I Fell For My Contract Partner

Chapter 3.1 Sean POV : Marion Hotel and VIP Room

Finally, today ended, though not smoothly because of the incident earlier with that man named Caleb.

Dang! The memory from before flashed back into my mind.

How could he do that to me? Is he insane?

I stared into the mirror, my eyes landing on the red marks on my neck and stroking it.

“That crazy man...” I grumbled, clenching my Jaw.

"Hey Sean, what are you doin'? Hurry up, we need to clean up!" One of my coworkers called from behind the door.

"Hah, okay...." I sighed a little and stepped out while placing a white cleaning cloth over my shoulder.

All that was left was cleaning the customers’ dirty dishes. I mumbled.

I started collecting all the dishes from the tables and carrying them back to the kitchen.

“Sean.” A young man around my age tapped my back. “Your pay for today.” He handed me an envelope.

His name was Daniel, one of my college friends. He was also the one who helped me get this temporary job at the restaurant, replacing another employee who was on a month-long leave. The pay was decent for daily needs, and I could save the rest.

“Ah, thank you…” My smile widened as I accepted the part-time payment.

“Don’t forget to come again tomorrow,” he said while walking away. “I’m leaving first, Sean…!”

“Yeah…!” I nodded.

The restaurant became quiet because most of the workers had already gone home. Only me, the cashier, another waitress, and the restaurant manager remained.

My attention focused on the wooden tables I was wiping one by one with a cloth and spray.

“Even this table looks smoother than my life…” I murmured quietly, laughing bitterly to myself.

Maybe I should just quit college…?

My thoughts drifted again. Honestly, I was currently taking a one-year break from college to reduce expenses. The plan was to work and save money for a year first, but....

That hundred million payment had to be settled now.

“Tch… what am I supposed to do? I already promised I'd find a solution…” I squeezed the cleaning cloth in my hand. “Maybe I should ask the manager now?...”

I stared at the table, lost in thought until a voice suddenly startled me.

“Sean, what are you standing there for?”

I flinched after hearing the manager's firm voice. “Sorry, sir. I’ll clean everything immediately!”

Without turning around, I hurried my work. Moving from one table to another until everything was clean.

“Phew… done…” I said while looking around at the tables, shining from afar.

My focus suddenly broke when I heard footsteps approaching.

“Sean…”

Andrew, the restaurant manager, stood behind me. His face looked serious as he stared at me.

Did I make a mistake?

“Yes, sir? Is there something else I need to do?” I asked quickly, secretly hoping there wasn’t a serious problem.

“Come with me to my office for a moment,” he ordered flatly.

He didn’t wait for my answer and immediately turned around toward his office.

Damn.

My heart pounded hard as I followed him from behind and the cold air hit me the moment the door opened.

“Close the door and sit down…”

I gave a small nod and followed his order.

The atmosphere felt rather quiet. He didn’t speak immediately and only observed me for a moment.

His gaze was too intense, making me uncomfortable, so I lowered my eyes a little, but even after waiting for a while, no words came out of his mouth.

So I finally gathered my courage...

“Sorry, sir… why did you call me here? Did I make a mistake today?” I asked, trying to guess.

Suddenly I remembered that incident. Could it be, that man complained to my manager after finishing his meal?

“No, your work was good today…,” he replied with a faint smile.

“Oh, thank goodness that’s not the problem…” I sighed in relief.

But if it wasn’t because of that, then what was the problem?

My brows furrowed slightly, and the tension still hadn’t disappeared.

“I heard about your situation from Daniel…” he said while leaning back. “He said you need a large amount of money quickly…” His eyes were so sharp, as if they were piercing straight through my heart.

“Yes, that’s true. My family’s condition really isn’t good right now…” Whether I liked it or not, I admitted it.

What was the point of hiding it? Daniel had probably already told him everything.

“And honestly, I’m confused right now… because today—I somehow need to get one hundred million..." I added.

“I see…”

He nodded slowly while tapping his fingers against the table.

“Actually, I might have a way…” he fell silent again, stared at me as if he were observing me like an object. “But I don’t know whether you’ll agree or not…” he added.

“Just say it, sir. As long as it’s something I can do, there’s no reason to refuse,” I answered quickly without thinking twice.

Andrew, the man in front of me, let out a low chuckle and smirked.

“Sean, have you ever had s*x with someone else or with your partner?”

What? What kind of question is this?

The question was completely unexpected and caught me off guard.

Should I answer? What did that have to do with the solution he wanted to offer me, huh?

“I… have never gone that far with anyone…” I replied while briefly looking away before meeting his eyes again.

His smirk widened further.

“Good. He’ll definitely pay a high price for you…” he said in an enthusiastic tone.

Pay a high price? I still didn’t understand where this conversation was heading.

“Can you explain first what exactly you mean?” I asked directly.

He opened the desk drawer and took something out from inside.

“Take it…” he handed me a business card.

I stared at him for a moment before looking back at the magenta card with the name James Winston written on it.

The name felt familiar.

“This card… what is it for…?” I asked while examining it. Ah, I remember now—this man used to be one of my father’s business partners. I had met him a couple of times when I was still a teenager.

“He’s a diamond jewelry businessman who’s currently rising fast. Everyone praises him, but behind all of that, there’s a secret he hides…”

The man took out a cigar from his pocket and lit it.

Thin white smoke immediately spread through the room along with the thick, piercing smell of tobacco.

“He likes young men… especially someone like you, Sean…” His gaze traveled over me from head to toe. “And he’s willing to pay a lot just to sleep with a young man… millions to tens of millions for one night…” he added while taking a drag from the cigar.

Smoke escaped from his lips.

“If you’ve really never done ‘that’ before, he might even give you twenty to thirty million just for one night…”

“Are you selling me?” My voice rose as I slammed my hand onto the table and stood up.

But he remained calm. He didn’t even look offended by my reaction. “I’m only helping you, Sean…” he replied lightly. “Think carefully… where else can you get that much money so quickly, huh?”

Damn it. He was right.

But if I had to do something like that, it wouldn’t be any different from a p********e, right…?

He stepped out and walked toward me until he was standing right behind me, way too close. I could even feel his strong breath and a glimpsed of rose parfume.

“Besides—I know you weren’t that innocent, with these marks on you, hm…?”

Suddenly, his finger stroked of my neck, sending a chill through my whole body.

I jerked away from him instinctively, quickly covering the marks.

"I-it's not like what you think!" I said, a little defensively, but he let out a small laugh.

"Don't worry, I don't judge you..."

He walked back to his chair and sat down.

“Well, it’s up to you… I’m only opening the path for you…” He leaned back and blew cigar smoke upward. “So? Will you accept it or not? If you’re willing, I’ll immediately send you his room address and contact him first.”

I stood there, clenching my jaw, realizing I had no other option right now..

“Fine… I’ll go meet James. Just send me the address…” I crushing the business card in my hand.

“Good, now you’re thinking clearly, heheh…” He chuckled softly. “You can leave now. I’ll contact him first, then send you the address,” he said while taking out his phone.

“Whatever…”

It was better for me to leave anyway. That way, I wouldn’t have to hear whatever he was about to say on the phone.

In the end, I still went to that place.

Then, here I was, standing in front of a towering, luxurious building with an elegant structure, as if I were at a European castle.

For a moment, I swallowed hard.

“Marion Hotel, VIP Room Number 10. James,” I muttered under my breath as I recalled that man’s room from Andrew.

Should I really go there?

I took a deep breath, then slowly let it out before starting to walk toward the hotel. But my once steady steps gradually slowed.

“If everything really has to be this way… then I won’t complain…."

There was no turning back now. The moment I stepped into the hotel, cold air brushed against my skin, carrying a faint scent of jasmine.

The lobby was crowded—guests scattered across sofas and chairs, some talking softly, others just waiting in silence.

I decided to keep walking while searching for the room, until I found the room number with his name was written across the door in glitter, almost deliberately loud, as if it wanted attention.

James Winston.

I was standing right in front of his room for a couple of minutes like an i***t, People passed by, some of them glancing at me strangely.

Hah. Just that alone was enough for me to make a guess—this guy was probably a narcissist.

I let out a small breath, shaking the thought off as I lifted my hand and knocked on the door.

Knock... knock...

There was silence for a moment, until I heard a voice.

"Wait a second...!" a man’s voice cut through the other side of the door as I heard a faint click of a doorknob turning from inside the room.

My heart was pounding a little faster when the door opened.

I couldn’t believe myself. Did I really do this?

In front of me stood a man in his forties—I guessed. He still looked fine, and I could catch a glimpse of his muscles underneath his bluish kimono.

Then a smile spread across his face as he said, “Sean, right? Come on in...”

I gulped and stepped inside his room, sweat running down my spine.

This is bad....