The Man in Room 1608
1042 Words
It was already November in Riverdale City.
As soon as Sophia stepped out of the club, a blast of cold wind struck her.
Dressed in nothing but a thin shirt, she shivered uncontrollably.
Fortunately, the hotel was only a street away.
She didn't have time to think.
Suppressing the cough rising in her throat, she sprinted toward the hotel.
After spending years bedridden, her body was incredibly weak. Her muscles had nearly wasted away from inactivity.
After running barely a hundred meters, she was already gasping for breath.
When she finally entered the hotel lobby, the receptionist looked up and greeted her politely.
"Welcome."
Before she could even finish the first two words, Sophia Reed, panting heavily, leaned against the marble reception counter. Sweat dampened the strands of hair clinging to her temples.
"Has... has anyone gone up to Room 1608?"
The receptionist blinked in surprise before clicking her mouse a few times.
"Yes, two people have already gone up."
"Room 1608 is a couple's suite. A woman booked it this afternoon."
"A handsome guy went up a few minutes ago, and now another one has shown up."
The receptionist immediately looked Sophia up and down, unable to hide the curiosity and gossip shining in her eyes.
"Two people?"
Sophia's heart sank.
"Oh no."
According to the original plot, there should have been only one person waiting inside the room, a woman hired to help create the scandal involving Ethan Carter.
If there were already two people upstairs, then Ethan must have arrived.
Sophia silently cursed.
Without another word, she rushed into the elevator.
The receptionist called after her.
"Sir, you haven't registered yet!"
But Sophia had no time to worry about registration.
Her mind was in complete chaos, and the alcohol she had consumed earlier with Dylan Brooks churned unpleasantly in her stomach.
The hotel corridor twisted and turned like a maze. By the time she found her way through it, she was already exhausted.
Finally, she spotted Room 1608.
Raising her hand, she began pounding on the door.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
She used every ounce of strength she had left.
When nobody answered, anxiety surged through her.
Pressing her ear against the door, she strained to catch any sounds from inside.
"Ethan! Can you hear me?"
"Open the door!"
Her imagination immediately ran wild.
"Please don't tell me I'm already too late..."
"What if Ethan is already trapped in the middle of the whole setup?"
Sophia took a step back and shouted desperately,
"If you don't open this door right now, I'll make sure your future girlfriend dumps you tomorrow!"
The next second, the door swung open without warning from the inside.
Sophia nearly stumbled forward from surprise.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Sophia kicked at empty air and stumbled headfirst into the dark suite.
Not a single light was on.
Unable to see anything, she staggered forward several steps, carried by her momentum.
Just as she was about to lose her balance and crash face-first onto the floor, her knee struck the edge of a sofa. She tumbled onto the soft cushions instead.
The room was filled with the lingering scent of incense, mixed with the drug that the original Sophia had arranged to have placed there.
Instinctively, Sophia held her breath and rolled over before looking toward the figure standing by the doorway.
In a hesitant voice, she asked,
"Ethan?"
Click.
The door shut behind him.
A dim wall lamp flickered on, casting a faint glow across the suite.
The man standing near the entrance was tall and mature, dressed in a slightly rumpled suit shirt. His tie hung loosely around his neck.
His expression was icy, yet there was a visible tension in his eyes.
In a hoarse voice, he repeated,
"Ethan?"
Sophia stared at him.
The man's eyes were a light brown, and he stood nearly six-foot-three. A subtle scent of expensive cologne surrounded him.
Lying on the sofa, Sophia looked up in stunned silence.
"What's going on?"
"This isn't Ethan."
The novel had clearly described Ethan as having black eyes.
Her gaze drifted downward.
There was a small mole near the man's throat, and on his hand was a distinctive black thumb ring.
Sophia immediately recognized it.
In the entire novel, only one person wore that ring.
Gabriel.
The female lead's older brother.
The man who had seized complete control of the Hart Family at the age of twenty-seven.
Sophia's mind went blank.
Wasn't Ethan supposed to be here?
Why is Grace's brother in this room instead?
Her brain seemed to stop functioning altogether.
Suddenly, she noticed movement.
When she looked up again, Gabriel had somehow crossed the room and was standing right in front of her.
The sofa was so soft that Sophia instinctively scooted backward.
"Uh... right... I'm sorry," she stammered.
"I think I entered the wrong room."
After speaking, she nervously glanced around.
The woman who was supposed to be involved in the setup was nowhere to be seen.
The suite contained only two people.
Her and Gabriel.
"Who are you looking for?"
His voice was calm but cold.
"Ethan Carter?"
Before Sophia could react, a large hand closed around her ankle.
With a sharp tug, she slid down the sofa.
"Ah—!"
After retreating so desperately moments ago, she somehow ended up right back where she had started.
Sophia forced herself to meet Gabriel's gaze.
"N-no," she said quickly.
"It's all a misunderstanding. I wasn't looking for him."
His grip wasn't painful, but the sheer strength behind it made her nervous.
Gabriel looked down at her, his expression unreadable.
"Sophia Reed."
His voice was cold enough to send a chill down her spine.
"Don't play games with me."
For a moment, it felt as though his eyes could see straight through every thought in her mind.
Then he asked the question directly.
"Were you the one who arranged everything in this room?"
Sophia felt like a fish laid out on a chopping board.
"No?"
Gabriel's fingers pinched her cheek lightly.
"Then why are you holding your breath?"
His gaze was sharp.
"You were the one who arranged the drugs, weren't you?"
"They were originally meant for Ethan, correct?"
Cold sweat broke out across Sophia's back, and the color drained from her face.
- Writer
