The Strangers Bedroom
1390 Words
[ALESSIA POV]
I sat there for ten minutes after he left, staring at the closed door.
The sheets still smelled like him. Like us.
Last night was perfect. This morning was a nightmare.
My phone was on the nightstand. I'd left it there before... before everything. I reached for it with shaking hands.
Forty-seven missed calls. One hundred and twenty-three texts.
My heart raced.
I opened the messages.
Joseph: "GIRL CALL ME NOW"
Joseph: "ALESSIA WHERE ARE YOU"
Joseph: "HAVE YOU SEEN THE PHOTOS???"
Miraya: "Babe what happened last night? Everyone's talking about you"
Unknown Number: "Homewrecker"
Unknown Number: "You're disgusting"
Unknown Number: "Hope it was worth ruining your career"
My hands were shaking so badly I almost dropped the phone.
What photos?
I opened i********:.
And there it was.
The first photo showed us outside the club—my hand gripping his shirt, his face inches from mine, the moment right before we kissed.
The second was the actual kiss. Against the wall. His hands on my waist. My fingers in his hair.
The third was us leaving, hands clasped, both of us looking like we couldn't get somewhere private fast enough.
The caption: "CEO Fernandes Woods caught in scandalous affair with employee. Who is she?"
Over 50,000 likes. Thousands of comments.
"She's probably sleeping her way to a promotion"
"Gold digger"
"He's way out of her league"
"Isn't he engaged?"
"She looks cheap"
My vision blurred. I couldn't breathe.
This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real.
I scrolled through more posts. The photos were everywhere. Twitter. f*******:. Company Slack channels. Anonymous workplace gossip sites.
Everyone knew.
Everyone had seen.
My phone rang. Joseph.
I answered with shaking hands. "Joseph—"
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" His voice was panicked. "Everyone's looking for you. The office is insane. Lola's telling everyone she always knew you were sleeping with him. HR is looking for you. Alessia, what happened?"
"I don't know," I whispered. "I don't—"
"Are those photos real? Did you actually—"
"I have to go."
I hung up.
Another call came through immediately. Unknown number.
I declined it.
Three more calls. All unknown numbers.
Text after text flooded in.
"Slut"
"You're fired"
"Hope he was worth it"
I threw the phone across the room and buried my face in my hands.
This was my fault. I'd known better. I'd known the risks. And I'd done it anyway.
Because last night, in his arms, nothing else had mattered.
But now everyone knows. My colleagues, My friends and Strangers on the internet.
They all thought they knew who I was. What I'd done. Why I'd done it.
And the worst part? Some of it was true.
I had slept with my boss. I had crossed that line. I had—
The door opened.
I looked up, expecting Fernandes.
But it wasn't him.
A woman stood in the doorway—tall, elegant, wearing a designer dress that probably cost more than my rent. Her makeup was perfect. Her hair was perfect. Everything about her screamed money and power.
She looked at me with cold, calculating eyes.
"So you're her," she said softly. "The girl who thinks she can have him."
My blood ran cold. "Who are you?"
She smiled. Not kind. Not friendly.
"I'm Nora." She stepped into the room. "Fernandes' fiancée."
"He said you're not together anymore."
"Is that what he told you?" She laughed. "Men say a lot of things when they want something. Surely you're smart enough to know that."
I stood up, clutching the sheet around me. "You need to leave."
"This is going to be my home soon. I think I'll stay." She walked closer, circling me like a predator. "Those photos... unfortunate, aren't they? Such a shame they got leaked."
My breath caught. "You... you did this."
"I simply made sure the right people saw what was happening." Her smile widened. "You made it so easy. Kissing him where anyone could see. Did you really think there wouldn't be consequences?"
"Why?" My voice shook. "Why would you do this?"
"Because he's mine." Her eyes went cold. "We're getting married in three months. Our families have been planning this for years. And I'm not going to let some nobody from customer service ruin everything I've worked for."
"He doesn't love you."
"Love?" She laughed again. "This isn't about love. This is about power. Legacy. Business. Things you wouldn't understand."
She moved closer, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"So here's what's going to happen, Alessia. You're going to resign. You're going to disappear. You're going to tell everyone it was a mistake and you're ashamed. And if you don't..." She pulled out her phone and showed me the screen.
More photos. But these were different.
Me and Fernandes in his car last night. Through the tinted windows—blurry but clear enough.
Me entering his building.
Me... in his apartment. Through the windows.
"Where did you get these?" I whispered, horror flooding through me.
"I have people. People who are very good at their jobs." She tucked the phone away. "These haven't been released yet. But they will be if you don't do exactly what I say."
Tears burned my eyes. "You can't—"
"I can. And I will." She turned to leave, then paused at the door. "Oh, and Alessia? Fernandes will choose me. He always does. Because at the end of the day, he needs what I can give him. And you? You're just a distraction."
She walked out, leaving me standing there, shaking.
My phone buzzed on the floor where I'd thrown it.
I picked it up with trembling hands.
A text from an unknown number: "24 hours to resign. Or everyone sees everything. -N"
I sank onto the bed, my whole world crumbling around me.
Last night, I thought maybe—just maybe—this could be real. That what we had was worth fighting for.
But Nora was right.
I was nobody. He was a CEO engaged to a powerful high society lady.
What had I been thinking?
The door opened again.
Fernandes stood there, his face tight with tension. "Alessia, I'm so sorry. My PR team is working on—"
"I need to leave," I said, my voice hollow.
"What?"
"I need to leave. Now."
He crossed the room quickly. "Wait. Talk to me. What happened?"
I looked up at him—this man I'd given everything to last night. This man whose touch still made my skin burn.
"Did you mean it?" I asked quietly. "When you said you don't regret last night?"
"Of course I meant it."
"Then why does it feel like I just destroyed my entire life for one night with you?"
His jaw clenched. "We'll fix this. Together."
"How?" Tears finally spilled over. "How are we going to fix this, Fernandes? Everyone's seen those photos. Everyone knows. My career is over. My reputation is destroyed. And Nora—"
I stopped myself.
"Nora what?" His voice went cold. "What did she do?"
I couldn't tell him. Couldn't tell him about the threats. About the additional photos she was holding over my head.
Because if I did, he'd try to protect me. And that would only make things worse.
"Nothing," I said. "She did nothing."
"Alessia—"
"I need to go home. Please."
He stared at me for a long moment. Then, slowly, he nodded.
"I'll have my driver take you."
"No. I'll call a cab."
"Alessia—"
"Please." My voice broke. "Just... please."
I gathered my things—my phone, my shoes, my bag. Everything felt surreal. Like I was watching myself from outside my body.
At the door, I turned back.
Fernandes stood there, looking more lost than I'd ever seen him.
"Last night was..." I couldn't finish.
"I know," he said quietly.
Then I left.
The elevator ride down felt endless.
When I finally reached the lobby, I pulled out my phone to call a car.
But before I could, I saw him.
A man in an expensive suit, standing by the entrance, watching me. He looked familiar—same dark eyes as Fernandes, same powerful presence.
He stepped forward. "Ms. Davison?"
My stomach dropped. "Yes?"
"I'm Victor Woods. Fernandes' father." He looked me up and down, his expression cold. "We need to talk."
- Writer
