'Where the f*** is it? I know it went in this bag. God-damn it.' Nora thought exasperatedly as she was feeling around the depths of her large bag, searching for her credit card to book a room for the next few days.
"It is in here somewhere. Haha." Nora said with an awkward laugh. Frustrated, Nora plopped her purse open on her vintage luggage in front of her with an awkward smile. Unaware that the Hermes bag she was clawing through on top of her Louis Vuitton was a dead giveaway of her family's affluence, the abuse of the items made her look less pretentious, but was making the desk clerk in front of her. Her heart beat out of her chest as she abused items that cost more than her family home. Exhaustion ebbed at her patience as hair fell in her face, blocking her field of vision. She had a headache from all the problems on her trip. She did not want to go home, she wanted to relax and unwind in the tub before going there. She had the worst jet lag in her personal history. Her flight had been unpleasant due to the television and internet not working properly. Her mobile service had been spotty as well, so she had to physically hail a cab. Her purse was crammed with her wallet, passport, documents, her contacts, a new box of condoms, lube, and a large half-eaten chocolate bar.
Nora breathed a sigh of relief as she slid the hard wallet upwards. She finally managed to retrieve her RFID wallet from the confines of her tightly packed purse without spilling the contents all over the floor. Nora felt panic rising in her as she heard a familiar laugh behind her. She might be over-reacting, but it sounded just like her little sister.
'If that was the case, Mia would not think about the implications of ruining her plans. She would just take her home or call father. If I am lucky, Mia is just drunk and here to party. The family used to go out of the country at this time of the year for the holidays. Had they delayed the trip for some reason? I might need to ditch this place.' Nora thought.
"One more second, please." Nora said in a deflated tone, as she felt doom set in. The clerk smiled politely, the people behind her were very patient. Her plans of playing all weekend, eating copious amounts of room service and asking Mark to move in with her before she went home felt like they would be ruined any moment now. Nora pulled her hoodie over her head to make herself less noticeable and prepared to turn around. Why would she be here? She would 'tell' her Father what was happening, regardless of his answer. She would have her own place. It could not be ruined, it would be very ugly; if what she heard was one of her sister's voices and if father found out she was back in the country again without informing him, it would make for a very awkward holiday. Melody was barely thirteen years old. It was unlikely her, as Melody had a very clean and cute image to keep. She was generally busy with her budding influencer career, dancing on social media.
"There was nothing about her having any events this weekend. Jennifer would never bring her or Mia to this hotel or any hotel for a service. She would not be caught dead here.' Nora thought.
That left Mia on her own. This hotel was a chain hotel and, again, it was not exactly the place that she and her friends would host parties. It would be the kind of place where she would never be caught by friends, family or the paparazzi. It was a very nice place, she considered it as an expensive hotel. She had been to many hostels and guest houses that made this place look like Buckingham Palace. But it was 'slumming it' according to her family's standards. Nora mustered a fake awkward smile and tugged her hood over her head to obscure her identity. She may be able to sneak in, undetected, but her hair was a dead giveaway. Nora prayed in her mind. Another laugh rang out behind her and it confirmed her hypothesis. Nora felt her muscles in her back tense.
'S***, I did not want to deal with this b*******, I'll probably have to go home now. Please, please do not notice me. Give me enough time to confirm and secure blackmail.' Nora thought.
It felt like a bucket of ice water was dumped over her head as she heard the familiar cheerful voice intertwine with a familiar masculine voice. Was it a celebrity? A boy from school? Was Father making her sleep his way into something that she might have to protect her from? She felt her knees buckle a little as the doubts piled up. She also had a duty to protect her sister and any woman from being exploited. Even if it would ruin her weekend plans. She collected her emotions and steadied herself with her practiced confidence so she did not make a sight of herself in public. She did not want to piss the wrong person off, but that person also might make Mia keep her mouth shut about all of this and keep her father off her back potentially. Questions spun in her mind.
'Do it, Nora. Come one. No matter whomever it is, it would be a great opportunity to collect some blackmail material now and use it to keep her mouth shut or for further down the road. I may need her support. Any support or kindness would be reluctant anyway.' Nora thought begrudgingly in her own mind she placed her wallet on the counter and opened her iPhone's camera.
She turned her gaze slightly to the rear quickly to confirm and felt her eyebrows start to knit together as her mind caught up with the picture in front of her as she snapped photos over her shoulder.
'You have got to be kidding me? Why God? Why me?' Nora thought. She felt her mouth go dry and her eyes start to sting as she laid her eyes upon her little sister and her own boyfriend. Mia was two and a half years younger than her, she already looked like a full-grown woman, so it normally did not draw too much attention when she was in adult venues. She was often confused as being older than her. Especially since she normally did not dress her age. Mark was old enough to reserve a room, but his family was not well off enough to afford a room for a night in that hotel. This meant that she was using her family cards to pay to have an affair with her sister's boyfriend, and she had been paying Mark. Her analytical brain realized Mia's goal was to hurt her with this.
'What the f**k!' Nora screamed internally. Nora felt disgusted and rage filled her to the brim afterward. Mia and her were getting along so well. But apparently, the trust in the relationship that they had built was all for naught.
"I should have known that she was faking it." Nora muttered to herself as a bit of sadness crept in. Mia had a lot going for her. She had the affection of her father and her mother, she was beautiful and popular. She had picked Mark just to hurt her specifically. There were rumors online that a celebrity's son and a footballer had sent her an expensive gift. This is to wound her and her alone.
'Do not let them see you cry. Stop crying, Nora. You are not a child.' Nora thought to herself as a tear ran down her cheek.
'What has possessed her to do this? Is it to hurt me? Why? I have never done anything hurtful to her? She's fucking sociopath.' Nora choked back a sob.
"Miss?" the desk clerk said, staring at her. Something was obviously happening with the girl. She shot her a sympathetic look.
"Yeah, sorry, one second. I just got to sort something out. I will be quick", Nora said. Thoughts started quickly rolling through her head and they were bitter. Mia has the benefit of being normal, stylish and being exceedingly attractive. Mia had popular men interested in her. The upper class was something she only interacted with when she came home. Most of her friends didn't know her circumstances, only that she was from the UK. Nora took a deep breath. Nora resolved as she fought the tears back by sheer willpower and a newborn feeling of spite. All her intelligence gave her was a life of alienation. She was well versed in hurt feelings. The desk clerk pushed a box of facial tissues towards her. Nora slyly grabbed one and dabbed at her eyes. Ghost blinking these tears away was not effective.
"It is alright, Miss." the desk clerk said, looking at her with sympathy.
'There was no way Mia could have known that I had returned and would be here tonight; but I am sure that Mia's aim is to hurt me with this. I was so certain about Mark though,' Nora thought as she trembled with rage. Although she finished her doctorate this fall. She did not really have any close friends her age. She thought that Mark was the one. They had talked every day while she was finishing up her doctorate in the States. It apparently was not enough to keep him loyal. He was the same age as her, but she could not have the same expectations for him that she had for herself. She felt bitter that another dream had died.
"Miss?" The desk clerk quietly asked as she watched the color drain from the already pale girl's face. "Do you need my help?" The clerk said in a sympathetic and quiet tone as she handed her another tissue. The girl's tiny hands shook as she took it and cleaned up her face. A look of practiced composure spread across the girl's face the next moment. It was almost disturbing to see sadness change to an unreadable complacency. The girl smiled lightly and pulled three £100 notes out and tipped her with it. "Miss, this is far too much, are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes, thank you, Gina. I appreciate it. But you will understand this is compensation afterward," Nora said. It was a lot to give, but she might break something. There were vases, televisions, computers, carpeting and drapery that might come down. It was an honest estimate. She remembered where the exits were in the building. The hand that was gripping her smartphone trembled.
"Okay." Gina said, looking puzzled. The property was not hers, but she hoped that she would be able to retain most of the money for herself.
'You have to teach her a lesson that she will not forget, you have to hurt her pride worse.' Nora thought. She steeled her nerves and planned to devastate them both publicly. Both relationships will die tonight. She would strike back and hit them both where it hurt. She would be assertive and follow through, so Mia would hesitate to mess with her in the future. Nora looked into the mirror behind the desk clerk. She could see the smirk forming on her own immature little face. Nora regained her composure, although she was still very much a teenager like them. She knew from years of experience and therapy that people like Mia, regardless of their age, were only looking to gain some kind of satisfaction from hurting people like that. She was going to make a scene, more to make sure Mark was publicly shamed for this.