As Zayn left the real estate business and returned to his car, he sat, silent, and he thought, thought some more, then checked his phone for recent news. He landed on a singer and celebrity host with a party at the Ritz-Carlton hotel near Algiers. The front of the hotel faced the city of Algiers while the rear faced the Mediterranean Sea. The Ritz-Carlton had its private land, gated, with a driveway where hotel transportation would escort them to a secluded area to swim and enjoy the salty Mediterranean water. He stared at the images of the highest tier in luxury hotels and admired its beauty.
In the driver's seat of his car, Zayn glanced at his suitcase full of money and thought to himself, why the hell not. He had never splurged on himself or bought something more than a hundred dollars for himself. So, with over a million dollars to his name, Zayn decided he'd spend a little money and have fun in the world of the wealthy and find out if there's anything so special about paying two thousand eight hundred and fifty dollars a night for an executive suit.
So, within one hour, Zayn had drove to the Ritz-Carlton hotel, through early traffic while enjoying the cool breeze. He parked in the valet section. Out of place. In vehicle brand and model. In clothes. In behavior. With a grip on his suitcase of money, Zayn slipped out what he approximated as five thousand dollars. He slid the straight bills into the back pocket of his pants then exited his car. Fear of losing the money suddenly choked him. But he reminded himself no one else knew he was carrying about two million dollars.
No one else knew. No one else knew.
Zayn handed his key to the valet employee dressed in all white.
"Thank you, sir," the valet attended said. "Last name, please."
"Rais." Zayn continued strolling to the hotel's glass entrance.
As soon he stepped foot inside the hotel, his understanding of luxury flew out of the window. The first trait Zayn felt was the vibe of the place, the aura, it emitted serenity, wealth, high class customer service. Light from the ceiling reflected off the shined, white and black patterned marble floors. The beige couches by the glass tables atop light brown rugs caught his attention. Stylish. Zayn felt, with each step across the lobby of the hotel, that he indeed walked amongst a higher level of society.
"Checking in, sir?" the man behind the marble counter asked. He had curly brown hair, a clean shaved face with dark brown eyes.
"For one day. I need the king bed suit," Zayn answered.
"You're . . .walking in, right?" the employee asked, his fingers typing on the keyboard of his computer.
Zayn nodded and glanced around at the carved marble statue of a lion behind the front
counter, at a few people in suits and dresses exiting the elevator and strolling to the exit of the hotel, and then at a group of people conversing and laughing by the black painted bar on the left side of the lobby. Zayn picked out words such as party and girls and money. He tapped his fingers on the marble counter before facing the employee, who had been staring at Zayn. For quite possibly a long time.
"How long were you looking at me?" Zayn asked.
"Not long." The man typed on his keyboard then continued with, "That suite is two
thousand eight hundred and fifty dollars a night. Is that something for you, sir?"
"Yes . . . it is now."
"Would that be card or check?"
"Cash," Zayn replied, reaching into his back pocket of his jeans. He laid on the marble counter what he approximated to be three thousand dollars, all in one hundred dollar bills. "That should be it."
The hotel employee didn't know if he stared at real money or not. His computer dinged with an alert. An artificial intelligence voice played through the speakers, "New reservation. Three days, two nights. Banquet, restaurant and VIP suite reserved at the following times." The employee muted his computer then focused on the money Zayn had laid on the counter.
Zayn then overhead a group of clients from the bar and restaurant behind him talking about a party that night with a famous singer, actresses, models and investors. An idea emerged for Zayn. With so much money, why not? He could splurge. He could enjoy himself. He should enjoy himself. "I'll reserve the entire floor of my suite for the first time of that party. How much is that?"
"You want the entire floor for one night, sir?" the employee asked, with two raised thick eyebrows. "That's . . . going to be . . . in the five figure price range." He turned the computer monitor for Zayn to see. "We have four other clients already reserved on your floor. We can offer them rooms in another floor if you are serious."
"I'm dead serious." Zayn nodded at the price. A little over fourteen thousand dollars for the entire floor reserved, which included five suites total. He pulled out a bundle of cash which was twenty thousand dollars. He'd confirmed earlier. "That's twenty thousand. Keep the change and this stays between us. Right?"
A smile overtook the employee as he began typing. "Like five grand tip? Whatever you want, it's yours, man. Let me finalize everything and count the money before my manager comes back."
Zayn nodded and gripped his black bag of life-changing opportunities. He'd enjoy himself that night. And he'd bring his Volkan and Soraya, too.
The employee glanced at the money with a raised eyebrow. He gathered them all, scanned each bill under a blue light, then processed Zayn's booking request. He handed him a key card, a pamphlet for the Ritz-Carlton and its benefits, then called for another employee to carry Zayn's bad and escort him fifteen floors to his room.
Zayn didn't denied the offer to have his bag carried but appreciated the employee. He handed a one hundred dollar tip then watched the employee leave. He'd never tipped anyone before, so giving a hundred dollars was a lot of money for Zayn. It would've bought groceries for two weeks for himself and his sister, and the hotel employee received that money for simply escorting Zayn to his room.
Before using the hard key to open his hotel door, Zayn nodded and realized something. "Maybe I should've worked in a hotel for big tips."