She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother

Chapter 538: The Grand Meridian(2)

”Mr. Cole?” The clerk asked, a little brighter now. ”So you are here to meet Mr. Cole.”

Alex looked at her, mildly surprised. He had not expected a woman at the front desk to know the name so quickly.

”You know him?”

”Yes, sir,” she said at once. ”He is one of our regulars. In fact, he arrived half an hour ago. He should be in the bar right now.”

Alex smiled. The picture fit the file too well for a man with Cole’s temperament. He was still living as if the world outside the hotel had no claim on him.

He turned back to her.

”Then it looks like I am the one who is late, even though I came early. Thank you for the tour. I will find him from here.”

Clear disappointment crossed her face when she heard him. She had wanted a little more of his attention, another corridor, another reason to stay beside him. She knew her place, though. Her junior was still alone at the desk, and the early evening rush would start soon. She could not remain away much longer.

”Of course, sir,” she said, recovering her professional smile. ”If you need anything at all, please ask for me at reception. My name is Elise.”

”I will, Elise.”

Alex nodded at her and walked toward the smoked-glass doors.

Elise kept her eyes on his back for a few seconds longer than she should have. Then she shook her head, turned away, and went back to the desk to join her colleague.

***

Alex stopped at the door. Slow music leaked through the glass, low enough to be polite, strong enough to suggest the room behind it was already awake. He could imagine the energy inside before he touched the handle.

He had never walked into a place like this as a guest. The closest he had come was a restaurant bar where he had worked part-time, standing on the other side of the counter while men in better clothes sat and talked over drinks he made for them.

He opened the door and stepped inside.

The room ran long and dark, lit by low lamps along the bar and a softer glow at the window tables. Slow music moved through the air without asking anyone to listen. The air itself was cooler, heavier with wood, leather, and a faint trace of citrus and smoke.

Alex stood still for a second and let the room settle.

This was not a crowded night hall. It was early, and most of the seats still waited. Even so, he had been noticed the moment he stopped at the entrance.

He let his eyes move once across the room.

People looked at him differently. A group of young women watched him with bright, open interest. A mature woman held his gaze a second too long, her meaning clear. Farther down the bar, a few men stared with envy they did not bother to hide.

But the face he was looking for was not among them.

’Where did he go?’ he wondered, as he did not find Raymond among the people.’Maybe he left the bar before I came in?’

Alex glanced at the watch on his wrist. Fifteen minutes still remained.

’It does not matter,’ he said as he moved toward the seating area. He had already come this far. A drink would do. He could not get drunk easily now anyway.

He chose a seat in the corner, beside a couple already lost in each other. They did not look up when he sat.

Almost at once a bartender crossed the floor.

”Good evening, sir. What can I get for you?”

Alex glanced at the list once, then back at the man.

”A whisky. Neat.”

”Any preference?”

”Whatever you keep for guests who do not like to wait.”

The bartender smiled and left. Alex sat back, the music low around him, and let the room settle while he waited.

”Ugh, God. I am getting too bored. When is that old man coming down?”

An impatient groan came from the seat in front of him.

”We cannot even drink in an atmosphere like this while that old man is upstairs hanging with girls, dancing and enjoying himself.”

The woman answered at once, her voice rising.

”What? You want to drink and enjoy with those bar girls too? Like him?”

The man stiffened.

”I meant... with you.”

”Yes. Whatever. Just speak slowly. We do not want to disturb the other guests.” The woman looked back at him and scolded the man lightly.

Alex smiled faintly at their banter. They were waiting for some old man too.

’Wait a minute. Upstairs?’

He followed their gaze. In the far corner, tucked out of the main light, a narrow stair led to the floor above.

’That man must be there as well.’

He smiled to himself and decided he would go up once he finished his drink.

The bartender returned with the whisky and set it down without fuss. Alex lifted the glass, tasted it, and gave a small nod. The quality was good.

He was still savoring it when another voice reached him.

”God is so unfair,” the man said. ”How does a crooked old man end up with more money than people who actually work for it?”

”Don’t,” the woman said quickly. ”He is our client. We should not talk about him like that, and we should not talk about the way he lives.”

The man glanced around, decided no one sat close enough to hear, and lowered his voice anyway.

”Fine. But we are already late. That other guy should have been here by now.”

The woman looked at her watch.

”Maybe Mr. Cole is delaying on purpose,” she said. ”Maybe he does not want to sell his property to that party. He could be keeping the man waiting until he gets irritated and walks away.”

At the name ’Raymond Cole’, Alex’s attention sharpened at once.

The rest of it fell into place.

The couple in front of him were the lawyers Cole had hired. Cole was making them wait downstairs while he enjoyed himself above.

Alex sat back with his glass and smiled into the whisky.

So the man he came to find was still here. He was only on the wrong floor.