After The Wrong Room Night With CEO

In the dead of night, Lydia Rivers had a mad dash out of room 214.

At the company's team-building event the day before, she'd discovered that her boyfriend had been cheating. Feeling miserable, she knocked back two strong drinks and—drunk and disoriented—walked straight into the wrong room.

She had barely crossed the threshold when she spotted a guy in the room. She tried to bolt, but the alcohol hit her hard, and instead, she tripped straight into his arms.

The guy froze for a second, muttered something she couldn't quite catch, then cupped her face and kissed her.

She should've pushed him away, but with his warm breath on her neck and the steady thrum of his heartbeat against her chest, her mind went blank for just a moment.

By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late to change her mind.

...

When it was all over, Lydia regretted it deeply.

She quietly snuck back to the door, glanced at the room number—and realized she'd ended up in Samuel Parker's room. He was the general manager of the department.

Lydia sighed in relief.

Samuel was a notorious playboy, with girlfriends he could never keep track of, so he wouldn't care about this one-night incident. Plus, the lights had been off, so he probably hadn't even seen her face.

She decided to pretend it was all just a bad dream—nothing had really happened.

After giving herself a little pep talk, Lydia jumped into a hot shower. After a quick shower, she saw the marks on her body, ones she couldn't ignore, and she quickly grabbed a high-neck shirt.

She was just getting dressed when Zoe started pounding on the door. "Lydia, you won't believe it, come out quick!"

Lydia's heart skipped a beat. Oh no...

Had Samuel and her night together already been exposed? But it was barely dawn!

Samuel was a senior exec at Zenith Group, and she was just a lowly intern. If the news got out, Samuel wouldn't care—he was known for his many flings. But for her? The intern who dared sleep with a top exec? The consequences would be brutal.

Feeling a mix of dread and curiosity, she reluctantly opened the door.

Zoe burst in, completely oblivious to Lydia's pale face and unsteady movements.

"Come on, hurry! I'm taking you to see the big boss!" Zoe practically bounced on her feet.

"You won't believe it. Our boss was at the team-building event too!"

Lydia's anxiety faded as she realized nothing major had happened. The secret hadn't come out yet.

They made their way to the hotel's buffet restaurant.

The company's CEO was Ethan Lewis, a guy Lydia had seen during her interview. He was an absolute heartthrob.

Ethan had built Zenith Group from the ground up, turning it into a powerhouse in just seven years. Even though he had been all business during Lydia's interview, she couldn't help but admire him. He was her idol.

And now, her idol was sitting by the window, looking perfect. His posture was impeccable, exuding a quiet strength, as if he had his own personal spotlight shining on him.

Lydia couldn't take her eyes off him. The man practically radiated power.

Her coworkers were seated close to him, especially the women, who were either stealing glances or whispering behind their hands.

"Our CEO is so handsome..."

"I saw it! He has a hickey on his neck! Wonder who the lucky girl was last night?"

Lydia's stomach twisted when she overheard that. Without thinking, she pulled up her collar, trying to hide the evidence. The memory of last night hit her all over again, and suddenly, she wasn't excited to meet her idol anymore.

As for Zoe's gossip-filled soul, Lydia had no patience to deal with it.

That's when Samuel sauntered in, cool as ever, and plopped down opposite Ethan.

"Mr. Lewis, did you sleep well last night?"

Ethan, casually eating his breakfast, glanced briefly in Lydia's direction. His expression was unreadable, but there was a subtle hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Not bad."

Lydia felt like her neck was on fire. She quickly shrank back, covering her face with her hands and pretending to focus on her own breakfast.

Samuel, on the other hand, kept complaining.

"Mr. Lewis, you took my room! You slept fine, but I had to find another room in the middle of the night!"

Zenith Group had so many employees that all the rooms in the hotel were taken. Ethan had decided on a whim to attend the event, and Samuel, as a department head, had no choice but to give up his room for the boss.

Ethan casually replied, "I'll give you a raise."

Samuel's eyes lit up, and he instantly started fawning over the big boss.

Lydia was sitting at a table far away from the CEO, unable to hear their conversation. She had no idea that the person who'd stayed in room 214 last night wasn't Samuel, but actually the CEO himself.

Now, watching Samuel gesturing wildly in front of the CEO, Lydia felt her heart racing.

She was worried about being recognized, but even more so about Samuel, the infamous playboy, spilling the beans to the boss. She spent the entire day feeling like her brain was in a blender.

Luckily, there was no drama. The team-building event ended smoothly.

The company sent a shuttle to take them all back.

Lydia, still sore from her night in room 214, was moving slower than usual. She ended up being the last one to board the bus.

Zoe, with her usual enthusiasm, shouted across the bus, "Lydia! Come here!"

Just then, the bus fell into an eerie silence. Ethan's voice broke through, his tone sharp with displeasure. "Can't you take another seat?"

Lydia nearly jumped out of her skin. Why was the boss on the shuttle? Was he talking to her? Was he annoyed at how slowly she was moving?

Wait, was the CEO really worried about how slow she was?

She looked around, panicking, but saw that it wasn't her Ethan was addressing. He was scowling at one of their colleagues, a pretty young woman who had hesitated to sit next to him but had been promptly given the cold shoulder.

Lydia realized Ethan had been talking to someone else, not her. A wave of relief washed over her.

The young woman, bright red from embarrassment, apologized to the CEO before moving to sit beside Zoe.

Zoe quickly jumped to her defense. "This seat's taken."

The woman, now looking pretty upset, shot back, "Does it have a name tag on it? This is a company shuttle, not your personal Uber!"

Zoe was left speechless, her face a mix of frustration and disbelief.

Now, the only seat available was next to the CEO. Lydia hesitated, wondering if she should just get off and take a cab home. At least that would let her escape the tension for a while.

But then, Ethan turned toward her, his gaze icy. "Aren't you coming over?"

Lydia froze.

Was he really upset about how slowly she was moving?

Feeling the eyes of her colleagues on her, some full of envy and others sympathy, Lydia nervously made her way to the seat beside Ethan.

Not long after, Ethan's voice cut through the awkward silence again. "Am I really that terrifying?"

Lydia mentally screamed, "Yes!"

She had admired Ethan since the first day she saw him. He was her idol, a perfect blend of brains and looks. But right now, his expression was enough to make anyone break into a cold sweat.

If she even dared to say what she was thinking, she'd probably be out of a job by tomorrow.

She lifted her gaze to meet Ethan's cool, unreadable eyes. Putting on her best, most sincere smile, she replied, "Of course not, Mr. Lewis. It's an honor to sit beside you."

Ethan's expression softened just a little. He leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes, looking every bit the aloof, high-powered CEO he was.

Lydia wanted to curl up and disappear.

She was so unlucky.

At her first company team-building event, not only had she discovered her boyfriend had cheated on her, but she also lost her virginity in a drunken mistake. Now, on the way back, she was stuck under the crushing weight of the CEO's icy gaze...

By the time they arrived back at the office, Lydia finally breathed a little easier, now that the CEO was out of sight. It was like the whole world suddenly felt lighter.

Zoe, with her usual curiosity, leaned over and asked, "So, Lydia, what's it like sitting next to the CEO?"

Lydia sighed, deadpan. "Like being a duck."

Zoe blinked. "Huh?"

Lydia, her voice dripping with melodramatic flair, added, "A sitting duck."

Zoe looked at her, sympathy clear in her eyes, but before she could say anything, she bolted away like she'd just seen a ghost.

Lydia was about to stop her when her phone buzzed with a new friend request on WhatsApp. The name was just a string of random letters, so she instantly hit "reject."

But then the request came through again, followed by a message: "You left something behind."

Lydia was confused. What had she forgotten? She didn't think she'd lost anything.

Just as she was about to ignore it, her eyes went wide. Could it be that she'd left something behind in room 214 last night?

Crap!

Was this request from Samuel?

She quickly accepted it and typed, "What do you want?"

After what seemed like forever, the message came through. "Targeting the sitting duck."

Lydia froze.

Wait, hadn't she just been complaining about the CEO? Was Samuel eavesdropping? No wonder Zoe had looked like she'd seen a ghost earlier—she probably saw him.

But something didn't feel right. Why did the message feel like it was coming from the terrifying CEO, not Samuel?

Lydia scratched her head, wondering if she was just imagining things.

Though confused, she quickly replied.

"Samuel, last night was all a misunderstanding. Could we drop it and move on? Let's go our separate ways, alright?"

Once the message was sent, she immediately regretted it. The tone was way too harsh. She quickly retracted it and reworded it.

"Mr. Parker, when are you free? I'll come pick up my things."

In the CEO's office, Ethan sat back in his sleek black chair, reading the message. His lips pressed into a thin line, and he began typing slowly, every word dripping with cold disdain. "Do you think I'm Samuel Parker?"

Lydia's heart dropped. What was he talking about?

She waited anxiously, but after a long silence, there was still no reply.

Could it be that Samuel was just testing her, and when he realized she'd figured it out, he got angry?

Well, whatever. He could be mad for all she cared.

Girls always got the short end of the stick in situations like this.

If Lydia had even the slightest backbone, she would've stood up for herself, marched into the boss's office, and told him off. She'd have quit her job right there!

But was she really that bold?

She took a deep breath, lowered her pride, and typed out another message: "Mr. Parker, when should I pick up my things?"

The reply came swiftly this time: "Just wait."

Lydia stared at the screen, dumbfounded. "Wait? For how long?"

After the team-building event, all employees were free to leave.

Now, with Zoe gone and the lobby completely empty, Lydia was left alone.

She started wondering just how long she would have to wait.