Rassel's first day at the prestigious Elite Hotel had already been a whirlwind of emotions, but nothing could have prepared her for the encounter that awaited her.
She had been tasked with delivering extra towels and amenities to various rooms, something that seemed simple enough until she found herself standing before a door she didn't recognize. She didn't know the name of the guest or who might be inside.
The protocol for the hotel was clear: if a guest didn't answer after a few knocks, the staff was allowed to swipe the room card to check on the situation.
With a steady breath, Rassel stood before the door, repeating the mantra she'd drilled into her mind: "Knock before you enter, knock before you enter." She knocked three times, waiting for a response. Silence. She knocked again. Still no answer. Her pulse quickened, the weight of the moment making her hands tremble.
Rassel hesitated, her thoughts racing. She wasn't even sure who the guest was, but the hotel's policy dictated that she had no choice.
She reached for her card, swiping it to open the door. It clicked, and the door slowly creaked open, revealing a scene that would forever be imprinted in her mind.
Inside, Noah Matthew, the internationally renowned celebrity she had heard about, was caught in an intimate embrace with a lady.
The sight of them, so close, their bodies tangled in passion, struck Rassel like a punch to the gut. Her heart stopped for a moment as she froze in the doorway, utterly mortified. Her mind struggled to process the scene in front of her.
"Oh my god!" she stammered, her face flushing a deep red. Her body immediately reacted, stepping backward, instinctively trying to distance herself from the invasion of privacy. "I'm so sorry," she sputtered, her voice trembling with panic. "I'll just... I'll just leave."
But before she could retreat further, a low voice from within the room cut through the thick silence. It was Noah's, sharp with annoyance, but with an edge of something deeper, something darker.
"Didn't you know how to knock?" he growled, his words thick with irritation. Rassel froze in place, her stomach sinking. She had heard about Noah's volatile reputation, but this... this was something else entirely. She could feel her breath catch in her throat.
"Please, I'm sorry," she managed, her voice barely a whisper. "It's my first day... I was just following the protocol. I didn't mean to intrude."
Noah's gaze was icy, his eyes narrowing at her. "You're unprofessional," he said, his voice dripping with disdain. "I could get you fired for this." The words struck her harder than any physical blow. She felt small, insignificant in the face of his towering presence.
Rassel's heart raced as she desperately scrambled for an explanation, her words tumbling out in a frantic blur. "Please... I'm really sorry. I just followed the protocol. I didn't know..." Her apology was cut short when the lady in the room, sensing the tension, quickly intervened.
"Hey, it's okay," the lady said, her voice soft and surprisingly understanding. "She's new. She's just doing her job. We didn't answer the door, so it's not her fault. She didn't mean to interrupt."
Rassel could only nod, the overwhelming feeling of embarrassment almost too much to bear. She was grateful for the lady's kindness, though she couldn't shake the shame bubbling inside her. She stepped forward, placing the towels and amenities on the table, her hands trembling as she did so.
"I really am sorry," Rassel whispered again, barely able to meet Noah's gaze. She turned quickly to leave, but as she reached the door, Noah's voice stopped her.
"Wait," he called, his tone now almost curious. Rassel froze, heart pounding in her chest. When she turned to face him, Noah's eyes were intense, but there was something else there too, a flicker of something... softer.
"I'll let it slide," he said, his voice lower now, though there was still an edge to it. "But make sure this doesn't happen again."
With that, he turned his back to her and returned to the lady in his room. Rassel, still reeling from the encounter, wasted no time exiting the room. She could feel the weight of his words pressing on her chest as she hurried down the hallway, her breath still unsteady.
Rassel's feet carried her back to her post, but her mind was still reeling from the earlier confrontation. Fear and indignation wrestled for dominance in her heart. "That man... he's not nice," she muttered to herself, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know why people like him. It's not even my fault. He's the one who didn't answer the door."
Her thoughts spiraled, an uncontrollable storm of frustration and resentment. Silent insults piled up in her mind, each one sharper than the last. What an empty-headed fool, consumed by nothing but his own desires.
He has no right to speak to me that way. The venom in her thoughts stung, hot and bitter, but she forced herself to steady her breath. I'm just a worker, she reminded herself, and well, he's Noah Matthew. She bit her lip, trying to suppress the growing tide of anger.
The weight of his presence, his arrogance, was almost suffocating, but she knew she had to rein it in. After all, he was a star, and she was nothing but a shadow in his world.
This unexpected tension would change everything for her.