Aria left the apartment and headed straight to the supermarket. She bought a pair of sunglasses and a revealing outfit—something she'd never worn before. She tied her long hair into a high ponytail. By the time she arrived at the Smith Hotel, it was already past 10 p.m.
She walked in confidently, her appearance completely different from before. Even the doormen who used to know her didn't recognize her.
When she reached the front desk, she noticed the manager had changed. Aria frowned slightly, wanting to ask someone about the old manager's departure. After all, it had been that very manager who arranged the banquet that night.
For a moment, she didn't know who to turn to.
That night, when she entered that hotel room, she had just been doing her job.
Someone had ordered food, and the kitchen had assigned her to deliver it.
Later, when Micheal married her, she didn't think much of it. She thought it was fate and let it be. But now that Micheal believed she had schemed against him, she realized maybe both of them had been set up that night.
But among all the staff at the Smith Hotel, who was the one who framed her?
Thinking back, anyone could be the culprit—or no one seemed like it.
Suddenly, she heard voices coming from the employee lounge nearby. Familiar voices.
It was Alice, a former coworker of hers.
"I heard Micheal's hunting Aria down everywhere. Did you guys know?" Alice said.
"Aria killed Micheal's grandfather. I heard Micheal lost his parents when he was young, and it was his grandfather who raised him. Of course he'd give up a woman to avenge him."
"True, but I never felt like Aria was the scheming type."
"Uh, weren't you the one who said she seduced Micheal on purpose?"
"I just said it casually."
"Well, I don't think Aria even had a chance to drug Micheal. She wasn't even working the banquet hall that night. But now that I think of it... someone else seemed suspicious."
"Who?" another waitress asked.
"Remember how the hotel brought in medical staff for the banquet in case of emergencies? I personally saw that nurse appear on the same floor where Aria and Micheal had their incident."
"You mean the same nurse who later took care of Micheal's grandfather?"
Aria's mind buzzed with the revelation.
Everything pointed to Ruby.
She hadn't seen Ruby that night, so she hadn't considered her. But that didn't mean others hadn't.
Could it be? Did Ruby drug Micheal, and she just happened to walk in by accident?
Suddenly, footsteps echoed behind her.
They were getting closer—at least three or four people.
One of them had a very familiar sound to their step.
It was Micheal.
Aria's heart jumped into her throat.
He came too fast. She had only just arrived, and he was already here.
Not even ten minutes had passed.
She took a deep breath—then another. What she had just overheard was all hearsay. She hadn't found any solid evidence yet. Even if she told Micheal that Ruby was the real culprit, he wouldn't believe her.
As for the hotel's security footage? Probably long gone or tampered with.
Like her mom said—if even Micheal couldn't find the truth with all his resources, then Ruby had to be a master manipulator.
If she hadn't seen with her own eyes that Ruby was the only one present when the oxygen was pulled, she wouldn't have suspected her either. It all made sense now—Ruby's real target had always been Micheal.
The footsteps were getting louder and closer.
Aria could only slow her pace and act natural. If she panicked now, Micheal would spot her before she even made it out of the hallway.