Ch 67 - No Problem with Darren’s Help

Azalea Guest House was an antique courtyard-style hotel located at the southernmost edge of New York City.

By the time Darren's car arrived, Alex and the others had already settled in. Everything had been arranged, so they just needed to check-in.

After parking, Darren called Alex, who quickly came out and led them in through the gate to the Azalea Guest House.

It was alreday dark.

In the courtyard, pine and cypress branches hung in the shadows over the winding garden path and a pool of water. On the surface of the water, there were floating lotus leaves with pink lotus flowers.

This place is quite pretty, Donna thought as she looked at the scenery around her.

I knew he couldn't pick out a hotel. But it's clean here, and we finally made it to New York. Why do we have to stay in a bungalow though? We have so many of them in our county, Lisa thought. Although Azalea Guest House was not as unbearable as she had imagined, she still didn't feel that it was good enough.

She liked hotels that were tall buildings like the Berkeley and not bungalow-style like the Azalea Guest House, but she didn't see a point in speaking her mind.

Although they didn't know how expensive the Azalea Guest House was, they understood that in a metropolis like New York, a hotel like this would not be bad. It might not be comparable to the Berkeley Hotel, but it was unlikely that Darren could book a better one.

Even though Lisa and the other two couldn't stop complaining, they still ended up staying at the hotel. After a long day, they were all truly tired.

The next day, Lisa and her two sisters finished washing up and followed her out of the room.

"Although this hotel is a bungalow, it's still quite comfortable to sleep in," Natalie said as she was still a bit pleasantly surprised.

"What's there to feel comfortable about? We were too tired yesterday, so we'll all feel this way." Fiona said, curling her lips. "Hey, don't you feel that this hotel doesn't have a lot of people? Last night, I had nothing better to do, so I walked around it and found that less than half of the rooms were lit up. They have such a big hotel but so few guests. I'm really curious as to what they're relying on to make money," she added.

"Well, this is the hotel that Debbie's boyfriend found, so it can't be that good. If it was good, how could he possibly have brought us here? I think the hotel is about to close down, probably because no one comes to stay here. As it's about to close, it's got cheaper prices. The kid found a deal," Lisa said, sure of herself.

Natalie and Fiona nodded.

"I asked the attendants last night if they had male escorts here. They said no. That really pisses me off," Lisa whispered to them.

"Where are we going to find a male escort? Last night, I dreamed of that Manager Hood at the Sunset restaurant. If I could get him into my bed, it would be perfect," Natalie said hopefully.

"Me too. Manager Hood is too cool," Fiona said with an infatuated look.

"You two have such good prospects—but don't worry. If there's a chance in the future, we'll definitely make him our plaything. We'll look for him in the city for the next two days, and you two will definitely have fun with him." Lisa's heart was itching as well.

"Hello ladies, are you on your way to go eat? The dining area of our hotel is next to the courtyard. I'll have the attendants take you there. All the food is free of charge," the receptionist said warmly when she saw Lisa and the others.

"No need," Lisa said, tactfully rejecting the receptionist's good intentions.

A restaurant that's about to close down—what could there be that's good to eat? It's free, so it must be cheap food, she thought.

Although the hotel was on the verge of closing, the receptionist and waitress were really attractive.

At that moment, Debbie's mother, Carla, walked out as well.

"Hello, our hotel offers free food and drinks. It's by the courtyard. I'll have the waiter take you there," the receptionist said as she approached Carla. She had been instructed that this was an important guest that must be treated well.

Carla was happy to eat a free meal. The receptionist took her to the courtyard, while Lisa and the other two snickered and walked away.

"Look at this big garden—there are so few people walking around at such a good hour in the morning. The food and drinks are free, just perfect for lowly people like Carla and her group. Let's go. The three of us will go out to eat at a better place," said Lisa. "Do you think we'll find toast and eggs?" she asked the other two proudly.

"Let's go look for some," they chimed.

"That's fine. After we finish eating, let's take a good stroll around the city and see where we can find male escorts. I'll let you two ladies have a good time." The three women laughed as they talked to each other, walking out of the Azalea Guest House.

**

A week passed by quickly. Since Lisa and the others looked down on the Azalea Guest House, they had not eaten a single meal there.

They had indeed heard of a place with male escorts. The three of them had gone twice, which cost them over six thousand dollars.

Although Lisa's family had little money, if she spent too much this time, it might arouse her husband's suspicions. So, she didn't dare to overuse her bank account.

That day, they saw Carla again and noticed that her appearance had improved in the past week. She had become much more spirited. The three of them found it quite strange.

"Are you going to have breakfast by the courtyard? The food there is delicious," Carla invited them enthusiastically.

"Forget it. You're used to eating chicken liver and pickles all day at home, but we feel that the smell is too strong, so we're eating somewhere else." Lisa looked at Carla with disdain, then took Natalie and Fiona out of the Azalea Guest House.

After they finished their meal, they began to stroll around and window shop at the shopping malls in the city.

By half past eleven, their stomachs were growling.

"There's a restaurant over there. Let's go eat lunch." Lisa was the richest, so naturally, she was the leader of their group of three. They went wherever she wanted to go. As the three of them spoke with each other, they walked toward the nearby restaurant.

Lisa had only taken a few steps when she stopped. She saw a woman who looked very familiar.

"Joanne?" she called out hesitantly. When the woman in front of her turned around, Lisa was overjoyed. The woman was indeed Joanne Ludlow.

Lisa's family owned a pharmaceutical company, and they were currently discussing a partnership with a private hospital in their area. Joanne was the wife of the hospital's CEO.

Negotiations had reached a stalemate, so if she could get Joanne's support, then this partnership would not be a problem.

"Joanne—it's really you!" Lisa quickly walked over to her. "I didn't expect you to be in New York too. What a coincidence!"

"It's you, Lisa. Where are you going?" Joanne said amiably.

"Umm..." Lisa was stuck. She wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to discuss the partnership. Wouldn't it be too cheap if they went to the restaurant she had seen across the street? She came up with an idea and said, "We're going to eat. Joanne, you haven't eaten either. Let's go to Sunset restaurant. The atmosphere there is pretty good."

Lisa remembered a big dinner she'd had at Sunset restaurant on her first day in New York. If I hadn't met Joanne today, I wouldn't have remembered that we ate there, she cursed to herself.

"Sunset? It's quite upscale there, and they have such pricey food. I think we should find a place to eat nearby," Joanne said with a smile. She had heard from her New York friends that Sunset was one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. It was not something that ordinary people could afford.

Joanne was not confident. This is even better. If I were to treat her to a meal at Sunset restaurant, she would look up to me. Even if I asked her for help, she would be too embarrassed to refuse, thought Lisa.

"It's all right, Joanne. Don't worry—it's not easy for us to meet in a different city. I'm treating you to a meal—you can't reject me. Let's go!" Lisa said. She hailed a taxi and took them all to Sunset.

"It's really good here. We ate here recently." As Lisa spoke, she led Joanne into the restaurant. The waiting area was already filled to the brim with more than ten people in line.

"Lisa, there's a long wait. Why don't we find another restaurant?" Joanne was still a little nervous. In terms of status and wealth, Lisa couldn't even compare to her, and even she was a little scared to come here. She didn't believe that Lisa could afford this place.

"Hey, Joanne, what are you looking for? Wait a minute—we'll have a seat soon," Lisa said calmly. The last time they had come here, there hadn't been any free tables, but they had managed to get one. This time, she believed she could again solve that problem just by mentioning Darren's name.

"I'll be right back." Lisa gave Joanne a wink before confidently walking up to the hostess.

"Where's she going?" Joanne asked Fiona, "You can't just ask the hostess to find us a seat—is she going to do that? It's impossible! She thinks this is our city. This is going to be a joke!"

Joanne was very anxious. If she had known Lisa was so brainless, she wouldn't have come with her.

"Joanne, don't worry. Other people might not be able to, but Lisa can definitely do it," Fiona confidently said. "Her daughter is dating an important man, and the last time we came here for dinner, we relied on him to get us seats."

"Who is her daughter's boyfriend? Is he very powerful?" Joanne asked curiously.

"His name is Darren. He's terrific. The last time we came here, the manager found a spot for us without a word, and all the food was free. He even offered us a toast with a very exclusive red wine. His attitude is so humble," Natalie said to Joanne. "That's why Lisa will definitely be fine."