Accidentally Married

49. Hotel

Saifah wasn't sure when the surrealness of the night would wear off.

The last of the guests had trickled out under the golden lights of the Wongsrisai estate, leaving only a few staff clearing up and the faint echo of laughter in the empty garden. Saifah, still dressed in his crisp suit from the party, found himself staring at Jui—his fiancée, apparently—who was silently gathering his things from a table near the back entrance.

The word "fiancée" still spun around in his head like a merry-go-round he didn't ask to get on.

It was just a few hours ago that he had been sad about being rejected again and again by that one person he really felt attracted to again and again and now that person was officially engaged to him, wearing the traditional heirloom ring of the family that bore his name.

Jui didn't notice his approach until Saifah was right beside him. And even then, he didn't look up immediately—just zipped up his bag and straightened his coat.

"Thanks," Saifah said softly, his voice almost lost in the quiet. "For saying yes. To the engagement, I mean."

Jui's eyes met his for a brief moment—calm, unreadable—and then flicked away again.

"I didn't say yes for you," Jui replied flatly. "I said yes for your family. Your mom... she is a lovely person. I didn't want to embarrass her in front of all those people."

Ouch.

That stung more than Saifah thought it would. His throat felt suddenly dry. Still, he nodded slowly, forcing a neutral expression onto his face. "Even so, thank you," he insisted, his voice a little rough.

Jui zipped his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Don't thank me. I just didn't want to see your family being played like pawns by my relatives... I mean my biological relatives. The Aroonnets are wolves in silk suits. They smile when they bare their teeth."

Jui had long cut his ties with his family for their character. He couldn't be one of them. Today, seeing how they had been trying to corner the Wongsrisais, it reminded him of all the bad memories that the Aroonnets had given him and the people he loved. He didn't want the same to happen to the Wongsrisais. That was why he didn't resist even though he was brought forward and placed on the pedestal without his will. He couldn't let his family hurt another person when he could stop it.

Saifah had no rebuttal to what Jui said. He knew exactly what kind of game Yanissa had been playing tonight—and Jui had stepped into the line of fire just to shield his mother.

That wasn't something Saifah could ignore.

"Let me drop you off," Saifah offered, reaching for his car keys.

"No need," Jui replied without hesitation. "I will call a cab."

Saifah bit the inside of his cheek. He knew cabs didn't come into the estate area this late—intentionally. The exclusivity of the place made it a cab driver's nightmare. Jui would find that out soon enough.

As Jui stood on the driveway thumbing through the ride-hailing app, Saifah waited.

A minute passed. Then two. Jui frowned at his screen. There were no cabs available in the area.

"I told you, there would be no cabs available here. Hop in, I will drop you." Saifah said cheerfully.

Left without a better option, Jui finally gave in. "Just leave me at the nearest bus stop," he muttered as he slipped into the passenger seat.

Saifah didn't reply, but he smiled to himself as he started the engine.

The ride was quiet. Jui was busy on his phone, and Saifah kept stealing glances, trying not to smile too obviously. The air between them was still awkward, but it wasn't as cold as it used to be. That counted for something, didn't it?

When the bus stop came into view, Jui glanced up. "You missed it," he pointed out sharply. "Why didn't you stop at the bus stop?"

Saifah kept his eyes on the road. "It's not safe at this hour. Just tell me where you live, I will drop you there."

Jui sighed, defeated as he muttered the place.

Saifah frowned. That wasn't a residential area. That was hotel territory.

But he said nothing and kept driving.

Ten minutes later, Saifah pulled up outside a modern-looking business hotel. Jui unbuckled his seatbelt without a word and stepped out.

"Thank you for the ride," he said, closing the door behind him.

But Saifah didn't drive away.

Instead, he parked the car at the side and watched as Jui walked briskly through the glass doors into the hotel lobby. The frown returned to his face, heavier this time. Something wasn't right.

Jui didn't live here. He had a perfectly good condo across town. Saifah knew—he had once looked it up when they were still in the stage of sending each other cold texts and polite rejections.

So what was he doing here?

Without fully thinking it through, Saifah stepped out of the car and followed. He didn't even know what excuse he would give if Jui saw him, but curiosity had already taken the wheel.

He ducked behind one of the marble pillars and watched as Jui greeted a man behind the reception counter.

The manager, from the looks of it.

They were chatting. Smiling. Jui was more relaxed, more open—nothing like the frosty demeanor he had with Saifah in the car.

Saifah crept closer, just enough to hear.

"...your stay has been good, I hope?" the manager asked warmly.

"It's been really comfortable, thank you. The service is great," Jui replied with an easy smile.

"How much longer do you plan on staying with us? It's been what—almost a month?"

Saifah froze.

A month?

Jui had been living in a hotel for that long?

He stepped out from behind the pillar.

Jui turned at the sound of his footsteps, eyes widening. "What the hell—did you follow me?"

"We need to talk," Saifah said, walking up to him with calm but unshakable urgency.

Behind them, the manager awkwardly excused himself, clearly not wanting to be caught in the emotional crossfire. 

 He turned to the manager. "Mind telling me how long he's been staying here?"

The manager hesitated, caught in a bind. "Uh—twenty-seven days, Khun Saifah." He knew who Saifah was and he had no intention of offending Saifah.

"Perfect," Saifah muttered. "My secretary will be by tomorrow to settle the bill. He will be checking out tonight."

"What?" Jui looked like he was about to explode. "Who the hell do you think you are to make that decision for me?"

Saifah looked straight at him. "Your fiancé. Like it or not."

"That doesn't give you any right to dictate where I stay!"

"No," Saifah said, voice steady. "But it does give me enough reason to not let you sleep in a damn hotel room like a stranger when you have a home, Jui."

Jui gritted his teeth but he knew that there was no way he could go against Saifah. He knew from the look in Saifah's eyes that he had made his decision and there was no negotiation in the matter.