I woke up at 5:00 am by the sound of my laptop still playing an episode of Grey's Anatomy, even though I already watched the show twice. With my eyes half-open, I turned it off, reached my phone from the nightstand, and read unread messages.

'I got here safe and sound. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? Love you.' -Shannon.

A flash of what happened yesterday ran through my mind, and I shook it off, feeling chills and goosebumps all over my body. I opened Dave's message.

'Thank you for the delicious dinner you made yesterday, Allys. It's been a long time since I haven't eaten spaghetti carbonara.'

How can someone so cruel cheat on someone as sweet and kind as Dave? If I were dating someone like Dave, I wouldn't waste my time fucking other guys. But the truth was that I did have a boyfriend like him. Jared was nothing but a complete gentleman with me: always protecting me and keeping me safe. He made me smile and laugh, no matter where we were or what we were doing. Even when we were in the middle of a battle, he would come close to me and tell me some bad jokes to hear my laugh. That's why Dave reminded me so much of him.

'I'm glad you liked it.' I texted him, not expecting an instant answer, but he did.

'PS: We need to speak. I know it's your day-off, but could you come to my place at 0400 pm?'

I swallowed hard. Speak about what? OMG! What if he did find out?

'Sure. May I ask what it is about?'

No response, so I went for a hot shower in the meantime. I didn't want to get into any trouble at work, especially if it was a personal matter. It was the last thing I wanted to do to Judy, but I think it would be best to tell him. Should I? Would he fire me? I shook my head and, rinsing the shampoo out of my hair, grabbed the aloe vera soap and gently and delicately rubbed my scars with a sponge. They were part of my body, each one of them with a history to tell. Some of them proud of having them, some not. It was still painful to see the scar that reminded me of the person I lost and loved the most every day whenever I would change my clothes or get a shower.

I wrapped my body with a towel and stood in front of the foggy mirror, waiting for it to fade away a little before walking to my dressing room. Today was my first meeting with aunt Wanda at the hotel, so I wanted to look presentable with a pair of formal black pants, a white blouse, and a red blazer. I was nervous yet excited to officially be a part of what my mother has built from the ground.

I checked my phone to see if Dave has responded -he hasn't. So, I marched to the kitchen and made my breakfast. It was odd having the apartment all to myself and not smell the delicious food Judy had cooked. Then, I remembered her missed calls. Damn it! With what happened yesterday, I forgot to call her. I ran to my room, and my body froze when I saw the ten missed calls and the five unread messages from her. I was fucking dead!

Are you okay, Allys? Why are you not answering my calls?'

'Please, answer. Are you all right?'

'Okay, now I'm bloody worried. What are you doing? Please, tell me you're fine.'

'I just called Shannon. Why didn't you tell me that she was staying in New York? I told you I don't want you to be alone at home!'

'You better be okay and call me right away, or otherwise, you'll see me first thing in the morning.'

Capable of her taking the next flight out to Chicago, I called her right away. She answered on the second ring.

"Hello, Ju-"

"Where the bloody hell have you been?" she yelled, her tone high-pitched. "I called you several times and texted you. Where were you? I'm so angry at you right now!"

"I can tell, and I'm very sorry. I was-"

"Sorry is not enough!" she cut me off. "I was worried sick, and I couldn't help but think that something bad happened to you. I felt like I was dying knowing that I lost you too." She was angry, yet her worried tone melted my heart.

"I know apologizing is not enough, but I promise you I am fine," I reassured her with a calm voice. "I forgot my phone at Dave's place, so I went for it again and forgot to call you. I'm sorry, Judy, I didn't want you to get worried and upset."

"And didn't you hear my calls and text messages?"

"My phone was silent all night. I'm sorry." I bit my lower lip. "I was going to call you, but-"

"But what, Allys?" I swallowed hard.

I didn't know if I should tell her or not. What if she would tell Dave about it? Would she do that? I mean, they knew each other well for Dave to trust her to give me this job. I also didn't want Judy to worry about anything related to work. She's having the best time in Hawaii with her family, and I didn't want to ruin it.

"I got distracted by talking with the doorman. I'm sorry. He's nice, and I always talk to him every time I leave the building."

"Right, Harrison is his name. Nice and chatty, fella."

"The one and only Harrison," I paused and felt instant relief that he bought that lie. "I'm sorry, Judy, for making you worry." And for lying to you.

"Now that you called me and you're okay, it's fine. But please, don't ever make me worry ever again. I cannot lose you too, my sweet angel."

"Trust me. I'm going to be here for quite a while, so I'm not going anywhere." I assured her. "Guess what? Today is my first day at the hotel. I'm meeting aunt Wanda in a couple of hours, and I'm nervous. I can't stop thinking that this is what Mom wanted? What if it doesn't work?"

"Your mum always has trusted her heart and gut when it comes to business. She chose you and your aunt for a reason. If you still need more time, I can speak to your aunt and-"

"Please, don't. I can handle it."

"Are you sure?"

"It's Mom's promise, right?" I embraced myself with my free arm as I walked to the living room and sat down on the couch. My only condition was to work and help aunt Wanda every weekend. She knew I was still hurt, so she gave me all the time I needed until I was ready. "I'll never know if I don't at least try, right? I'll do great, you'll see."

"I'm sure you will. You're taking baby steps. That's good." I could hear her smile through the phone.

"I don't know if I called that baby steps," I bit my lip. "I should've done this a couple of months ago."

"It's better late than never. At least you're doing it now. Your aunt did the right thing for you. You went through hell these years and just got back from the military. You needed time to readjust your life. Baby steps are good. Taking it slow is not a bad thing."

"I wish I could hug you right now," I sighed.

"Two more weeks left, and I'll be home soon. Stay strong, okay, darling?"

"I will. Thank you for everything," I paused. "And I'm glad you're no longer upset with me." I heard her chuckle.

She chuckled, "I'm happy that you called and that you're okay. You're my family now and, if something happens to you, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself," she said, brittle.

"Nothing will happen to me, I promise. Go back to sleep. It's late."

"I was awake but didn't realize it was 2 am already!" she exclaimed, and I heard her husband groan in annoyance and told her to shut up. "You shut up! It's you that I cannot sleep because of your loud snores," she said, making me laugh. "Good night, Allys. Call me after your meeting, will you?"

"I will. I love you."

"Love you too."

***

I was waiting at the Richz Hotel lobby, sitting in the brown armchair that I helped my mom choose five years ago when she needed a new one. I still remembered that day as if it was yesterday. She didn't like it at first. But, as time went by, she ended up loving it. Nothing had changed. Everything was still in its place, and I was glad to see familiar faces passing by my side, waving at me with a sympathetic smile and giving me a long hug.

Aurora, who was now the new COO of the company, was my mom's closest friend, and we had a little chitchat before a group of Filipino people came to check-in. She was the Head of Reception of this hotel before my mom promoted her to be her new right hand and was still as upbeat and pleasant as I recalled. She made the guests happy and welcomed them with a smile on her face. I remembered Aurora helping me with school work when I was in primary school. It was after her morning shifts when she came to Mom's office and helped me study.

"Will you be at the meeting, right?" I asked her when she came back to me.

"Of course, I'll be there. I'm the COO, which one day, I'll be working for you. I wouldn't miss watching you take the throne of the Hotel Richz."

I chuckled. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. It is not Game of Thrones, battling to see who takes the throne or not. It will take time for me to get there."

"But one day, you will. I don't know if aunt Wanda already told you, but you'll be meeting with the head of each Department for a month or so to see how we do things inside the hotel before moving you to the big stuff."

I furrowed my brows and tilted my head. "As in Reception, Food, and beverages, Housekeeping...?"

She nodded. "I think it's an excellent idea. You'll start with the most important thing that any hotel couldn't succeed without."

I smiled, knowing what it was. "I'll be welcoming guests?"

"You'll do more than that. You'll see," Aurora said and winked at me before an intern approached her for help. "Duties call. I'll see you upstairs, okay?"

"Okay."

As I kept waiting for Aunt Wanda, I couldn't help but question myself if I could do this. It's overwhelming yet scary at the same time, having to run the place where I grew up. Would I be able to be as good as my mom? Would my aunt expect me to be as good just like hers? I dreamt of running the hotel by myself someday, but that was before joining the military. Now I was not sure.

"Hello, darling," greeted a familiar voice from behind me. I turned to her. Her long brown hair was perfectly wavy, and she looked astonishing with her business outfit. Simple with a pencil skirt but sophisticated with a bow-front white shirt.

I got up from the armchair and gave her a warm hug. "Hi, aunt Wanda. How are you?"

"Oh, dear lord, you look stunning! Look at you! I haven't seen you with high heels since your high school graduation!" I felt my cheeks getting red, just like my blazer, as I thanked her for the compliment. "I'm fine, sweetie. How are you? How are you holding things up?"

We walked to the elevator, and I pressed the button as I responded with a simple, "I'm fine."

Her greenish-brown eyes studied my face, looking for something that would tell her otherwise, and, with a raised brow, she asked, "Are you? Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying, aunt Wanda. I'm fine, I promise," I smiled at her, and she hugged me again before we stepped inside.

Pressing the 30th button, she said, "Good. I want you to be fine, and I'm here-"

"If you need me. Got it," I clicked my tongue and let out an exasperated sigh. Realizing what I just did, I apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, I-"

"You're tired of hearing people say that to you," she finished my sentence with a sympathetic smile, and I nodded my head. "We care about you. That's all."

"I know."

There was a classical song playing in the elevator. The lovely melody relaxed me, and it was quite catchy that I started humming it in my head. I believed it was composed by Vivaldi. My dad loved classical music, and a memory of him just came to my mind. He loved listening to classical music while operating the patients in the surgery room. I always thought he was insane, that he would get distracted. But now I got it, and I couldn't help but shed some tears at the thought of him. I immediately wiped them away with the back of my hand without my aunt noticing.

"Did you have breakfast?" I nodded, placing my hands on my back. "Good. So, are you ready? Nervous?"

"I am," I confessed. "This is the first meeting I'm attending, and I'm not sure if I'm capable of the position my mother wanted me to take. What if I'm not? What if I don't exceed people's expectations?"

She gently squeezed my shoulder like she was giving me a massage. "Oh, honey. Everyone is nervous when they start something they've never done before. It's a natural thing to be nervous about the unknown and the uncertainty. And it doesn't matter what people think, but you and only you. It's your first day, so I'll be doing most of the talking. But you're going to have to introduce yourself first."

"But people already know me."

"But not as their future and possibly boss," she stated, putting lipstick on her already painted lips. "They've known you as the daughter of Grace Richards, not as the future heiress."

I felt my throat getting dry, and my heart was beating fast as we were getting near the 30th floor. I didn't know how to be bossy. I was not a boss person. Sure, I took orders from my infantry sergeant and complied. And there was a time that I instructed the other soldiers its position and where to aim so that everything would go as I planned..., But that was different. This time, it was my mom's company. It was new and unknown territory for me.

"We are going to discuss things such as the improvements we need to make, how well things are going in each hotel, promotion, and marketing stuff, future events ..." she paused. "And if you have any questions, raise your hand. This meeting is something we do monthly, so you'll get a sense of how things are doing."

I nodded. "Can I do the questions later in private?"

She chuckled, "Sure. Write them down, and you can ask me later at lunch."

"Thank you." I smiled, and she intertwined her arm with mine as we stepped outside the elevator and into the conference room.

Aunt Wanda's assistant brought us coffee before people starting to come in. I recognized some faces who came to greet me the moment they saw, others not. Aurora sat next to me and squeezed my hand.

The meeting started after a five-minute greeting and waiting for those who came in at the right time, 0830am.

"Good morning, ladies and gentleman. You already know me, so there's no point in introducing myself. But, as you know from a few weeks ago, Allys Richards -my niece, will be joining us from now on as my new apprentice of Richz Hotel. I'll be with her every step of the way as the CEO until the day she's ready to be the big boss and be my Co-CEO. She'll be working at this hotel as an intern and learn how important guests are for us; that's why all the Manager department and the General Manager are also here. To meet her, even though they already know her." Everyone waved hello at me as I did the same with a smile. "She'll start two weeks from today and will be with each one of you for two weekends to learn, learn and learn before heading to the Headquarters with us. So, please, treat her well and give her a warm welcome."

Everyone started clapping and cheering for me as I got up from the chair. I felt my hands sweaty, so I put them behind my back, and taking a deep breath, I started saying, "Good morning, everyone. It's nice to be back here, see some familiar faces, and I'm also eager to meet the new ones," I smiled nervously. "As many of you know, I've been away for quite a long time, so I have no business experience whatsoever, but I knew my mother hired the best team Richz Hotel could have, so I'm excited to get to know you all, learn from you and do my very best. Thank you."

I sat down as everyone clapped, my cheeks feeling hot. Aunt Wanda proudly smiled at me before she told the team to introduce themselves so I could get to know them and what they do.

Aunt Wanda studied Business Administration and Marketing, and I guess that's why my mom chose her to run the hotel. She was intelligent, and she and Aurora always helped my mom whenever she had a huge problem, and I was glad she was here with me now. If I had to run this hotel all by myself, it would have gone down the drain the second I stepped foot. I've watched Mom do her job, how she approached and spoke to her employees and guests -everything. She was extremely good at her job. It's like she was born for it. But I never thought I would do her job this soon, and I didn't think I would make as good as the job as she did.

***

The two-hour meeting ended with a tour of the hotel. Each Manager department introduced their team to me, explaining the tasks and the process I would do once I start in two weeks. It was a lot to take everything in, so I wrote them down to do my research once I was home.

My stomach was grumbling when my aunt and I finally sat down to have lunch on the top floor of the building, the 35th. The food was marvelous, the views of the city were breathtaking, and we talked mainly about how the company was doing. I haven't seen her since the funeral, so I apologized to her for being so selfish and not visiting her when she was also having a hard time dealing with her sister's death.

"Don't apologize. It's okay, darling. Don't worry about it. We all deal pain and grief differently, especially after you came back from your service." She took my hand and squeezed it gently. "You've become an extraordinary, gorgeous, and intelligent young woman. And every time I see you, I always think of that little girl that brought nothing but happiness and love to my sister. I am proud of the person that you have become."

"Thanks, aunt Wanda." I hugged her tightly, closing my eyes to stop the tears from falling.

She pulled me apart and tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear that had fallen out of my ponytail. "Please, visit your uncle at the hospital soon. He misses you."

"I will," I promised.

"Judy told me that you're working for Dave Fernandez," she mentioned. "How is he like?"

It took me aback by her question. I expected her to ask me why I would work for someone, such as Dave, given that he was one of our opponents.

"I expected him to be older and bossy since I thought I was going to work for his dad. But he is nice and hardworking. Does it bother you that I work for him as a housekeeper?"

She shook her head. "Of course not, but you're just there temporarily, right? I don't want our company to be in any trouble with his once you start working as my Co-CEO."

"Yes, it is a six-month contract. I see this position as something temporarily to keep my mind off things before I fulfill my another four-year service."

"Do you have to?" she asked, worried.

"I want to. I know it brought so much pain and heartache to my life since that day, but it is something that I want to finish. It's a promise I made to myself and Jared."

"Your parents and Jared will be so proud of you," she smiled proudly at me. "Promise me that you'll be careful."

I chuckled. "If I survived four years, another four are a piece of cake. I'll be fine, aunt Wanda."

"I know you'll do." She looked around us and got closer to me -as if wanting to tell me a secret, and said, "There's something I need to ask you: did you meet Dave's parents?"

I shook my head and took a bite of my burger. "Do you know them?"

"Not personally, but your parents were friends with his parents. It was a long time ago, though," she paused. "It was before they adopted you."

I knew that The Blackmoon Hotel sounded familiar to me, but I didn't know my parents were friends with Dave's parents. They never mentioned it to me.

"What happened?"

She was pensive for a moment and started responding, "Your mother-"

The ringing of my phone interrupted her. It was from Dave. It must be urgent since he never called me on weekends. I apologized to my aunt, which she didn't mind, and answered it.

"Hi, Dave. Is everything okay?"

"I need you to come here right now." I couldn't tell if he was mad or worried.

"Right now? I thought we were meeting at 0400 pm."

"Something urgent has happened. Come over now. Please." And he hung up, leaving me no choice but to apologize to my aunt twice.

"Did something happen?" she asked after asking the waitress to put our leftovers in a container.

"Something urgent happened. I don't know what it is, but Dave needs me there now."

The waitress appeared with the container in a plastic bag and gave it to me. "I'm sorry, auntie. If this weren't urgent, I wouldn't go and leave you here alone."

"Don't worry about it. Besides, I have to meet your uncle in half an hour, so it's perfect timing," she assured me. "We'll talk about it some other day, okay? But promise me not to get too attached to him."

"Who? Dave?" I asked, chuckling. "Why?"

"Because I know that feelings get in the way of business, and it doesn't end up good. Trust me."

What the fuck did that mean? And why did I feel that there's something I missed, and she's not telling me? That neither my parents nor Judy told me?

I furrowed my brows at her, wanting to ask for more, but instead, said, "Sure, I promise. Thanks for today, auntie. I love you."

Inside the elevator, I pressed the parking button. Gary has been waiting for me since this morning when he dropped me off. We stopped by an In-an-Out since he hasn't eaten yet before heading to Dave's.

"You don't need my permission to go to eat, Gary. You can drive around the city to do whatever you want to do, provided, of course, that you'll be on time when I finish work."

"Noted, Miss Richards, and thank you."

"Please, call me Allys. You've known me since I was little."

Gary was in his late forties. He's been working for my parents since I was 12 years old. His brown hair -almost gray- was perfectly combed backward. I almost forgot how blue his eyes were that I had to glance away from them after staring for a long time that I didn't even notice until Gary's eyes met mine.

When he parked in front of Dave's building, I glanced at my watch. 0330pm.

"I'll be right back, Gary," I said, getting out of the car. What if the urgent matter was him finding out about last night? The thought of it made me much nervous than when he called me. I loosened my ponytail, combing my hair with my fingers as I was waiting for him to open the door.

"He- Wow!" he exclaimed, looking at me up and down like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Allys?"

"The same girl you texted last night and this morning," I mockingly replied. He stepped aside to let me in, and I followed him to the living room. "What's so urgent that I had to be here before 0400 pm?"

He was dressed casually in his green t-shirt and skinny denim jeans that it looked strange seeing him without his suit. "Something happened last night."

"What happened last night?" I gulped, sitting down on the sofa, right next to him.

With his arm on the back of the sofa, he slowly looked up and down at me again. "You had a date or something?" I zipped up my coat. "What! I'm just saying that you look beautiful and different in a good way. No need to cover up."

"Th-thank you."

"But, seriously, where did you go?"

"I came here because you wanted to speak to me about something, but I guess you are not, so...." I got up from the couch, but he immediately grabbed my arm.

"Please, stay," he requested in a husky tone. His eyes were pleading as he said, "It's important."

"Then, tell me," I demanded and sat back next to him, patiently waiting as I put my hands on my lap.

He exhaled before looking up at me and said, "I'm sorry. You have to pack your stuff."

Hello guys, hope you like this chapter :) If you did, please comment and vote, I would appreciate it :) What do you think it's gonna happen in the next chapter? Did Dave find out? Is Allys fired?

Q: What are you studying? If you had the chance to have your own hotel, what would you name it and why?

Have a nice week! <3

XOXO