In the suite.
Bertha lay on the bed, her blanket draped lightly over her waist, her eyes following the handsome man who was leisurely putting on his shirt.
Steven was attractive with a good face and a good body.
But he was always so icy, appearing to have few worldly desires. Even when the two were intimate, he did not express much emotion; as if she was just a tool to him.
...though, indeed, that was the truth.
"Drink this."
Steven meticulously buttoned up his shirt, handed her a glass of water and a pill out of a medicine bottle, with an adept hand.
Bertha sat up, unbothered by her slipping blanket.
She took the glass, and with a casual tone, she said, "If you're using protection, there's no need for me to always take the morning-after pill, right? Taking this too frequently, isn't good for health."
Steven's expression was indifferent, "Just in case. I wouldn't want a child with someone throwing herself at me. It would be an insult to the child."
Hearing this, Bertha's movement faltered.
She parted her red lips to mention an incident from three years ago but swallowed her words.
Bertha chuckled without saying a word, quickly downing the pill.
After all, she'd long since substituted the birth control pill with Vitamin C.
Steven watched her finish the pill, grabbed his suit jacket, and left.
Bertha watched his retreating figure, held back, but couldn't resist. "I heard Miss Lowell is back. Will Mr. George be engaged to her soon?"
"Why are you asking this?" Steven stopped in his tracks and turned around.
The shadow of his shirt collar fell on his collarbone, spotlessly clean.
During their every intimate moment, even at her most uninhibited, she only clung to the bedsheets beneath her, afraid to leave the slightest trace on him.
He did not like it.
Whether he looked down on her purely or was afraid of making someone else jealous, she was never quite sure. Out of tact, she never brought it up.
Feeling a sting in her heart, Bertha lowered her gaze. "I was just casually asking."
"You're overstepping."
"…I'm sorry, I'll be careful next time."
Bertha wanted to ask, after he's engaged to Karen, would their relationship also end, but she couldn't bring herself to ask.
And if he said yes, what then?
Steven's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then without responding, he turned and left.
The door was shut with a gentle click, leaving Bertha alone in the vast room, as if Steven had never been there, and all of it had been a figment of her imagination. She sat stunned for a while before she got up to shower, dress, and leave the room.
This was NT Hotel, the only ultra-five-star hotel in the country, and she was its vice president.
An employee came to find her, saying that two young masters had gotten into a dispute.
Bertha had drunk quite a bit in the past mediation, and was unable to walk steadily on her way back home in the evening. Her stomach was heaving, and she knelt next to the toilet, throwing up so violently that she even cried.
If Steven cared for her even the slightest bit, she wouldn’t be in such a state. Unfortunately, he was just her sponsor.
She knew full well that he had someone else in his heart, yet she went ahead and fell for him in spite of their relationship being purely transactional.
Her phone had been ringing continuously. It was only after Bertha had somewhat composed herself that she answered, "Hello?"
She was really uncomfortable and didn’t even check the caller ID.
Steven's voice sounded from the other end, "Karen is coming back tomorrow. Prepare her welcome feast yourself."
Bertha had been his lover for three years and he’d been excessively cold towards her. Only when it came to Karen did he show a hint of interest.
He asked her to prepare a welcome feast for his future wife. Was it because he thought that she wouldn’t mind at all, or he simply didn’t care about her feelings?
Probably the latter. After all, why would anyone care about the opinions of a plaything?
Bertha chuckled self-deprecatingly, took some stomach medicine and painkillers, and finally started to feel a little better.
There wasn't enough time to arrange everything by tomorrow. She returned to the hotel and pulled an all-nighter.
If she wanted to secure the position of CEO, she needed to go all out and set her pettiness aside!
The attendees for Karen's welcome feast started to arrive by 5 pm the next day.
Bertha, with a smile on her lips, led everyone to the private room.
These young masters and ladies often came here for fun, and they were quite familiar with her. Everyone chatted casually, but abruptly fell silent at a certain moment, with several people standing up.
Bertha turned her head and saw Steven standing at the door.
He was dressed in a silver-grey suit, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and a handsome face devoid of any emotion. Just standing there, he was a sight to behold, with several women stealing glances at him.
Standing next to him was a beautiful woman with a gentle demeanor and long, straight black hair - Karen.
Bertha was also stunning, but her fiery red lips and peach-blossom eyes were so captivating that by wearing just an ordinary dress, she could exude a seductive aura. Even her best friend Eudora had said that she looked like a manipulative temptress.
Yet Karen looked like a well-brought-up, 'good girl.'
So that's what Steven liked, and she saw no similarities between them on her own.
At this moment, Bertha wasn't sure whether she was feeling inferior or experiencing other emotions.
She glanced at Steven, who seemed no different to her than a stranger.
"Excuse me." He crossed over her and entered a private room.
Karen followed him, but stopped in front of Bertha, “The lipstick mark on Steven's shirt, that's yours, isn't it, Miss Saxton?”