A Suite For The Mafia Boss

Sky blue eyes and brief cases

AURORA'S POV

It's been two months already, and my work has slowly turned into a routine.

I ran my floor, and dealt with minor complaints from guests. Nothing about the hotel felt dangerous; if anything, it's as normal as every other hotel.

And for some strange reason, a part of me believed maybe things had changed. Maybe the officers couldn't get a lead; that's why the case was closed.

Maybe I had imagined how scared those two women had sounded back then. Maybe Rachel not coming back was also just a rumor.

Then everything changed on a very faithful Wednesday morning.

I felt a cold chill running down my spine before I even understood what was happening.

Small chatters completely stopped mid-sentence.

I felt it deep in my spine, sending the hair at the back of my neck rising.

A porter who had been leaning on the wall beside the entrance gossiping with someone straightened immediately, ending the conversation.

Even the housekeeping cart got pulled out of sight faster than necessary.

I didn't need anyone to tell me who was in the building; the environment already made it obvious.

I kept my head down and pretended to be busy with my clipboard, the way I had learned to do over those past two months.

Whatever was going on, I wasn't planning on getting caught in it.

However, I didn't get a choice today.

One of the staff that was hired recently for housekeeping, a girl named Prika, knocked over a cart of fresh towels and sheets right in front of the private elevator, just a few seconds before the doors opened.

I moved before I could stop myself and dropped down to help her pack everything quickly. We were almost done with it when the door chimes opened.

The air changed the moment he stepped out of the elevator.

And I felt his presence even before I lifted my head up to meet his face.

I stood up straight, the sheets still in my arms, and made the mistake of looking directly straight at him instead of looking away like everyone else in that hallway had done.

Standing right in front of me was Damien Corey, the man that was rumored to have killed someone at just the age of 13. I had done a little research on him out of curiosity a few weeks after I was employed.

His eyes were beautiful…

His eyes were sky blue, with no hint of emotions. His eyes stayed locked on mine like he was trying to figure out why I hadn't looked down yet.

I didn't look down, I was so lost staring at his eyes that I almost completely lost what I was supposed to do.

I felt time froze; maybe it was just my imagination, but it lasted longer than it should have.

“Damien.” A soft voice suddenly cut in.

A woman I didn't notice was behind him in the elevator.

She looked beautiful and polished with her wavy long hair that must have taken the hairstylist hours to achieve. Her eyes moved towards me from my head down to my feet, the way you'd size up someone you didn't like.

Damien finally looked away from me. "Casey."

That was all I heard before Prika pulled my sleeve gently, whispering that we had to move, and I let her drag me down the hallway, still holding onto the sheet, with my heart racing heavily.

I didn't see either of them again for the rest of my shift. I told myself that was for the best.

~~~~~

By the time I finally clocked out from my shift that morning, I was way beyond tired from walking and making sure the staff under me were doing their jobs properly.

Leo’s appointment was in forty minutes, and the traffic didn't care about how tight my schedule was, knowing I still had another shift later that evening.

I guess that's why the interviewers had warned me beforehand.

Fortunately, I made it just in time; with just ten minutes to spare, I was out of breath from running. I sank into the chair beside him as the nurse began prepping him up.

“You know you didn't need to rush here," Leo said, his voice sounding a bit tired, but he was still smiling through it.

“I promised I'll always be here, didn't I?” I asked, giving his hand a small squeeze.

He looked tired in a way that made my heart sink.

Not the kind of tiredness you get from lack of sleep, but from the type that comes when a body is doing much more work to keep it moving.

I kept my voice light as I tried to engage him in light conversation.

Due to his diagnosis, he had missed school a lot and still wasn't done with high school even though he was 18 already.

I asked him about his online classes and about the book he was pretending to still be reading. Anything that would distract us from what was currently going on.

And just like that, three hours passed.

When it was done, I walked him to the car park, where our neighbor Mr. Mark was waiting to drive him home.

I couldn't go home with him. I had a late night shift in the next forty minutes and had no time left.

"You should go," Leo said, noticing the hesitation on my face. "I'm fine. Go make money so I can keep bothering you."

I chuckled slightly, gave him a light pat on the head, thanked Mr. Mark, and left in another cab.

When I finally arrived at the hotel, the lobby had gone quiet the way it usually does at night.

Guests had retired into their room from the reception ground, pool, and every other place they usually were.

I was halfway to the staff lounge when I noticed some men in dark suits walking in through the side entrance, one after the other.

They didn't look like guests. Each of them carried the same black briefcases.

They walked past the front desk without any check-in, heading down the corridor that led to the private elevator.

Towards the VVIP floor.

I slowed down without meaning to, watching the last person enter the elevator before. It clicked shut behind them.

Something about the scene gave my stomach a tight twist.

I was still standing there, half convincing myself I was making a big deal out of nothing, when someone called my name from the front desk.

"Miss Hayes." Ben, one of the junior staff, was already jogging toward me, his face pale under the fluorescent lights. "Thank God. I've been looking for you."

"What's wrong?"

"You're needed at the thirteenth floor right now." He glanced toward the private elevator, then back at me, like even saying it out loud made him nervous.

"Mr. Damien's suite. Something happened. They need you up there right now.”