A twist of fate, Carmen goes missing

I'm not doing this again," Grey muttered, silencing his alarm. He had overslept, a rare occurrence. A cold shower invigorated him, and he quickly dressed, taking his usual seat by the window.

His phone remained silent, no response from Carmen, not even to his voicemail. Another call went unanswered, and Grey's patience snapped. "Enough is enough," he declared, rising from his seat and leaving the room.

Grey breathed heavily before he knocked. He then knocked thrice. "Carmen, I think we need to talk," he called out, his voice barely audible. Silence greeted him. He knocked again, his tone growing more urgent. "Carmen, I know you're upset, but please open the door. We can work this out together." But still, no response.

Grey retreated a few steps, his frustration evident. "Stop ignoring me and answer!" he shouted, banging on the door. Carmen remained silent.

"Mr. Grey," Philippe called out from behind him.

"Philippe, I'm sorry, but I'm not in the mood right now," Grey replied, his head leaning against the door.

"Mr Grey, this is urgent",

"what is it then this time", Grey said as he looked at Philippe,

"Mr Grey, I was busy in found this in your Car and I believe it has something to do with Carmen", he said as he showed a phone to Grey, Grey was shocked to see it and came approaching Philippe.

"Mr. Grey, I've been worried too. I asked the other receptionists, but they hadn't seen her either. So, I went to check the garage. There, I heard a phone ringing from your car. I returned to the reception area, found your keys, and went back to your car. To my surprise, the wallpaper was a picture of Carmen, and there were several missed calls from you."

Grey was stunned. Despite his repeated calls, Carmen had been unreachable because she had left her phone in his car. The realization dawned on him that she had likely fled to avoid him. Rushing back to his car, Grey burst open Carmen's door, his heart pounding in his chest. The sight that greeted him was both shocking and heartbreaking..

The room was empty, she wasn't inside, "oh, no", Grey said to himself as his heart beat fastened, "what have I done", he the messed up his hair and shut the door again.

"Mr Grey is everything alright", Philippe said,

"does this look alright, she not in her room as well, Philippe I just can't sit here and wait for hr to return she's already mad at me",

"what are you going to do then Mr Grey",

"I'm going to look for her Philippe, what else can I do", he said as he breathed faster,

"no Mr Grey, calm down and leave it to us, it is the hotel's concern since she's gone missing, we can contact the police and they will handle it",

"no, Philippe, I can't just stand here and wait", he said as he looked at his watch,

"but Mr Grey, you don't know exactly where she is, you should let the police help us",

"neither do they Philippe, and perhaps I should get going", Grey said as he rushed to the elevator

"good luck, Mr Grey" Philippe said as Grey went, he was clearly upset due to what had happened the previous day and even more stressed of Carmen's absence.

 He rushed down to the garage and started his car then set for the road unsure of where he was going to, but had to find Carmen no matter what.

Grey's heart beat grew bigger as he drove by the cobblestoned streets recalling all the moments he had with Carmen, but he didn't know where she went to. "I was such a fool to watch you, leaving and do nothing, but I promise, I will find you Carmen, he whispered to himself as he drove faster.

The Eiffel Tower, the last place where he had seen Carmen happy, loomed before Grey as he stepped out of his car. Approaching the iconic landmark, he removed his shades and took a deep breath, the cool Parisian air filling his lungs. The tower, once a symbol of hope and shared dreams, now stood as a stark reminder of their shattered connection.

Grey had poured his heart and soul into this trip, hoping to reignite their love and take their friendship to the next level. But his temper, like a rogue storm, had disrupted their progress, leaving him standing alone, lost in regret.

"monsieur", someone called from behind, Grey turned hurriedly to see who it was,

"gosh, you scared me", he said as he saw Adrien the ice cream boy approaching him with his cart,

"Is everything alright", he said "and why are you here to try my ice cream alone today", he joked trying to tempt Grey to buy from him, Grey breathed heavily as Adrien spoke,

I'm not ready for this, Adrien. I need some alone time," Grey replied, handing him a hundred euro bill.

"Wow, that's a lot. You've overpaid again are you aware that you did the same yesterday," Adrien remarked, pocketing the money.

"guess I forgot about it Adrien", Grey sighed ,Grey bribed Adrien for him to leave but he seemed unwilling to.

"well, I think I'm not used to people who seem to be nice to everyone, where do you live actually", Adrien said as he leaned against his cart, Grey smiled to himself as he wore his shades again, Adrien seemed to cheer him up again and get him from his deep thoughts.

"Adrien, I don't know why you're asking, but answering won't hurt", he said. "well, I've not been here for long, and I don't stay around here actually, I just came here on a trip with a friend", grey said as his voice fainted

"oh, you mean the beautiful young lady that I don't know her name…",

"her name is Carmen, the lady that was with me yesterday", Adrien said as seemed to be attentive for no reason.

"so where is she then you ought to be together if it's a trip",

"it's the same thing that I wanted right now Adrien", Grey sighed, " but things turned out to get worse".

" That's bad for friendship I guess, Do you mind telling me what happened", 

"it's a long story Adrien, but the worst of all is that she's gone now, and It's my mistake".

"well then call her, maybe she can forgive you".

Grey looked at Adrien closely, "it's very complicated Adrien, she left her phone and ran away, she also didn't know where she was heading to", Grey look seemed to change as sorrow filled his heart, triggered by regrets of loosing Carmen, Adrien stayed quiet with Grey as they all were facing the same direction admiring the beautiful sky and the amazing view of the tower .

"so let me tell you something, you have been nice to me, and it's time I repaid you", Adrien said ,

"and what could that actually be", he muttered,

"Honestly, my parents are therapists, and they always told me that the end of a friendship or a relationship can cause a whirlwind of emotions such s anger upset and hurt, you might find yourself trying to think about what went wrong and how you could have changed things, but it's better to keep your calm a good friend will always be there for you no matter what and in your case I hope she will show up, just don't lose hope trust her. When she rebuilds her thoughts you'll get back together".

Grey stayed silent for a while as he thought of Adrien's words, his words were so touching and regained his hope for a while,

" Thanks Adrien" Grey said as he starred at him, "that was so helpful and I guess you are wise beyond you age, no one could imagine a young boy like you could speak all those words like a pro therapist", he said in amazement of Adrien.

"all it takes is a little bit of courage", Adrien said with a smile,

"by the way I'm Grey", 

"nice to meet you Grey", Adrien said as they shook hands,

"call me if you need help or anything, as long as I am still around here I'll be happy to help you", Grey said as he passed a note to Adrien, "perhaps I have to keep on trusting, so I'll be on my way to look for her elsewhere, thanks again Adrien", Grey said as he went back to his Car, 

"goodbye and good luck Mr Grey", he waved to him as he started the car. Grey drove through the city as the sky darkened and anticipated rain soon.

Grey stopped at the spot where he had last seen Carmen, the place where her outburst had led her to flee. Standing beside his car, he replayed the events of that day, each detail vivid in his mind. Adrien's attempts to distract him were futile, as Grey remained lost in his thoughts.

The weight of his regrets grew heavier with each passing day. Grey realized the futility of searching for Carmen in a vast, anonymous city. His only hope lay in Philippe's suggestion: seeking the help of the police.

A somber mood enveloped Grey as he drove back to the hotel, the gloomy weather mirroring his despair. He clutched Carmen's necklace tightly, his anxiety mounting with each passing hour. Where could she be? Was she safe? These questions tormented him.

"Good to see you again Mr Grey" , Philippe said as Grey arrived entered, 

" Philippe, I was wrong to think that I would find her in this maze of a city but now I could use some help", he said with a faint voice.

"Consider yourself lucky, Mr. Grey. We couldn't let you search alone. We've been working to identify her location through local police channels. Now that you're here, everything will be alright," Philippe assured him. The entire hotel staff had gathered in the reception hall to offer Grey comfort and reassurance, but his loneliness remained a heavy burden.

As darkness descended and thunder rumbled, the staff worked tirelessly to contact the police station. Grey retreated to a corner, his gaze fixed on the gathering storm outside. Tiny raindrops began to fall, and he took a deep breath, closing his eyes to absorb the moment.

His phone started ringing, he slowly picked out of his pocket, it was an unknown number, Grey answered it with a faint voice, "who is it",

"Mr Grey it's Adrien",

"oh, you need my help already, it's not even been a day yet", Grey laughed

"no Mr Grey it's something very urgent and you must come here right away", he lowered his voice,

"Adrien", Grey laughed, "I don't think I can do this now, I'm busy in something very important Adrien, I'll talk to you when I'm back from the police station", Grey said,

"wait!!", Adrien shouted out, "thank God she didn't hear it", Adrien said to him self,

"what's wrong then, I'm in a hurry make it quick…",

"Mr Grey Carmen is right here with me", Adrien said as Grey froze still, "I was only keeping my voice low that she doesn't freak out and ran away to avoid you",

"Adrien, are you sure it's her", Grey hesitated,

"Mr Grey, I know all my clients , and perhaps she was so beautiful to forget, I suggest you come here fast as you can before it's too late",

"Wait there, Adrien. Don't let her leave. I'm on my way," Grey said, abruptly ending the call and rushing out to his car. His departure went unnoticed until Philippe turned to check on him. A car engine revving outside signaled Grey's hasty exit, as he sped through the streets towards the tower where Adrien was stationed. The clock was ticking, and Grey knew that every second counted. As he raced through the city, his mind raced with the possibilities of loosing Carmen.