Sidney couldn't hear what she was saying to Jayson, but after he nodded, the woman hooked her arm through his and walked toward the elevator, paying no attention to Sidney. The woman was wearing a silver-gray sequined short dress that revealed her curves, making Sidney feel somewhat embarrassed. Sidney followed them into the elevator, and Jayson, along with the woman, watched her step inside. The woman smiled at Sidney politely. Sidney found it strange. She clearly knew of her existence, so how could she be so bold and intimate with Jayson? This wasn't typical behavior.
Once inside the elevator, after selecting the floor, Jayson finally spoke, his voice low: "This is Kayley Valenzuela, she manages all the girls here."
Sidney nodded at Kayley, who deliberately sized her up from head to toe before speaking. "Don't underestimate my position here managing the girls. I've known Jayson for ten years! We go way back!"
Sidney felt the words sounded a bit ambiguous, but she pretended not to understand and smiled politely in response.
After getting off the elevator, they went to the office. Jayson told Sidney to wait in the sofa area while he started discussing business with Kayley. It seemed they were talking about problems with some of the girls in the club, and there were a couple of names Sidney recognized from Alondra's conversations. She tried to listen in but couldn't make out the details.
Sidney, seeing many folders on a bookshelf used as a screen beside the sofa, boredly started examining them. She realized that running a club required a whole set of business strategies. She felt too embarrassed to go through the files, so she just looked at them until their conversation ended. Kayley made a few phone calls, instructing the girls to come upstairs. A short while later, two girls knocked and entered the office. Sidney peeked over and saw them nervously rubbing their hands, not daring to look at Jayson and Kayley. From the tone of Kayley's reprimands, it seemed there had been some jealousy-related drama between a few of the girls, and it appeared to be quite serious. She heard the words "keep your dignity" and also heard Jayson saying, "That person has a bad reputation. If you want to go, go ahead, but don't say I didn't warn you." Sidney then guessed that a former male guest had gotten involved with one of the club's girls and started poaching several of them to work elsewhere, possibly even at Opal Lounge.
Next, she heard Jayson instructing them to settle the payments, then telling Kayley to recruit a few new girls. After signing a few documents, he stood up and left the office. Sidney followed behind them. They entered an empty private room, where they all sat around a round table. The waiter quickly served the dishes. Jayson sat with Sidney on his left and Kayley on his right, with the club manager and another food supervisor sitting across from them.
As soon as the dishes arrived, Kayley eagerly began serving food to Jayson. To Sidney, this felt like a show of dominance. After all, to outsiders, she and Jayson were a married couple, so it shouldn't have been Kayley's role to serve him.
Sidney picked up a piece of sashimi and dropped it into her bowl, feeling a bit uneasy. She couldn't help but think how out of line Jayson was—he didn't even show her the slightest bit of respect in front of other people.
"Is it good?" Jayson asked softly.
Sidney swallowed the fish in her mouth before replying, "The texture is great, and the cutting is well done. How do you manage to get such fresh fish here?"
"For regular hotels, it would be impossible," Jayson replied. "But here we're connected to a hotel, so the demand is higher, and we have a great relationship with the suppliers. They're willing to deliver fresh fish to us twice a day."
"Wow, this really is good!" Sidney said, eating the sashimi with relish.
Then Jayson spun the lazy Susan, and a large plate of mac and cheese stopped in front of Sidney.
"Try this mac and cheese," he said.
Sidney knew that a simple fried rice actually tests a chef's skill.
She took a bite of the rice and chewed it slowly. Jayson also took a small bite and said nothing.
"The cheese coated every piece of pasta perfectly, each bite had just the right amount of creaminess. It's cooked just right."
"You're quite the foodie, huh?" Jayson smiled.
"You asked me to come and taste the dishes! I have to do my part."
Sidney continued to try several more dishes. Most of her feedback was positive, but she also offered her suggestions on how they could be improved.
Kayley, overhearing, coldly remarked, "These dishes are meant to accompany drinks. They need to complement the type and flavor of the alcohol, not just taste good on their own."
Sidney knew she was upset, but she truly didn't understand what exactly was bothering her.
"I don't know much about alcohol. I'm just sharing my thoughts on the dishes for your reference. Whether it's useful or not, it's up to you," Sidney replied, then requested to go to the restroom. Jayson asked the waiter to escort her.
Sidney had just entered the restroom when, to her surprise, Kayley followed her in. With a woman's intuition, Sidney sensed she had something to say and waited for her to speak.
Kayley washed her hands, touched up her makeup, and looked at Sidney calmly. "I get why Jayson married you—it's all about your status. People like him, especially those trying to clean up their image, always go for someone with a good background to make it look right. But I've known him for ten years, and trust me, I know him way better than you ever will."
Although Kayley's words weren't blunt, even a fool could understand the implication.
Sidney thought arguing with her was pointless, but she wasn't the type to let others run their mouths without responding.
"This sister of yours has worked with Jayson for ten years, so of course she understands him better than I do. I'll do my best to understand his character as well, so you don't need to worry. As for whether I'm being kept at home, that's not something for you to comment on," Sidney replied calmly, then left the restroom. The waiter was waiting outside. Though she didn't plan on a forever with Jayson, she wasn't the type to let others bully her. It felt quite satisfying to turn the tables and fire back.
Jayson was talking with the manager when Sidney entered, and he didn't make any effort to avoid her. Sidney sat down, bored, and continued eating. It was some time before Kayley reentered the private room. When Sidney saw her, she purposely picked up some food and put it in Jayson's bowl, echoing Kayley's earlier flattery. "Here, eat this," she said softly, then poured tea for him and added, "Don't drink too much though. It's not good for you." She then poured more soup for Jayson and said, "Don't drink too much wine, it's not good for you."
Kayley didn't look at them. She simply stared ahead, silent.
Jayson was focused on talking with the manager and didn't notice the change in the two women. Sidney, feeling stuffed, decided to pay attention to their conversation. Most of it was about staff management and the year-end events the hotel was planning. Sidney found the manager's ideas quite interesting, as she had grown up in a strict household and never had the chance to visit night venues.
Before long, she joined the discussion, offering her perspective as a female guest and sharing the typical expectations of consumers.
The manager thought this woman was quite sharp and felt a bit impressed by her. He cheerfully continued the conversation with her, even answering some of her questions.
Seeing the two women chatting happily, Jayson scooped a bowl of soup, placed a spoon in Sidney's right hand, and ordered, "Drink the soup!" Sidney gave him a puzzled glance but continued talking. In the middle of the conversation, she suddenly turned to Jayson excitedly and asked, "Can I attend your hotel's year-end event? It sounds really interesting!"
Jayson didn't respond immediately. After a brief silence, he spoke, "It depends on how you perform."
The manager thought the couple was flirting and complimented them on their great relationship. Meanwhile, Kayley looked even greener with envy and said she was going downstairs to have a look before leaving.
Sidney didn't know what Jayson meant by "performance," and was momentarily at a loss for how to respond. She then turned back to continue her conversation with the manager.
The meal was nearly finished, and Sidney had given her feedback. As for whether the chef would be hired, she wasn't sure. Once the manager and other supervisors had left, Sidney followed Jayson back to the office. That's when he said, "Looks like you had a good chat!"
"Yeah, your manager is pretty funny. No wonder he's in charge," Sidney said, flopping down onto the sofa.
Jayson shot her a cold look. "I have more meetings to attend. You can head back now."
"Can I wait here for you? Then we can go back together?"
"It will be late."
"Will you be socializing for a long time?"
"It depends."
"I'll wait for you in the office."
He didn't say anything, just glanced at her before opening the door and leaving.
Sidney turned on the TV and curled up on the sofa, waiting.
Two hours later, just as Sidney was starting to doze off, the office door opened again. She jumped in surprise and saw Jayson stumbling in, his steps unsteady, swaying from side to side.
He had one of those types of bodies that didn't flush even after drinking. Sidney wasn't sure how much he had drunk, but she supported him and helped him sit down on the sofa.
"Do you get this drunk every day?" Sidney asked, worried.
"...." Jayson exhaled, glanced at her, and then closed his eyes.
"Drinking hurts your liver! And you stay up late like this, don't you care about your health?" Sidney continued to scold him.
"It's none of your business," he replied coolly.
Sidney rushed out the door and quickly found a server. She asked for a damp towel and some hangover medicine, then headed back to Jayson to help him recover from the alcohol.
The wet towel gently passed over his forehead, cheeks, and slid down to his neck and chest. In his semi-conscious state, Jayson felt that this sensation was familiar. A long time ago, someone had taken care of him this carefully.
The towel had grown warm, so she went to the nearby sink to re-wet it.
"Drink some water," Sidney said, pouring a cup and gently holding it to his lips, ready for him to drink as soon as he opened his mouth. With her other hand, she held Jayson's hand and massaged his wrist, a technique she had read could help ease tension and potentially speed up the recovery from alcohol.
Esteban was also someone who enjoyed drinking and socializing. She had learned about these things from a young age.
Jayson slowly opened his eyes and saw the woman in front of him, frowning and staring at him.
A warm feeling spread through his chest. She truly was a good woman, even if she could be a bit stubborn at times.
Jayson freed his hand from where she was pressing, gently stroked her cheek. Sidney still frowned, looking at him with confusion. He propped himself up and leaned in closer, smelling the faint scent of her body wash. His lips pressed against hers, gently caressing them before extending his hot tongue to trace her shape. But unexpectedly, Sidney shoved him away.
Jayson stared at her, puzzled, as she said softly, "It's the smell of alcohol…" Her tone was light, but there was an unmistakable trace of distaste in it, as if the scent lingered around him like an unwelcome shadow.
She forcefully wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, a look of disgust on her face.
