As they waited for their drinks, the waitress arrived with a notepad in hand, ready to take their orders. Isabel ordered a soft drink, while Lia ordered something stronger. Lia tried to convince Isabel to order something with a higher alcohol content, but Isabel declined, thanks to her low tolerance for alcohol.
Just as the waitress was about to leave, Lia discreetly passed something to her while Isabel was distracted. The waitress nodded and went to put in their order, and Lia turned back to Isabel, making small talk and trying to put her at ease.
While Lia chattered on, Isabel sat listening, her eyes flicking between the environment and Lia. She tried to look attentive by chipping in words now and then, trying as hard as she could not to sound uninterested but her mind kept wandering, and she struggled to focus on what Lia was saying.
Soon, the waitress that had left earlier arrived and served their orders. Isabel politely thanked the waitress while Lia nodded at the waitress and the waitress nodded back.
Lia took a sip of her wine, watching Isabel over the rim of her glass. Lia swirled the drink on her tongue, trying to savor the taste before bringing down her glass of wine.
"So, how much do you need for your mother's surgery?" Lia asked when she realized that the drink content of Isabel's has gone down, and soon, the effects of the drug will kick in.
"The doctor said everything will cost two million," Isabel started, her round eyes pleading for help from Lia.
"Don't you have friends who might help you? Don't tell me all your friends left you after school." Lia said, her voice laced with mockery that went unnoticed by Isabel.
"You know Ava is my only friend and she doesn't have much. I wouldn't want to bother her with my issues. Besides, I'm borrowing from you, I will repay you after the surgery, and if you want an interest, I will add it," Isabel said helplessly. Her only hope was Lia and she doesn't know what to do if Lia refuses to help. She had even gone behind Ava to solicit Lia's help. She doesn't even want to think about Ava's reaction if she finds out. It won't be funny.
"Hehehehe, what are you saying?" Lia asked while chuckling, causing Isabel's heart to skip a bit out of fear. "Who's talking about repaying? I'm giving you the money for free. What are friends for?" Lia said while soaking herself with pride.
"Thank you so much, Lia. I appreciate it; you're a God-sent." Isabel thanked her sincerely while cleaning off the beads of sweat that had gathered on her forehead. She swallowed hard and tugged at her shirt to make it freer. Why is she feeling hot?
"Don't mention," Lia said, trying to sound concerned. She took a sip of her drink and watched Isabel gulp down her own drink in a go. "Are you okay, Isabel?" she asked, feigning concern.
"Hehehe," Isabel chuckled shyly, "Is it just me or is it hot here?" Isabel asked, fanning herself, she's even more ashamed to say the hotness is down there.
"Are you feeling hot? The air-conditioner here is working perfectly and I'm feeling no way close to hot. Are you running temperatures?" Lia asked, standing up to check Isabel's temperature. Isabel's cheeks flushed a light shade of pink.
Lia beckoned to the waitress who had served them earlier, "Please call a doctor; my friend is feeling sick." The waitress nodded and went away.
"Isabel, I booked a room here; why not we go in there and wait for the doctor to come? What do you say?" Lia asked concernedly, helping Isabel to stand up. Isabel, who was almost on the brink of losing it, nodded absentmindedly and followed Lia to the said room.
While in the elevator, Isabel was already resting on Lia's shoulder while rubbing her laps together, trying to ease the heat down there. Lia tapped a random floor number, and the elevator went up; a few minutes later, it stopped at the last floor, and Lia and Isabel walked out.
Isabel was almost unconscious when Lia opened a random room, her eyes darting around to check if anyone was there, only the sound of a rushing shower could be heard. She gently pushed Isabel to the bed and whispered, "Thanks for trusting too much; I wish you whatever you end up with after today."
"Help me, please," Isabel mumbled weakly, her voice getting lower. Lia opened her mouth to say something when the rushing water stopped, she immediately rushed out, leaving Isabel to her fate.
Alexander Ross stepped out of the bathroom door looking like a Greek god. He had just finished a meeting with some investors in the same hotel. His dark, wet, disheveled hair added another majestic aura to him, making it impossible to know if the coldness around was emanating from him or somewhere else.
As he walked closer to the suite, he heard a moan and paused in his steps. His sharp eyes fixed on the bed and there he saw someone wriggling on the bed, uncomfortably. A woman on his bed! How did she come in?
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" He asked coldly, causing Isabel to stop wriggling for a moment. How he hated coming close to ladies who only wanted to get in his bed.
"Help me, it is hot here," Isabel's low voice paused Alexander's step who was walking towards her to drag her out. He continued and upon reaching her, he grabbed her arms and was about to throw her out when Isabel jumped on his body, wrapping her legs around his waist like a koala, holding him tight as he struggled to push her away. She started nibbling on his neck as if she was trying to mark him as hers.
Alexander sighed and struggled to push Isabel away, but the more he tried, the weaker his resolve. Surprisingly even himself, his body wanted her also. Just then, he realized that Isabel might have been drugged following her frantic actions she didn't look like a lady who just wanted to seduce him. She just wanted to cool down the heat down there. Seemed like he wasn't the only one drugged.
He had attended a business meeting and drank there, as everyone else. But after some while, he started feeling hot. He immediately understood what was happening to him and left the meeting.
This was not the first time he was drugged, in fact, he feared attending business meetings because of issues like this. He had gotten tired of investigating who was always behind it because their motive wouldn't be more than arranging a woman for him to curry favor from him.
Alexander's eyes shifted to the door, and he walked towards there with Isabel still on him, sucking on his neck; he locked the door and went back to the bed.
Soon, only the indecent sound of two people making out could be heard.
…
Morning…
Isabel's eyelids fluttered open, and for a moment she felt disoriented. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was discussing with Lia how she ended up here. Something felt off. She didn't recognize the room, and she had no memory of how she had gotten there.
She rolled over to the other side but her movement was stopped by a strong arm on her waist. And that was when she realized that she was naked under the duvet. Panic started to rise in her chest.
She also noticed the unfamiliar man lying next to her. He was sleeping soundly, his face peaceful and relaxed. He was tall and muscular, with dark hair and olive skin. She couldn't remember anything about the night before, and the thought of being alone with this strange man sent a shiver down her spine. She had to get out of there.
Slowly but carefully, she slipped out of the bed, placing a soft pillow under his arm, in her stead. She quickly picked up her clothes scattered on the floor and wore them before leaving the room.
Just as she took a step, she felt a sharp pain down there, and her pupils dilated, but she needed to get herself out of this room first before she could think of anything.
She could hear the man's soft breathing behind her, but she didn't dare turn around. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she reached for the doorknob. But just as she was about to open the door, she heard a deep voice behind her.