The night was thick with a cool breeze that whispered through the streets. The faint glow of streetlights cast golden hues on the pavement, and the distant hum of city life served as background noise as Sabi walked along the sidewalk. She had just finished her shift and decided to get some groceries before heading back to her quarters. The thought of a quiet, uneventful night comforted her, until fate had other plans.
As she rounded the corner near the grocery store, she spotted a sleek black car parked a few feet away. It wasn't an unusual sight; luxury cars lined the streets often, owned by wealthy guests or staff from Jupiter Hotel. But something about this car caught her attention. A shadowed figure was in the driver's seat, and another leaned over from the passenger side. Sabi squinted, trying to make out their faces, but the dim lighting made it difficult.
"Why am I always this curious?" she asks herself as she struggled to know who the people in the car were.
She took a few more steps forward, pretending to be focused on her shopping list, but her heart pounded as she realized she had seen this scene before. A man and a woman, engaged in a secretive conversation. The last time, it had been hushed whispers, hidden glances. This time, as she got closer, the figures in the car moved, and her stomach twisted.
Mateo and Paris.
"Curiosity kills the cat" she says to herself again
She stopped dead in her tracks, her breath hitching. Mateo cupped Paris's face with an intimacy that left no room for doubt, his lips crashing onto hers in a heated kiss. Sabi's pulse quickened. She wasn't just imagining it. It was real, right in front of her.
Her fingers clenched into fists. What sort of carelessness was this? This was the second time she had caught them in a compromising position. The first time had been easy to brush aside, perhaps a misunderstanding. But now? It was undeniable. And worse, it confirmed her earlier suspicions.
She turned away quickly, hoping neither of them had noticed her. If they were this reckless in public, what else were they hiding? She hurriedly entered the store, grabbing only the essentials before making her way back to the staff quarters, her mind swirling with possibilities.
By the time she reached her room, the weight of her thoughts had grown unbearable. She sat on the edge of her small bed, staring at the peeling paint on the wall, deep in contemplation.
Jupiter Hotel. Levi Callahan.
Her mother's death had been the price paid for this empire. The stress, the injustice, the cruelty of it all, it had all led her here. Her purpose was clear: she had to bring it all crashing down.
But then… there was Levi.
A part of her felt disgusted at herself for even hesitating. But she couldn't ignore the internal battle raging within her.
Levi had been kind to her.
She thought back to their conversation earlier that day. He had listened to her, asked about her interests, smiled at her in a way that wasn't mocking or dismissive. There was something human about him, something that didn't quite align with the monster she had painted in her mind.
But why only her?
He was cold to others, ruthless when it came to business. He had built an empire on the backs of people like her mother. Did one moment of kindness erase all of that? Did it make up for years of suffering? No. He deserved what was coming to him. He deserved to feel the pain she had felt.
But what if she got closer to him… not to destroy him, but to change him?
Sabi scoffed at herself. Change him? That was foolish thinking. A man like Levi Callahan didn't change. If anything, getting closer to him would only serve her revenge better. She could learn his weaknesses, exploit the flaws in the hotel. If she played her cards right, she could dismantle everything from the inside.
But is this what her mother would have wanted? Revenge?
Her chest tightened at the thought. Her mother had always been gentle, kind-hearted. Would she approve of what Sabi was planning? Would she want her daughter to walk down a path of destruction?
Yes, Sabi reasoned. Her mother would want justice. Would want those responsible to suffer. How could she rest in peace knowing the people who had wronged her continued to thrive?
Sabi clenched her jaw. She wouldn't waver. She wouldn't be weak. Levi Callahan and Jupiter Hotel had to fall, and she would be the one to make it happen.
Her first move? Exposing Mateo and Paris.
A smile curled on her lips as the plan formed in her mind. Levi trusted Mateo. He probably trusted Paris too, even if their marriage was nothing more than a business transaction according to rumors, they should still have some love in between them. If she could gather enough evidence, photos, recordings, Levi would be heartbroken. Distracted. And once he was too consumed with personal betrayal, the hotel would start slipping. He wouldn't be able to focus, and that's when she'd strike even more.
She would take everything from him the way he had taken everything from her.
The idea thrilled her. She had to be strategic, careful. She couldn't rush things. She needed to find the perfect moment, the perfect proof. Maybe she could follow them discreetly, get evidences, something that would leave no room for denial.
Sabi exhaled deeply, glancing around the dimly lit staff room. Most of her roommates were already asleep, their soft snores filling the space. She knew she should sleep too; tomorrow would be another exhausting day.
But as she lay down, her mind raced with thoughts of her plan, of Levi, of the battle she was preparing to wage. Her mother's face flashed in her memory, and she whispered to the darkness:
"I won't fail you, Mom. I promise."
With that, she closed her eyes, determined to see her mission through to the bitter end.