Chapter 7

Clara's POV

I turned to face Derek's lifeless corpse on the ground. My heart pounded, feeling like it might burst from my chest.

Waylen muttered, "I didn't mean to," as the awareness of what he had done suddenly dawned on him.

I was frozen in place, unsure of how to react.

"You killed him," I said in a whisper.

Now pacing the room, Waylen raked his hands through his hair.

I got down on my knees to make sure Derek was still breathing.

It took some time, but eventually, I could feel his breath on my cheek. I picked him up and laid his head on my lap to feel his pulse. Everything seemed typical.

I let out a breath of relief, glad that he was still with us.

But he required assistance because I was still not a medical doctor.

I said, "You have to call for an ambulance."

Waylen paused and gazed at the phone resting on the counter.

I yelled, "Now," startling Waylen out of his reverie.

In a panic, he snatched the phone from the counter.

He said, "We can't call the ambulance."

I gave Waylen an incredulous look. I tried talking sense into his head, saying, "A man is passed out on the floor, we need to call the ambulance."

"No, no no...." he said. "You don't get the seriousness of this situation, imagine what would happen to us, he will throw both of us in prison." He yelled.

I couldn't believe he was acting this way, as unbelievable as this situation was.

"What if he dies on us?" I said something.

"Who knows what may happen to any of us if someone else learns of this? You already know his strength. The media will ruin our life together, and we won't be able to work ever again. This cannot be allowed to leak." He advised.

"This is just your fault, I didn't tell you to punch anyone," I said. How come he was including me in his mess?

"I know you are having an affair with him!" He yelled.

He covered his lips in fear that others might overhear him.

"To ensure that no one ever finds out about this, you and I are going to cover everything up.

I was in shock when I looked at him; this couldn't be the same man.

"Our lives would be shattered if the media learned about this. You're aware of the things these strong guys are capable of. He will get his revenge on us as you, the legal system, consistently support the most powerful person. You are aware that he will kill us in this." He went on.

His reasoning was incomprehensible to me; a guy was almost lifeless on the ground, and this was the only thing that sprang to mind.

"How can you be this selfish, I'm not about to turn myself into a murderer," I said. "I'm not about to help you in whatever sick game you think you are playing," I said.

I took Derek's head off my lap quite gently. I got off the ground. I took the phone out of Waylen's hand and prepared to dial.

"If you make that phone call, I promise that I will ruin your life, Clara." He said.

I raised my head as his words captured my entire focus. I said frankly, "You can't do anything to me."

"I'll report to the police that you are solely to blame if you make that call. You sent me here to attempt to hide your mess, but you assaulted him when he realized you were trying to con him and that you are nothing more than a prostitute who sells her body to the visitors." He made a threat.

He sounded so certain of his deception.

I said, "No one would believe that." "I'm sure he is going to wake up and he will expose all of your lies," I said.

"Come on, you saw how inebriated he was; do you really believe that when he wakes up, he will remember anything? He will simply take you to jail or prison. In addition, who would accept you? You wouldn't be the first attractive woman to attempt to con a millionaire. He laughed.

I said, "You are a heartless monster."

"Reduce your drama. It's likely that the booze has simply knocked him unconscious; he'll be fine when he wakes up in a few hours. I hope he forgets this whole thing never occurred." Waylen said this casually.

How had I missed this aspect of him before? I never got a good look at the man in front of me throughout the entire time I was with him. How could I have been so foolish and gullible as to fall for his ruses?

"You wouldn't want your poor mother to find out that you are now a whore, would you? I'm just doing you a favor. The embarrassment you would cause your family. not to mention if you wind up in jail." He laughed.

Though I felt absolutely helpless, I wanted to show him that he was mistaken, that his words couldn't weaken me, and that they were just meaningless threats. Perhaps because I knew he was only partly correct, Derek would undoubtedly throw the two of us in jail. Was there any way that stating the truth would help me win?

Waylen pivoted and scrutinized the chamber.

"We need to move him to the bedroom and make it look like he was sleeping the whole time." He said.

"Perhaps there is another action we might do, like making an anonymous call or something. He needs assistance; we can't just abandon him in this state." I begged.

"Don't act foolish; we both know that we will eventually be discovered. Making it appear like he had a rough night at the pub and that he returned here and fell asleep is our best chance." He said.

He was obviously not thinking clearly because his plan had so many flaws in it.

Sinking to his knees, Waylen took Derek's arm and slung it over his shoulder. He stood up carefully, bearing their combined weight.

Waylen said, "I need you to take me to his bedroom." I knew he was having trouble.

I took a moment to think before I went to Derek's room.

Derek's legs were hanging on the floor as they went as Waylen strained to hold Derek to the room.

We were in the bedroom for a long time.

"Shower the bed linens," Waylen said.

With hesitation and trembling hands from remorse, I did so. Why did I feel that I was assisting Waylen in clearing up Derek's burial site?

"This guy weighs a ton," Waylen murmured.

Derek was forced onto the bed by Waylen, who then shoved his legs inside. Derek was covered with the bedsheets by Waylen.

My mind cannot grasp how he carried Derek into his bed without his towel slipping off.

"What about when he wakes up, am I just supposed to tell him that he just has a hangover and that everything that happened was a bad dream," I said.

I turned to see Derek curled up on the bed. I couldn't believe I was assisting Waylen in getting away with this; tears welled up in my eyes.

"Lie to him however you want, you must be great at it since you managed to cheat on me with this guy for so long." Bitterly, he spoke. "If you mention to anyone that I was here, you know what will happen to you." He made a threat. "You and I both know that your family still needs you."

He exhaled. "Why don't you be a good girl and make sure that our little friend doesn't die through the night."

He was leaving the bedroom when I watched him. After a few minutes, I heard the front door close. He vanished.

After the unpleasant interaction, Derek had been gracious enough to allow me to maintain my work, so I turned to look at him. I couldn't believe I was doing this to him.

I bowed myself down and prayed. God was just going to pardon me for all the lies I told in between, even the times I pretended to be ill in order to avoid attending church. He had to provide me a hand.

I strolled up to Derek's bed.

I put my face up against his.

The powerful manly aroma of his hit my nose, and I couldn't help but inhale more of it. I became hooked on only one smell.

"No Clara, don't act spooky," I told myself to back off.

That he was still breathing gave me relief all over again.

Perhaps he would wake up soon, and I would depart before he detects any movement on his part.

The cold chattered my teeth. My body was hugged by my still-wet uniform. I had to take these clothes off before I became very sick.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, finding it drenched from earlier in the shower. When I tried to turn it on, it was unresponsive. Alright, yet another issue!

I went to the restroom and got a towel. I then walked out of the room and into the laundry area. Typically, we send our visitors' stuff downstairs to the laundry area and they don't have washing machines or dryers in their suits, but this particular suit had almost everything.

I felt a chilly airbrush over my skin as I undid my dress. I removed it and threw it in the clothes dryer. It would be dried and ready for me to wear again in a matter of minutes, I'm sure.

All that was left of me was my bra and underpants.

I grabbed the towel and wrapped it around my body firmly.

I went back to the bedroom to see how Derek was doing. Even if it meant going to jail, I couldn't let him die on me.

Knowing that he still looked good made me pleased.

I swear I saw him turn his head.

Even just thinking about it made me understand how ridiculous the whole thing was. It was unbelievable to me that I had given in to Waylen's threats of violence. I should just let the cops put him in jail and monitor the situation from there. Fortunately, Derek didn't appear very serious.

I wrapped a tight grip around myself as the chilly wind persisted. The space was rather cold.

How else could I get myself warm? I've broken too many regulations already, but I couldn't wear any of his clothes as it would also be against hotel policy. Besides, I wasn't deliberately trying to leave traces of my presence here. I had no choice except to change the thermostat.

In the room's corner, I discovered the remote control. I tried pushing a couple of buttons, but it was unresponsive.

two more buttons were pressed, but nothing changed. It was becoming chilly in here.

The thermostats in the other suits were nothing like this. I gave out a frustrated sigh, but my obstinacy prevented me from giving up just yet.

I tried again without success. Now would be a great moment to Google if my phone worked. I put the remote back where it belonged.

I gave myself an even stronger embrace.

I spun around and noticed how appealing the vacant space next to Derek appeared.

"No," I said in a hushed tone.

I was not going to climb into his bed at all. My purpose for being here was only to check on him.

However, that could have suggested that getting into his bed wasn't such a horrible decision. In a few while, my clothing would be dry, and I would quickly leave his bed and pretend that nothing had occurred.

I said to myself in a whisper, "Just for a little bit."

I crept beneath the blankets.

I felt warm under the blankets after a few minutes of being cold.

I would leave before Derek even realized I was here, as soon as I saw him displaying any indication of conciseness. If I'm lucky, perhaps he won't even recall my presence.

I hugged the bedsheets while staring at the ceiling.

My eyes begin to gently shut. I dozed off before I realized it.

********

I grinned to myself as I turned in bed. I haven't had such a good night's sleep in a long time. I reached out and felt the warm area next to me.

The sunbeams came into the room and I squinted.

Snap!

How on earth could I sleep too much when it was already morning?

I felt a chilly shower of water suddenly flung over my head.

The abrupt jolt of the ice water hitting my skin caused me to sit up straight and gasp for air.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Derek clutching a bucket of water in anger.