A kind stranger

Scarlett looked into Austin’s eyes and felt like burying herself deep in the ground. She was living the worst day of her life but no amount of torment she went through earlier could compare to that moment when the man she loved eyed her with disgust and disappointment. A whimper broke out of her. She wanted to say something, anything that could make that look on Austin’s face go away but the longer she stood there, the more she became convinced that it was a lost cause. She knew her fiance was stubborn and he’d obviously made up his mind about her already. Walking into her acting like a beast in the middle of the restaurant didn’t help to save her case either. “Let me explain…” She breathed out nonetheless, tears pooling in her eyes. Scarlett made a step forward and gasped when Austin moved out of her way to avoid her touch, as if she was too dirty to even look at. “Austin-” She saw Megan move from the corner of her eyes. She walked to Austin and held on to his arm. Scarlett cringed at the sight of the bitch, touching her fiance. Megan had a pitiful look on her face as she said: “Listen to her, Austin…You’re being too harsh. Give her a chance to explain, at least.” She forced a pitiful gaze on her face, pretending to be selfless enough to defend Scarlett. She was the only one who could see right through Megan’s game. Venom dripped out of her and she wondered why everyone else was so blind to it. “What could she possibly say to me?” Austin’s angry voice rang. “You slept with another man.” “She set me up!” Scarlett replied. “You’re lying!’ Scarlett’s tears wetted her cheeks, the sharp words were as deadly as daggers. She stared at Austin and wondered where her kind fiance had gone. They dated for four years. Four years gone in the wind as if they never even existed. Had he forgotten about all her sacrifices? All the pain she went through for him? A few years back, Austin had been involved in a terrible car accident that didn’t end his life but left him with an injured leg. His condition was so severe that many thought he’d never recover and would end up crippled. Scarlett recalled those long sleepless nights when she had to stay by his side at the hospital. Even his family didn’t get invested in his health as much as she did. She took him to the best doctors and clinics in New York, even if it meant putting her own life on hold for a while. She prepared his meals herself, took him to every single rehabilitation treatment, held him as he cried every night…She’d been there with him every step of the way and now, when she needed him the most, he was gone. The least he could do was give her a chance to explain. But who was she fooling anyway? If her father could abandon her, it shouldn’t be so surprising to see anybody else do the same. The said father was standing by the door with his eyebrows drawn closer to the bridge of his nose. He spoke: “I see it wasn’t enough for you to cause trouble at home, you had to come here and do the same again. In Public.” “Dad…” Megan jumped in. “Please…You must speak to her. I begged her but she doesn’t want to hear anything I have to say. Scar is set on not coming home if we are going to be there. Please, try to convince her.” If Scarlett wasn’t already so broken, she’d have laughed at Megan’s fake acts of kindness. But her father’s next words were enough to strip her of all her desire to laugh: “Well, Scarlett…It doesn’t matter to me anymore. If you don’t want to come home, you don’t have to. Do as you please.” Sarlett blinked at her father’s words. She felt numb all of a sudden, as if she’d been hurt so much that she could no longer feel the pain. Her eyes moved from her father, to Austin, to Megan. They were all unrecognizable. They were nothing more than strangers. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t noticed a bunch of security guards walking into the restaurant with one of the hotel’s managers. The middle-age man stood in front of them and spoke in a cold voice: “May I know what the issue is here?” Austin turned to the manager and pointed a finger toward Scarlett: “We apologize for the noise, sir. The thing is, this…Woman came in here and made a fuss. I can assure you that we played no part in this scandal. Please, we would like it very much if you escort her outside of the hotel so we can have our meal in peace.” The manager looked at Scarlett who’d wrapped her arms around her, shivering with shame and heartbreak. Her fiance was literally asking for her to be kicked out. It hurt of course but maybe she was hoping that the guards would obey to that request. She didn’t think that she had the strength to walk herself out of the restaurant. Yet, to her greatest surprise, the manager didn’t ask for security to take her out. Instead, he returned his attention to Austin: “Sir, I must ask you to leave.” Austin’s eyes widened as well as Scarlett’s fathers’ and Megan’s. “Excuse me?” “You heard me, sir. We have been a witness to everything that happened here and it seems to us that this young woman has done nothing but defend herself after being humiliated by this other lady’s words. Now, our establishment doesn’t tolerate certain behavior and you do not fit the type of customers that we intend to serve here, which is why we must ask you to leave at once.” “This must be a joke!” Scarlett’s father exclaimed. “May I remind you that I have always been a loyal customer to this hotel? You cannot throw me and my family out of here. I demand to speak to your manager.” “I’m the manager, sir.” “Then call your damn boss !” “My boss is the one who specifically demanded that you leave this restaurant now.” They all frowned. Scarlett didn’t know much about what was going on but seeing the shock that passed through her father’s and fiance’s face, she could tell that they knew exactly who the boss was. And in fact, the Drunken Moon’s hotel was one of the many enterprises under Globex corporation. What surprised Austin and Scarlett’s father was that its unknown CEO was said to be abroad but clearly that wasn’t the case anymore. They paled, knowing that someone that powerful was against them. They tried to hide it but fear was evident in their eyes. The security guard encircled them and their group had no choice but to walk toward the exit, including Megan’s mother. Scarlett followed behind them but the manager was quick to stop her. His expression soften when he spoke: “Please follow me, Ma’am. We have prepared a private booth for you upstairs for your dinner and then, we will check you into one of our best rooms for the night.” “...Me?” Scarlett pointed at her chest, surprised by the sudden turn of events. Megan turned around and pushed away the guard who was guiding her out of the door. She hollered, her voice shaking with anger: “So you are kicking us out but you will let her stay? How is that fair?” “It’s a special request from the boss, ma’am.” The manager said. Megan and Austin shared a look. They didn’t have to say a word to each other, they already knew they were thinking the same thing: why was the CEO of Globex corporation taking care of Scarlett? They would have loved to find out but the guards were nudging them again out of the restaurant, this time with more urgency. They cursed and protested, embarrassed in front of everyone. When they were gone, the manager called one of the last security guards and told him: “Make sure that those people are not allowed here ever again.” The guard nodded and left, mumbling something in his earpiece. Scarlett followed the manager up the stairs under the gaze of the entire restaurant where whispers started to raise. She knew for sure that all the conversations were about her. While going up, many questions flashed through her mind. She was being protected by a complete stranger and she had no idea why. Could her day become any more strange? The booth where she was led to was probably the most expensive inside the restaurant. She could literally see herself in the clean marble floor and the decoration looked more expensive than her entire belongings. The table was made of Bocote wood, for God’s sake. Even though she’d grown up in wealth, Scarlett was still not used to that much. She’d never been to a private restaurant booth before and this one exceeded all of her expectations. She sat on one of the leather cushions and a waitress handed her the menu. She looked up and saw the manager smile at her: “Make yourself comfortable, ma’am.” He said. “Tonight, you are one of our VIP guests and we received specific orders to tend to all your needs. Please do not hesitate and let me know if there is anything we can do for you.” “Oh…T-thank you much. Uhm…Who should I show appreciation to for all this?” “Our boss doesn’t wish to reveal his identity at the moment but I’m sure he will reach out to you when the time is right.” “Oh…Fine, I understand. But please thank him for me.” “Of course.” The manager smiled one more time and Scarlett watched him leave the booth. Her eyes fell on the menu she held and a little smile tugged at the corner of her lips before she suddenly burst in tears. The entire day had been hell for her but in the end, someone had shown her some kindness. She’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be cared for and remembering how Megan, her father and Austin had been thrown out of the restaurant, her cries turned to laughter again. There were many things she didn’t understand about what was going on but for the time being, Scarlett decided to relax and enjoy the luxuries around her and rejoice in the memory of Megan’s angry face as she was being escorted out by security. Whoever the boss of the drunken moon hotel was, she hoped that she’d soon get the chance to thank him in person for his kindness.