it is! He always looks so gorgeous and yummy. When I first came here. You know there is a special room, a very very luxurious space for me up there and we spent the whole night together. Oh, gosh, it\'s a very fond memory. And tonight I am here to surprise him. I know he will be very surprised and happy to see me again."
Wirata listened and glanced at the picture of Stefan on Pichani\'s phone. It was really him. He wore an unsmiling face sitting against the bed head with only a towel on him.
"That\'s him! He didn\'t like anybody taking a picture of him but I got one, so cute isn\'t he? I don\'t recall that you ever met him when he was with me in Boston. But anyway, I remember that he doesn\'t like to socialize with the staff on the ground floor. So I guess you haven\'t seen him much here as well, have you? Stefan is the number one in my heart forever. I have changed many phones but I have still kept his picture, always. Oh, gosh! I can\'t wait to see him!"
Wirata smiled a little, trying to ignore the image on Pichani\'s phone.
"Um, have you had a reservation for a room yet? It\'s been quite busy during this time of the year."
Wirata asked to change the topic. She tried to ignore the pain in her heart. She should not feel anything about it. But somehow it could not help, seeing this unexpected person it was like seeing a ghost from the past. The feeling when she was sixteen years old and had to tip-toe into the apartment and to hear the noise the two people creating in the bedroom. Wirata hurried to push away the picture before it got into her head more and more.
"Oh, no need. I will call Stefan. He will arrange one for me surely."
She said with a confident voice.
"Do you have his phone number?"
Wirata asked with a surprised tone.
Pichani looked at the woman in front of her. She could not believe how much Wirata had grown to be a very beautiful and attractive woman. Now she looked at Pichani as if Pichani was lying about the phone number. She did have his number but she was not sure if he changed it or not.
"Oh, yes. in fact, I have just called him."
She lied with a straight face. Pichani felt displeased and jealous to see Wirata looked elegant than she had imagined. But she soothed her egos by thinking that Wirata was only a receptionist while she was a popular model!
Pichani always believed that she was above Wirata in every aspect. And now Wirata was looking at her as if Pichani was lying.
"Really? And what did he say?"
Wirata was surprised. And she started to wonder if he was talking to Pichani while she was trying to call him? She knew she should not overthinking like this, but perhaps it was because of the hormones change in her body. It made her feel sensitive than usual.
"He\'s on his way back here right now. He said to wait for him here. I think he will welcome me in the special suite room as usual."
Wirata raised her eyebrows. Did he answer Pichani\'s phone? But why didn\'t he answer her call?
"Please get inside. You can wait in the sitting area."
Wirata said.
"Okay. See you around."
Pichani said and pulled her suitcase inside the hotel. Wirata took out her phone and called Stefan again. She waited but he did not answer. She decided to go back to the penthouse.
Now she could not help to think back to the past. The flashback memory flew nonstop and it was so clear as if it had just happened yesterday. She could not get rid of the picture of Stefan standing in the door frame of Pichani\'s bedroom with only a towel wrapped on his body and the image of him sitting on the bed that Pichani just showed her. And the sound of the two people making a loud noise in the bedroom. All was flowing in her head and she could not stop it.
She felt so hurt after that. Wirata knew she could not face him tonight. It was the first time that she could not control her sensitive emotions. It had attacked her so quickly and unexpectedly before she could guard herself.
She packed a few essential items, put on her long coat, and her bag cross her shoulder then she went to Summer\'s room. He was sleeping and at peace. She bent down to pick him up.
"Hey, I am sorry, baby, for disturbing your sweet dream, but let\'s go to our apartment for a change. I know you have missed walking in your favorite park. It\'s been a while, hasn\'t it? Let\'s go."
She whispered to him and put him in his basket. He continued to sleep when she rode the elevator down and called a taxi to the apartment.