Secret Affair

Unexpected Find

Ryan was awakened by the sound of his alarm, which was set for nine p.m. He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep while running a bath for his girlfriend, he wanted to take a quick soak but dozed of in the tub and only just woke up. He looked around, but there was no sign of her in the house. Her shoot was suppose to have ended two hours ago. He didn't think she might be in any danger. Instead, a series of ridiculous scenarios began to pop up in his mind. Stuffs like; Had she come over but couldn't get into the hotel because she forgot the room number? Maybe she forgot he had moved and went back to his old apartment, but that was highly unlikely, especially as she helped him box most of his items and was there when the moving truck left. Could she have knocked but because of the loud music, he didn't know and when he did not answer, she left? The music blasting from the stereo was so loud he could not even hear himself think. Angrily, he went over to switch it off. He had deliberately turned up its volume to block out the sound from next door. He couldn't hear the sound anymore, which could only mean she had left already. It would be dumb for anyone to remain there anyway, it is already so long. He checked his phone in hopes of finding a text message or her missed call, but there was none, he had several notifications and a missed call, but it was from his boss, Robert, at HUM Media, who probably was calling to check on things and ask how prepared he was for tomorrow's presentation. He decided to give her a call, but the call didn't go through. He hoped she was okay. He hadn't bought any groceries when he moved because he thought he would go shopping with Cindy once they settled, but he was hungry now and there was nothing available yet. He got dressed and left, but nothing prepared him for what he saw in the hallway. A woman was sitting on the floor, dozing off, her face was partially concealed with her hair which was sprawled all over her face. From her clothes, it was no doubt the same woman that had been keying in wrong codes all afternoon. Who is she, and why was she still here? He had thought she had already left. Why couldn't she ask the hotel security for help if she needed to get in so desperately? Some people are just so dense. Ryan thought as he doubled checked his lock before walking around her and making his way towards the elevator. Just before the elevator's door shut, he gave her one last look and couldn't help but wonder why anyone could be comfortable in such a position. But that isn't what gave Ryan concern. He kept wondering if this apartment was safe from a potential burglar. ALZ isn't so safe after all. He considered reporting the woman to the hotel security on his way down and that was what he did.

He went to a diner downtown and had a hearty meal, got some groceries on his way back and, all the while, kept trying Cindy's number, which kept being engaged or out of range. He headed back home and felt his worries vanish. It had been a long time since he lived in luxury and although it felt a little strange now, he was enjoying every bit of the experience. ALZ was one of the tallest building and also the most expensive hotels, paying for a penthouse in it is such a big deal. But Ryan didn't have to pay for his stay there. He won the bet between his grandfather and himself, he just didn't want to move in until Cindy said she wanted to know what if felt like to live in such places and Ryan wanted to do everything to make his girlfriend happy. Mr John was a professor at the college Ryan went to. He took a liking to Ryan from the first day that it was hard to tell if they were unrelated. John said the boy reminded him of his son who is Ryan's doppelgänger had he lived old enough. At first, Ryan hadn't believed him and even suspected he was only making up the stories. He thought John was no doubt another spy sent by his old man, but he wasn't, at least that's what Ryan believed. He had shown Ryan a picture of a boy that looked exactly like Ryan in his teens. John took Ryan under his wing and taught him to be very good at sketching and creating graphic images, which were used for his new employment as what he does for a living. Shortly after graduation, John invited Ryan on an expedition to an abandoned island. It was what his son enjoyed and, since Ryan looked just like his son, he figured they could go together so that he would feel as if he had gone on the trip with his son. Ryan had turned down the request instantly, he wasn't going to be used as a replacement for someone else's son. John wasn't deterred and kept pestering the boy until he finally gave in a year and a half later. It was on this trip they found some really rare cool stuffs which had been abandoned by the previous occupiers. Ryan wasn't a believer in coincidence and believed someone was messing with him by deliberately throwing them money. John didn't see it that way and kept their find, since Ryan wasn't even interested. John called him some time later, informing him that he had sold off the item in an exhibition and deposited his share. It took weeks before Ryan checked the balance on the account. Sure enough, there was so much money, and it was all there, too good to be true. Ryan at first didn't want to touch the money, but Cindy was going to leave him if he didn't get her the designer bags she wanted so badly. With the money Ryan could buy some shares from his grandfather's company and work towards defeating the old man before he is thirty. He got his girlfriend the most expensive brand of what she wanted and wanted to impress her further by moving to the penthouse she always wanted to live in. Technically, he is still poor and if anyone from his office saw him now, they would laugh at him for deceiving them.

When Ryan got back to his floor, he was not alone in the elevator, an arrogant looking man had hitched a ride on the seventh floor, he was with a woman with too much make-up on. She was all over the man and they acted as if they were alone in the elevator, the girl kept whining about why she doesn't want him to leave her alone. She got off on the fifteenth floor after the man promised to come to her later. These conversations held no meaning for Ryan, who wanted them to both get out of his face. He was beginning to get a little worried because he couldn't get in touch with Cindy, he knew now that she was not coming. He watched in amusement as the man readjusted his tie and pimped himself just before they arrived at the twentieth floor.

They both walked off at the same time. The man was walking a little quickly to accost the woman who was standing and waiting for the man, it was now that Ryan got a good look at the woman's face, she looked dainty and didn't even look like someone that has been stranded for quite sometime, perhaps she left and came back? He began to walk slowly to know what their deal was.

"What did I tell you?" The man asked angrily as he approached the woman, who was visibly shaking now.

"I couldn't get a cab on time, I am sorry," the woman said timidly. By now Ryan had reached his door, he ignored them completely and began to key in his own code, careful not to let them see in case they decide to get into his own apartment next time. He had just opened his door when he heard the man's voice

"Stupid woman, you can't do anything right." he said under his breath,

"You changed the code again," she replied, they were completely oblivion to Ryan, who was taking so much time to enter his own appartment.

"So what? Is that why you had the security interrupt my meeting? You have no idea how important that meeting was," the man said and, keyed in the new code.

"I'm sorry," she said in a small voice.

"That's what you always say, stupid," with that they went in.

Well, that went pretty well, Ryan thought. At least she wouldn't spend the night in the hallway. Shutting his own door too.