Chapter 16: Charity

"Where are we going?" Avery asked.

Aidan stopped to turn his head to look at her. He looked at her for a second before raising his hands, adjusting the suit jacket he put on her. While doing this, he inquired, "Where do you want to go?"

Avery wondered what he meant. Where else would she go?

As if reading what was on her mind, Aidan said, "You just avoided a horrible situation. Can you sleep here tonight?"

Ah, so that's why.

Avery paused and looked around the room. There was still fresh blood on the wall. The table that had the shell of lobsters and crabs was now upside down, and the door that was torn down from its hinges.

Everything screamed disaster. There was no way she could sleep in that place without the fear of somebody entering the room and making another commotion did not make her feel safe at all.

"Maybe get another room?"

***

In the end, Aidan didn't let her take another room from the same hotel. He took her outside, amid the darkness of the night, and drove to another hotel.

"The hotel is closer to your filming location so, getting there wouldn't be hard," Aidan said as soon as they stepped out of the car.

Avery looked at him in surprise. "You even know I'm filming here?"

She couldn't remember telling him exactly why she was in Arobyn. Avery didn't even tell him she was there to shoot a film. How did he find out?

Aidan nodded, "I saw the script on the table. You wouldn't have brought it if you weren't shooting a film."

His deduction skill amazed Avery, and she gave him a thumbs up.

Aidan opened his lips to say something, but just then, his phone suddenly buzzed. He took it out and glanced down at it with a frown.

Seeing him like this, Avery took this as a cue to go. She told him, "I'm going ahead inside."

Aidan's face flashed with a bit of hesitation before he nodded his head.

Avery left his side to go inside the hotel, rubbing her hands on her arms.

In her slippers and nightgown, Avery stepped into another world as soon as she got inside.

The hotel Aidan chose was perfect in every way. Even more luxurious and classy than the hotel the production crew rented for everyone to stay in. The chandeliers and the ceramic floor were shimmering and the entire place was dazzling.

A couple, who were on their way out of the hotel, glanced at her with a frown. They certainly didn't expect that someone would come to that hotel with just a slipper and a suit jacket from who knows where she found it over her nightgown.

Under their skeptical eyes, Avery felt her cheeks blushing from the shame. She also did not want to come in this attire, okay?!

Walking under the gazes of everyone, Avery finally reached the reception table, where two pretty receptionists were standing behind it.

The one on the right, a blonde-haired woman, greeted her first, but as soon as her eyes fell on Avery, the corners of her lips twitched.

"G—good evening, madam."

Thankfully, their attitude towards their guests wasn't trashy. Avery was worried that the receptionist would turn her away upon seeing her appearance, but maybe she was thinking too much as the blonde-haired receptionist continued to smile at her.

"I'm here to book a room for myself," Avery said.

The receptionist's eyes twitched once again. But her lips moved to ask, "How many days would you like to stay at our hotel, madam?"

Avery smiled at her. "Just for the night."

"That would be one thousand and sixty dollars." The receptionist typed her finely manicured fingers on the keyboard. She then asked Avery, "Would you like to pay in cash or card?"

One...one thousand and sixty dollars?! What kind of room is that? Is the room's window made of bulletproof glass? Why is it so expensive?

Avery scanned the receptionist's face to see if she was lying and discriminating against her because of her messed up appearance.

"How much is the suite room?" Avery couldn't help but ask her.

The receptionist replied, "A night inside the suite room will be twelve thousand dollars."

Twelve thousand?!!! Avery frowned when she heard this. It's not that she couldn't afford a normal single room or the suite. She could, actually. It was just that she didn't think it would be worth it to spend so much for a room she'll only stay for the night.

Maybe she could find another hotel. But would it be too troublesome to ask Aidan to take her to another place?

Sighing inwardly, Avery didn't want to inconvenience him anymore.

"I'll take the single room. Card, please," Avery told her and made a movement of taking her purse out of her pocket.

But—

There was no purse inside the pocket. Hell, there wasn't even a penny inside it!

Wait! Now thinking about it, did she even take it from the previous hotel? How about her phone?

"Uh... I—I left my purse. Can you reserve the room for me while I go back to retrieve it?"

The receptionist finally showed a bit of annoyance on her face. But, she smiled at Avery again, "Sadly, I can't do that. You can come back again once you find your purse, madam."

In other words, the receptionist told her to go away.

Avery was once again embarrassed. She looked towards the hotel's entrance, wishing that Aidan would appear now.

"Is the hotel doing charity now?"

Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.

When Avery looked toward the sound, she saw a middle-aged lady with a bright red lipstick on.

The middle-aged lady stared her up and down mockingly, and sneered, "Are the securities of this hotel asleep? They even let a beggar like you in here?"

Avery replied, "Do we know each other?"

The lady laughed. "Why would I know someone like you? Anyway, get out of my way!"

Avery didn't step aside. "Then why did you say I'm a beggar?"

Even though she looked like crap right now. That didn't mean she would let anyone talk to her like that. Besides, even a beggar would have more manners than this lady.

Her resistance did not impress the lady. She harrumphed and pushed Avery, squeezing in to stand before the receptionist, who made no move to stop the lady from insulting her.

"Who cares if you're a beggar or not?" The lady smirked as she assessed Avery again and said, "Don't just stand there. Get out of this place. You might as well stand outside and see if anyone takes interest in you, slut."