Designed to Love

Chapter 4: Departure

Suddenly, a fluffy, plush hand blocked her path. Leona looked up to see a giant, pink, long-tailed fox mascot, holding a large donation box with one arm, shaking it at her.

A donation drive? Leona thought nothing of it, fished her wallet from her pocket, pulled out a ten-euro note, and went to stuff it into the slot on the box.

Unexpectedly, the fox covered the slot with its hand and shook its head. It lowered its head, fiddled with the box, and turned it to show Leona a different side.

"Lucky Draw?" Leona read the words on the cardboard box, looking at the mascot in confusion.

The fox nodded, then took her hand and guided it into the box.

Before her brain could process it, Leona's hand had already instinctively grabbed a small ball and pulled it out.

Under the fox's eager gaze, Leona twisted open the ball in her hand.

"Congratulations! You've won a Luxury Suite voucher at a Five-Star Hotel!"

"Have a pleasant evening!"

The hotel manager had already left, but Leona was still standing there, stunned, unable to process what was happening.

She turned around and took a closer look at the suite.

It had two sections: a small but fully-equipped living room outside with a sofa, coffee table, desk, and chairs—everything you could need. Inside the bedroom was an enormous two-meter-wide bed. Lying on it and just slightly turning her head, she could enjoy the view outside the window as if floating among the clouds. The floor-to-ceiling window faced Monaco's central district; in the distance, she could even see the illuminated Mount Fēng. Behind the bedroom was a massive bathroom area. One side by the window housed a large swimming pool, and the other side was the washing area.

"Is all this... this unbelievable luxury... really for me?" Leona closed her mouth, which had nearly dropped open in shock. She couldn't fathom that just half an hour ago, she'd been desperately searching for a place to stay, and now she was in the luxury suite of Monaco's most expensive hotel.

Carefully, she placed her backpack on the sofa and slowly moved to the window.

"Just one look should be fine!" Gripping the long table next to the floor-to-ceiling window for support, Leona dared to glance down. With just that one fleeting look, her legs turned to jelly.

Knock knock knock!

The sudden knocking at the door saved her. Leona hurried away from the window, straightened her clothes, and peeked through the peephole. The hotel manager stood outside.

So there was a mistake after all!

Leona breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing she hadn't started using the room yet, or she'd surely be chased down for payment.

Thinking this, she opened the door and offered a small, awkward smile to the manager outside.

"My apologies for disturbing you, ma'am. The hotel has prepared some late-night snacks and desserts for you. Please enjoy!" With that, a food cart was wheeled into Leona's room.

"I didn't order anything!" Leona was alarmed.

"These are all included in the prize package. Please use them without worry!" The manager smiled warmly. "All items in the suite are included with no extra charges. Please feel free to enjoy everything."

"Check-out is before 2 PM tomorrow. The package includes breakfast and lunch tomorrow. You can schedule and order them using the tablet by the bed in the bedroom!"

Leona sucked in a sharp breath.

Once the manager left again, she pinched her thigh hard. Only after wincing in pain did she dare believe this wasn't a dream.

Seeing the cart laden with delicious food, Leona couldn't help but swallow. From the moment she got off the plane until now, she'd only had a coffee. The spread before her was incredibly tempting. After hesitating for just a minute, she picked up the dishes from the cart and began to eat heartily.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring suite, a man removed the large, pink fox head he'd been wearing. He shook out his sweat-dampened bangs.

The hotel manager knocked on the door and entered after receiving permission. "Everything is arranged as you instructed, Mr. Kael."

The man nodded. "That coat of hers... have it taken care of when you deliver her meal tomorrow."

Though puzzled, the manager didn't dare ask questions. He nodded in acknowledgment and left the room.

After eating her fill, Leona enjoyed a long, relaxing soak in the bathtub, washing away a week's worth of fatigue. Then, she collapsed onto the enormous bed. She had thought tonight would be a sleepless one, but as soon as she lay down, exhaustion washed over her from all sides. When she opened her eyes again, it was already noon.

It was the first good sleep she'd had all week.

She rolled over, stretched luxuriously on the bed, and finally sat up. Just as she reached for her phone to check messages, there was another knock at the door.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. Since we didn't receive a lunch order from you, we took the liberty of selecting a few dishes for you. Where would you prefer to enjoy your lunch?" The hotel manager smiled at Leona. Behind her stood several servers with food carts.

"Just... by the window is fine!" Leona, startled by the entourage, quickly opened the door wider to let them in. She glanced at the remains of last night's meal on the coffee table, her cheeks flushing slightly with embarrassment as she ran a hand through her still-unbrushed, messy hair.

The manager paid no mind. The servers efficiently wheeled the carts to the designated spot, swiftly cleared the coffee table (taking last night's cart away as well), and left.

"Your lunch is on the table. Please enjoy!" The manager nodded to her, then her gaze fell on the wool coat hanging on the coat rack. "Our hotel offers complimentary garment cleaning. I'll take this coat to have it treated for you and return it shortly."

Leona looked at the coffee-stained coat and nodded. "Thank you."

After the staff left, she walked to the window, held onto the edge of the table, and looked at the feast before her. She couldn't help but whisper, "Wow."

Truly a five-star national chain hotel. Compared to last night's snacks, this proper meal was even more distinctive, even the plating had its own unique style!

Leona nodded approvingly. She reached into her pocket to pull out her phone, intending to take a picture to show Jamie!

Her hand froze mid-reach. Leona's face instantly went pale.

"Chelsey was right there... she was holding back, but I... I couldn't control myself..."

"Let's get a divorce."

"Leona, you're a f*****g bastard!"

Yesterday's memories flooded her mind like a tidal wave. The sordid images, the cloying sounds, and Jamie's accusing words before he left—all stabbed at her heart like daggers.

Leona slumped into a chair. Everything before her eyes began to blur.

A sharp ringtone sounded from the bedroom. Leona snapped back to reality, wiped the tears from her face roughly, and stood up to go into the bedroom.

Her phone was charging on the bedside table. The call was from her junior colleague from the lab.

"Hello?"

Her hoarse voice startled the person on the other end. After a long pause, he asked uncertainly, "Senior... is that you?"

"Yeah. What is it?"

"About the previous experiment... Xiao Yu found a data discrepancy. It led to an error in the results, so some of the conclusions we drew earlier have been overturned. We just summarized the cause of the problem. Should I send you the electronic file now, or wait until you're back? Regarding this, we discussed it again today and came up with a preliminary idea, which is to..."

"Stop it. Don't do it anymore," Leona's voice was full of exhaustion. "Tell everyone to go home and get some proper rest."

"This idea has strong potential, Senior. You should at least listen—"

"Listen to me. Go home and rest first."

"But—"

"No 'buts.' We're stopping this research. Everyone, go home. Don't go to the lab these next few days!"

Leona hung up. She looked at the phone wallpaper—a photo of her and Jamie together—and let out a self-mocking laugh. Tossing the phone aside carelessly, she face-planted onto the big bed. She clutched a pillow tightly to her chest, grabbed the blanket beside her, and wrapped herself up like a cocoon, curling into a ball.

She had been thinking that if they just pulled a few more all-nighters, at the latest by next year, they could finish developing this drug. It could be on the market within five years. Then, Jamie wouldn't have to suffer through his heats because of her anymore. Not just him, but any omega who didn't want to be troubled by their heat cycles could finally find relief.