After splashing her face with cold water, Eloise's flush began to subside. Deciding to take a shower, she let the pleasantly warm water wash over her, and gradually, the confusion in her mind began to clear.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, she had completely regained her composure. Who was she? She was the vicious villainess, accustomed to disaster, who could face sky collapsing before her without changing her expression!
The man had changed into a new set of clothes— a black long-sleeve T-shirt paired with camel-colored casual pants. With his hands in his pockets, he stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, sipping a cup of coffee. Eloise casually walked over, as if she had forgotten what had just happened, and greeted him: "What are you looking at?"
"Here come your colleagues," the man lifted his chin slightly.
"Ah?" Eloise was initially confused, but when she turned her head and saw two workers in uniforms, their bodies strapped with safety belts and suspended outside the glass wall to clean, she suddenly remembered that her current role was that of a "window cleaner."
The two cleaners, noticing that they were being watched from inside the room, turned their heads in confusion and exchanged glances.
"Hey, you two are starting work so early?" Eloise raised her arm and waved, greeting them warmly. The man watched the increasingly puzzled expressions of the two workers outside and then reminded her from behind, "It's not early anymore. It's already 10: 30."
"Wait for me, I'll head back to my post right now!" Eloise turned and took a large step, ready to leave. The man slowly walked to a golden cart delivered by room service and asked, "Aren't you going to have breakfast before leaving?"
Eloise took one look. Good heavens, it was a feast—various precious ingredients piled up, enough to make her step falter. She had been so busy with other matters last night that she barely ate dinner, and now, with her stomach empty, the sight of the food before her seemed to call out in joyful anticipation.
"Then I'll eat a little first, so I can work better once I'm full." Seeing her work so hard to maintain the image of a hardworking worker, the man cooperated by curling his lips and saying, "Well done," as he sat down on the sofa, crossing his long legs, watching her eat heartily.
Eloise ate heartily, her actions a blend of grace and abandon. After finishing, she bid the man farewell once again, thanking him for his care and hospitality throughout the night. Every gesture was polite and well-mannered, truly embodying the image of a charming, good-natured neighbor. Yet, there was a small detail—a dollop of cream forgotten at the corner of her mouth.
The man didn't remind her, simply watching her leave. Then, from outside the door, a sharp voice rang out, dragging the tone in a way that almost dripped with sarcasm, the mockery clear even without being spoken aloud: "Oh, isn't this Manager Beaumont?"
"Oh," the man chuckled, amused. This lady actually had an act she hadn't shown before.
Eloise bumped into Lucienne as soon as she stepped outside.
The original female lead, with one hand pressed to her forehead, wore a look of slight pain on her delicate face, as if recovering from a hangover. She staggered down the corridor, her steps uneven. In her unsteadiness, she almost stumbled, leaning against the wall with a soft, pained sound.
With such simple movements, paired with her delicate, slender, ethereal figure, she appeared nothing short of an exceptional beauty, rare and breathtaking. Eloise had to admit, if she was a man, she would probably rush to her side, lifting her up gently and asking with concern, "Miss, are you okay?"
No wonder she was a natural-born saintly, stubborn female lead. Eloise rated her a 99.999, imagining how, the night before, she must have unknowingly captivated the legendary Mr. Kingswell, leaving him utterly mesmerized.
To be honest, Eloise had no particular liking for Lucienne, whose gentle, indecisive nature and perfect rapport with men did little to impress her. However, she didn't dislike her either. It was simply out of her dedication to playing the role of the spiteful villainess that she immediately switched to a sharp, biting demeanor.
"Elly?" Lucienne looked at her in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
Ever since Lucienne learned that Eloise was the aristocratic younger sister of her fiancé, Quintus Ashdown, who had grown up together with him, she had been calling her "Elly" in a friendly manner, as though she couldn't see the dislike and unfriendliness blatantly displayed.
Eloise sometimes thought she must be a little unhinged herself. With a mocking chuckle, she said, "You ask me? I was about to ask you! Looks like you didn't come back all night? Hah, hiding behind the guise of hosting Mr. Kingswell, but is this how you 'hosted' him, in bed? Or maybe you just came from some other random man's room! Hah, can you really face Quinty with this?"
She tried to lift her chin, straining her shoulders and back in the process, simply because she had forgotten to put on her heels. With a pair of hotel slippers on her feet, her height fell short, and her imposing presence shrank by a great deal. Of course, she wouldn't admit to being short—she blamed it entirely on Lucienne's extraordinary height.
Lucienne smiled helplessly, "Elly, what are you talking about? I did accidentally walk into a room to rest after getting drunk, but no one came in all night." Eloise froze for a moment. Could she have sent her to the wrong room?
Impossible! She had confirmed it—the entire floor only had one presidential suite. With Isidore's status, there's no way he wouldn't stay in the presidential suite. Could he possibly have gone to sleep in the kitchen instead?
What she didn't know was that the entire top luxury hotel, had been booked exclusively. As long as Isidore wanted, he could even sleep in the hallway. She couldn't imagine such luxury; after all, before she entered the book, she had been just a regular only child from a humble family, and poverty had limited her imagination.
"Alright, Elly, let's not talk in the hallway and disturb others' rest," Lucienne pressed her forehead and sighed. "It was your uncle who brought you here yesterday, right? I'll have someone take you back."
Eloise had no intention of accepting her favor. With a flick of her brows, she straightened up, her expression sharp. "No need, I can leave on my own! As for you, Isidore specifically requested you as the host, but you've been asleep until now. As the head coordinator, this is a pretty poor show. You'd better think about how to explain it to Mr. Ashdown!"
Lucienne's face paled. Although she had Quintus's affection, her humble background made her unappreciated in the Ashdown family. No matter how hard she worked to achieve success in her career, she was still met with disdain. If she messed this up this time...
There were still many details about Isidore's itinerary that needed her attention. Lucienne, with no time to linger, nodded briefly and hurried off. Eloise heard a light voice from behind her right: "Didn't expect it, you've got more than one face, huh?"
She turned around to see the "wild man" she had spent the night with leaning against the doorframe, watching her with great interest. Eloise felt a bit awkward, but then reminded herself it was just a fleeting encounter. She made a playful face at him, her eyes curving into a smile. "Could I borrow your room card to take me downstairs? Thank you so much!"
