“Just go,” her coworker replied, waving his hand dismissively. “You folks with kids are a pain.”
Tina wasn’t upset by the comment, as they were close enough for it to be a lighthearted remark. If anyone else had said the same thing, though, she might have responded more sharply.
She sighed, offering a genuine apology. “I’m so sorry. If you ever need help, I’ll cover for you too.”
At the restaurant, Justin continued down the hallway. When no one responded to his earlier inquiries, he pulled out his phone and dialed Stella’s number.
Inside the dark room, Stella’s phone lit up.
Before the call could even ring, she instinctively jumped forward and rejected the call. She didn’t want Justin to find out she was in the room with Weston, especially after the tension from the drag racing incident. She feared someone might get hurt if things spiraled out of control again.
Weston, observing the situation calmly, couldn’t help but notice how terrified Stella looked. A dark smile spread across his face. “Are we cheating?”
His voice dropped into a whisper, deliberately speaking those last words near her ear, trying to provoke her.
Stella shoved him away, her eyes darting nervously to the door. She was terrified Justin would discover she was in the room with Weston.
In the corridor outside, Justin’s face darkened as he stared at his phone, frustration building.
He approached a passing waiter. “Hi, can you check the washroom for me and see if there’s a lady inside?”
The waiter glanced at him skeptically but then nodded, noticing Justin’s serious demeanor. “All right, sir. Please wait a moment.”
Moments later, the waiter returned. “There’s no one in the washroom,” he reported. “Do you need further assistance?”
“No,” Justin replied firmly, though his unease lingered.
After a brief silence, he reconsidered. “Actually, can you ask your manager if I could check the surveillance footage? I came here with my fiancée and son. My fiancée went to the restroom about half an hour ago and hasn’t returned. I called her, but she rejected the call.” The waiter, sensing the urgency, nodded.
“I’ll inform the manager immediately, sir. Please don’t worry.”
As the waiter left, Justin dialed Stella’s number once more. When Stella saw her phone light up again, she quickly hung up. But as she did, a sudden warmth behind her ear made her freeze. The phone slipped from her hand, clattering noisily to the ground.
She stood perfectly still, too terrified to move an inch. She didn’t dare to pull away from Weston, either.
The corridor fell eerily silent, but the quiet was soon broken by the sound of footsteps drawing closer.
At first, Justin’s worry had been mild, but after the second call rejection, his emotions had shifted. His mind raced with a thousand thoughts. Suddenly, a noise came from the private room next to him, making his grip on the phone tighten. He remembered Stella mentioning that Weston had returned.
He approached the door to the private room and knocked. “Is anyone in there?” His voice was calm, but there was a hint of tension underneath.
Though Justin was doing his best to control his anger, Stella could still sense the irritation in his voice. She took a deep breath, glancing at Weston. “What are you doing?”
Her body trembled with fear, but Weston seemed to take pleasure in seeing her so shaken. A smirk tugged at his lips as he whispered, “What did he call you? Fiancée?”
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