Chapter Six
1142 Words
By midnight, the four of them had transformed.
Sophia and Dominic returned to the resort lobby in full chaos couture:Sophia in a glittery black mini dress that sparkled like the dome itself, Dominic in an outfit so neon that passing security staff blinked twice in confusion.
Olivia and Mae kept it elegant and modest in comparison, but the energy was unified: they came to party.
Alan Walker’s set was still rising, the beat shaking the glass panels.
They pushed through the crowd, dancing like they were burning calories for charity.
Dominic drank like hydration was a myth.Sophia matched him drink for drink because she refused to be outdone by a man who wore sequins with sincerity.
Olivia bowed out first around one in the morning, cheeks pink, laughing as she told them she had morning rounds.
Mae followed shortly after, her voice hoarse from screaming lyrics.
A few minutes later, Simon arrived to fetch Olivia, expression unreadable, gaze cool and assessing as it landed on her flushed cheeks and damp hair.He didn’t comment. He simply offered his hand, calm and commanding as always.
She took it. They left together.
Andrew, Paul, Alex and Christoph slipped out as well, all business, all seriousness, all sharp suits in the middle of an EDM rave, leaving Matthew as the last adult in charge.
Matt gave Sophia a double thumbs-up from behind the DJ booth. She blew him a kiss.
By three in the morning, Sophia felt light. Not drunk, she would never admit drunk, of course. Not dizzy. Just… floaty. Like her soul was wearing platform heels.
Dominic clung to her arm. “I am officially dehydrated. My blood is ninety-nine percent vodka and one percent bad decisions.”
“Same,” Sophia sighed. “Let us retire like the elegant women we are.”
“You are a woman. I am a phenomenon.”
They left Elysium, heels clicking and wobbling in perfect, chaotic rhythm.
Their suites were on the highest level of the left wing, accessible only through a quiet, private path reserved for owners, investors and Very Important People.
Sophia loved exclusivity. Dominic loved exclusivity more.
“Oh look,” Dominic whispered as they entered the corridor lined with private villas. “We are practically royalty.”
“Please. I’ve always been royalty. You are my court jester.”
He did not argue. They passed the first suite. Then the next. Then the third suite.
And that was when they heard it. A sound. A… noise.
A very enthusiastic feminine noise.
Sophia froze mid-step. Dominic froze mid-breath.
They slowly, and painfully, turned their heads toward the source.
It was coming from the private pool of the suite.
The lights glowed blue. Steam rose. And in the water was a… silhouette.
A distinct silhouette of a very tall man and a very naked woman sitting very comfortably on his lap, riding him like a bull.
The woman moaned loud enough to echo.
Sophia’s eyes went round. Dominic covered his mouth with both hands.
The woman whimpered again. Sophia whispered, horrified, “Is she dying?”
Dominic slapped her arm. “Girl, dying people do not screech like malfunctioning violins.”
“So why does she sound like a hyena?” she hissed, cheeks hot enough to grill BBQ.
They squinted through the steam, trying to place the figure, but all they could see was:
Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark hair. Posture of a man who probably lectured chairs for creaking too loudly.
Sophia inhaled sharply. Though she cannot see his face, there is something dangerous about him “Oh my God, he looks important and dangerous. Do you think she needed saving?”
Dominic tightened his grip on her arm. “Girl! That is not a look of someone dying and needing saving. And anyone in this wing is important. Congratulations, we just saw a VIP doing VIP things.”
The woman let out another scream.
Dominic whispered, “She is going to wake the waterfalls.”
Panicking, Sophia grabbed Dominic’s hand. “Walk. Walk now. Do not breathe. Do not blink. Do not make a sound.”
They took one step.
The woman whimpered again, louder this time.
Dominic said, “I think I pulled a muscle.”
“Dominic, move.”
“I cannot. My soul left my body.”
Sophia shoved him. “Resurrect it.”
They speed-walked, badly, heels clacking, limbs flailing, trying to look normal and failing spectacularly. They looked like two flamingos fleeing a crime scene.
Once they turned the corner and the suite was safely behind them, Dominic grabbed Sophia’s arm and squeaked, “What the hell was that?”
Sophia pressed both hands to her flaming cheeks. “I just saw a stranger. A tall, rich-looking stranger. Doing despicable things I can never unsee.”
“He was… exercising!” Dominic declared desperately.
“That was not exercise!”
Dominic nodded frantically. “It was… aquatic Pilates! Very advanced. Very… splashy.”
“Shut up!”
They reached their suite door, breathless, traumatized, alive.
Sophia leaned back against the wall, eyes wide, heart thumping. “Whoever that man is, I hope he gets his karma, making us watch something we didn’t ask for!”
Dominic seemed to have different thoughts. ““Girl, we should have watched until the finale though. Now I am curious how the show ends. Very suspenseful. Ten out of ten plot setup.”
Sophia groaned into her hands. “Ugh, why did it have to happen here? Why tonight? Why in the only path we needed to take?”
Dominic whispered, “Maybe this is destiny. I mean… I would not have minded trading places with his missus. She sounded like he was conducting a masterclass.” Then he noticed Sophia’s red cheeks. “But look at you. You look steamed. Are you okay? You need water?”
Sophia glared, scandalized. “Dominic.”
“What? You looked affected, and all I am saying is she hit notes Mariah Carey has not attempted since 2005.”
“Dominic, I saw a random man naked. There is no destiny here. There is only trauma. My eyes were not trained for this.”
Dominic nodded solemnly. “Well, at least you have finally seen one in the wild. Congratulations. You are coming of age. Trauma can be destiny sometimes. Character development. Hero’s journey.”
Sophia slapped a hand over his mouth. “Stop intellectualizing the naked man and go to bed before I scream.”
They stumbled into their suite, clinging to each other like survivors of a natural disaster.
Behind them, the mountains were quiet.The pool was loud.And somewhere behind a wall of blue-tinted steam, a very tall man continued living his best life, blissfully unaware that two dramatic strangers were trying to bleach their retinas and souls at the same time.
- Writer
