With elegance and grace, the slender woman strode down the hallway toward QueenHotel's head office, as if she were a runway model. Her steps possessed a feline cunning, like a panther stealthily tracking its prey. She paid no heed to anyone who crossed her path, single-mindedly heading toward her concealed destination within the hotel's private sector. Her objective: the young heir of QueenEnterprises, Justin Queen.
Winton, who was frantically dashing between errands for Kyle Queen, found himself frozen in the hallway, captivated by her beauty. She was truly a vision, with her long, fiery red hair cascading down to her waist.
Winton remained oblivious to his gaping mouth and the drool forming at the corner of his lips until she glided past him, making her way toward the staff-only area. Shaking himself back to reality with a few blinks, he snapped his mouth shut, wiped away the drool, and hurriedly followed the enchanting woman who had captured his attention.
"Miss, I'm sorry, but you can't proceed beyond this point. This area is restricted to patrons. Only staff members are allowed," he politely informed her, using his own body to block her path.
She regarded him from beneath her lashes. "But Harold needs to see someone. Can't you make an exception? It's of utmost importance to her."
Winton found it difficult to resist her charms. His legs felt like jelly, and he had always been susceptible to the allure of a sweet and beautiful woman, especially one who referred to herself in the third person.
"I apologize, miss, but I can't," he replied.
"Really?" She responded, her eyes shimmering with a hint of sadness, her lips forming a pout. She even batted her eyelashes for added effect.
"I... I could locate that person for you," Winton tried to impress her, standing a little taller in an attempt to appear more masculine.
Despite being of the same age as Kyle Queen, Winton couldn't help but feel inferior in his presence. While Kyle boasted thick, youthful hair, Winton was already displaying silver streaks at his temples. The emerging potbelly didn't help his self-esteem either. He knew that shedding those extra pounds was a necessity if he wanted to attract any woman at all. Perhaps this beautiful woman before him could serve as motivation for his fitness journey.
"I... can't," Winton maintained his position. "Whom do you need? I can call for them. You can just—"
In an unexpected turn of events, the woman wrapped her arms around him, leaving Winton utterly flustered. He had never been this close to such a stunning creature before. His mind went blank, rendering him unable to react. This was clearly a breach of their office rules, which strictly forbade any sexual conduct between strangers or coworkers. She was a stranger, and Winton had no doubt that he had just transgressed the rules.
"What's happening here?" A voice interrupted the scene, and there stood the CEO of the hotel, Kyle Queen, looking stern. Winton attempted to extricate himself from the woman's embrace, but she clung to him like a leech, draining him of his energy.
The woman turned her gaze toward the man and let her eyes travel down his body. Smiling as she assessed the gentleman, who was not as extravagantly dressed as the potbellied one, she immediately assumed that he must be the underling of Mr. Potbelly.
"Harold is here to see Justin," she declared. "Are you the secretary here? Please fetch Justin for Harold," she instructed.
Kyle was nearly taken aback by the woman before him. She seemed to exude an air of mystique, dressed entirely in crimson with sharp, scarlet claws and lips so vivid they seemed to hurt his eyes. Furthermore, the audacity of her assumption that he was a secretary left him momentarily dumbfounded.
"I..." Kyle struggled to articulate a response; he was truly rendered speechless.
"Harold would appreciate a conversation with Justin." She positioned herself in front of Kyle, her towering heels bringing her to eye level with him. They stood face to face, their noses almost touching, and their lips mere inches apart. Kyle couldn't help but feel a slight flutter in his heart's rhythm. There was an undeniable, electric charge coursing through his being.
Harold tilted her head, puzzled by the man's lack of reaction. He appeared so solemn and motionless, like a mannequin.
Kyle couldn't tear his gaze away from her; he simply couldn't. He continued to peer at her, donning his serious and businesslike demeanor.
"What on earth is happening here?" Henry Queen's thunderous voice interrupted their intense gaze.
The red-haired woman gracefully turned her head to look at the elderly man, causing her coppery locks to sweep past Kyle's face. He couldn't resist inhaling her sweet, exotic scent. Upon seeing the man with silver-grey hair in an Armani suit, with a round chin and plump cheeks, Harold immediately identified him.
"Could you possibly be Senior Queen?" she inquired of Henry, seizing both of his hands within her own. "You look just like the man in the magazines."
Henry was somewhat taken aback. "Yes, I am. And you, my dear... beauty, who might you be?" he inquired, also captivated by her allure.
The woman smiled at the three men before her. "Allow me to introduce myself," she said, indicating herself. "I am Harold, and I am carrying Justin, Senior Queen's son."
Henry Queen nearly stumbled, Kyle appeared so astonished that he couldn't muster a single word, and Winton's motivation to shed those extra pounds deflated like a helium balloon.
"What on earth did you say?" Justin's gaze bore into the woman seated on the couch, who couldn't contain her laughter. "Harold, quit your laughing. I'm being deadly serious," he shouted.
"Come on, Justin dear, don't scold Harold like that. It's hardly a warm welcome for your lovely best friend from America," she chortled, dismissing his anger.
"Best friend, my foot. Why in the world would you crack a joke like that in front of my family? You know Dad was on the brink of a meltdown."