02: The Arrival of the CEO

"Lady Marques, we're about to land." a flight stewardess informed a very beautiful lady who was just finished reading reports from all of her businesses.

"Thank you." the lady responded in her cold voice and looked outside the window and saw the sun in the noontime.

"So, ten years…I'm back again…" she continued with a longing sigh escaping from her lips.

When the lady's private airplane landed on their own private airport slot, the lady of the Marques household came out from the plane. She was greeted warmly as soon as her feet landed on the ground of her hometown. She sighed and when a car stopped in front of her, a familiar man came out and greeted her with a warm smile.

"Welcome back kiddo, or should I call you now Ms. CEO?" the lady's blood relative and uncle greeted her warmly and gave her a very familiar tight hug that she partially missed.

"Stop it, Uncle. Sabrina will still do unless we're at work." She sighed as she patted her uncle's tight embrace.

The lady of the Marques household was Sabrina Marques that the only daughter of the two famous and well-known hoteliers in their hometown. She's very elegant and graceful in how she brings herself confidently while she walks. Everyone adored and loved her goddess-like beauty but whenever it comes to work, she was cold as ice yet there was a reason for it.

"Fair reason." he chuckled and let himself lead the way to the lady of the Marques household to the car.

"So, how're the hotels here?" she went immediately into her work mode as soon as she entered the car.

"Work mode already?" her uncle teased slightly as he sat beside her in the backseat of the car.

"Uncle Earl." Sabrina sighed coldly and her uncle knew it already. He waved his hand to their driver and let the car move toward its destination.

"Well, we're having good investors and suggesting branching out to expand that hotel business of the family. Some were thinking of adding amenities that will make the customers come back for more relaxation." Uncle Earl responded as he informed professionally the updates around the hotels that they own.

"Hm, I see…anything else to add?" she asked as she took those added pieces of information into her mind.

"Cold as always." he teased first just to check if Sabrina still had those sweet and gentle selves beneath the cold facade.

"Uncle, please," Sabrina warned coldly her uncle without meeting his gaze. The driver jolted from her tone and her uncle just sighed in defeat.

"Fine, there were a few investors trying to get dirty and pursuing the Hotel La Vista that was near the beach accommodation. They were preparing it for next summer year." He gave in and informed her about some nasty problem that one of her hotels was facing behind the walls.

"What do you mean dirty?" she coldly asked but in a curious tone.

"Aside from badmouthing the owner's name, they were trying to get the loyalty of the employees and bargain with them." he answered what he managed to gather from everyone there and it alarmed Sabrina.

"I see. Get me details about those investors and made sure to prepare ICE on meeting me." Sabrina nodded and asked for full information about those investors trying to steal her hotel.

"About her, I am not sure if she's going to be busy tonight since she's been working from morning till midnight." Her uncle answered carefully and looked over her reaction. Sabrina looked sad but it was just for a split second that her uncle didn't even notice.

"Hmm…alright. Then let me check the La Vista as a wealthy customer." She decided out of the blue that the route that they were taking was not far from the beach road.

"VIP accommodation or Deluxe?" Uncle Earl asked and Sabrina think for a moment before speaking.

"Deluxe penthouse, uncle." she answered coldly and looked over the car window.

"I'll make a reservation." he nodded and pulled out his phone to make a direct and quick call to the Hotel La Vista.

"Uncle, only Pedro should know about my arrival and stay there." She added to her instruction while her uncle was making a call.

"For how long you're going to stay there?" he wondered while waiting for Pedro to pick the call up since he's the manager of the Hotel La Vista.

"Just for two or three days. I wanted to check the issues there for myself." She answered and nodded.

"Pedro, it's me, Earl. I just wanted to inform you that she wants Deluxe Penthouse accommodation for two to three days and make sure just to keep it to yourself." Uncle Earl spoke as soon as Pedro picked up the call.

'I see, seems like the lady heard about them.'

"Yes, and she's pissed off that's why she's going to check things around there." he chuckled as he didn't mind that his niece was listening to their conversation. She was cold and expressionless anyway.

'Noted. I'll directly serve her. When she'll be coming here?'

"Today." He glanced at her and she nodded.

'Alright, I'll make arrangements. See you, soon.'

There were a few minutes of silence in the car ride until they finally arrived at the Hotel La Vista main entrance. The driver get off from the driver's seat and opened the door for Sabrina while her uncle say something to her.

"I'll take my leave and Athan here, will be with you as one of your bodyguards while you're here. Don't worry they'll be in the right distance and if they failed at their jobs, they knew who are they going to face." Uncle Earl smiled as he informed his niece who just nodded.

"See you again, Sabrina." her uncle embraced her again and kissed her head before he hopped in the car then leave them.

Sabrina went inside the hotel and she was warmly welcomed as she approached the front desk. She told her about the urgent reservation and Pedro came in to lead the way to the Deluxe Penthouse. When she got inside, Athan checked the entire room first but before he could excuse himself, Sabrina speak to him.

"Athan, about what my uncle said earlier, does my uncle punish you all harshly?" Sabrina might sound cold and flat but there's a hint of curiosity in beneath them.

"Oh, before Master Earl does but ever since Lady ICE took over his position, she's the one we feared of." Athan politely answered yet he chuckled upon recalling how they were being disciplined.

"ICE? How come?" she wondered and looked over the huge glass window.

"She's living her name that you came up with ever since you two were teens, milady." Athan answered while standing firmly on his spot.

"Cold?" she still wondered and Athan nodded.

"Not just cold but notorious and ruthless when she's mad. That's why nobody tried to challenge her unless they were ready to face death. But she was still fun to be with whenever we were not working." Athan added what ICE became whenever she was serious about her job.

"Okay, you may leave." Sabrina dismissed Athan after hearing briefly what changes happened around ICE after ten years of being apart from each other.

"Yes, milady." Athan left Sabrina alone in one of her hotels and she need to make some serious audit without being noticed that she was the owner of Hotel La Vista.

When she was fully alone in her room, she began accessing her laptop and make sure to check things first before strolling around the hotel. Sabrina preoccupied herself with work for four hours already and it was no stop at all until Athan knocked on the door.

"Milady, room service." Athan said as he pushed the tray of food that she ordered before she even started working.

"Leave it there." Sabrina said without looking and just focused on her work on the laptop. Then Athan leave as she requested.

After just a few more minutes, hunger began on striking her, and decided to take a break to each what she ordered. But while she was eating, Athan knocked again and announced Pedro's name before leaving them alone inside the room.

"Milady." Pedro greeted Sabrina with politeness as he also respectfully bowed at her.

"Pedro, the food was still excellent and you have to inform your chef to keep it up as well as his kitchen crew." Sabrina waved her hand and praised the chef genuinely even though her voice was still cold.

"I will, milady." Pedro was ecstatic upon hearing the good feedback from their CEO.

"Also, do you have it already?" then Sabrina changed the subject to a serious one.

"Yes, milady. I'm just waiting for your signal to prepare them." Pedro handed her a file and a USB regarding those investors who were being reported to him by the HR and the employees in the hotel.

"Hmm, let's see things first on how things will play around them. I will tell you when it's time to make our move against them. Be patient." Sabrina assured him and went on reading the file while drinking her tea.

"We will, milady." Pedro nodded in agreement with their lady boss.

"Don't worry. Nobody will leave and you'll lose nothing but they will." she added that making Pedro sigh in relief even more.

"Thank you, milady." he sincerely thanked their CEO for the move that she was doing.

"Now, go back to your work and serve our customers well." Sabrina dismissed Pedro who stood up straight.

"Yes, milady." Pedro bowed respectfully and went out of the room to go back to do his job.

"Crossing the line with my hotel will meet downfall." Sabrina muttered while reading the reports and issues that the entire hotel complained about those nasty investors.