The Hotel

Chapter 6

She had stayed away from her office so she wouldn't be in there when Killian went to clean it, but just to her luck, she couldn't avoid him. It had taken her by surprise when he knocked on her door that morning, and he was right. She hasn't gotten a wink of sleep at all. Her thoughts were keeping her up at night and she hated it. She hated the way she made him feel. She had hurt him and she felt so guilty about it, but there was nothing she could do.

When he came in to clean her office, she would sneak glances at him when she knew he wasn't looking. She heard the thud of the duster fall onto the ground, and she watched as he bent over to pick it up. She blushed and immediately looked back at her computer screen.

"Have a good evening, Emma." He said after he picked up the duster.

"You too, Killian. Would you mind heading up to my room and getting started?" She asked.

"Of course. I'll be done before you come up."

As soon as the door shut, her head fell to the desk from exhaustion. A minute passed and then she threw her pen across the room. She noticed the fake smile on his face, and she didn't like how unhappy he was. She wasn't going to fire him because then, she wouldn't see him as much as she did now. Possibly not at all.

She grabbed her keys and walked out of her office, locking it for the night. She made her way up to her penthouse and saw him vacuuming the carpet.

"Love, I didn't expect you up here so soon." Killian said after switching off the vacuum.

"I didn't have anything else to do." Emma said and placed her keys in a glass dish by the door.

"I guess I'll get out of your hair, then."

"I want to talk to you, actually." She sat down on the couch and he sat down in the space beside her.

"About what?"

"About how I've been acting. I've been selfish, and I'm really sorry about that."

"Emma, I understand. You're just protecting yourself. But, I'm going to make a promise to you." He scooted closer to her. "I will break all of your walls down, and when I do, well, that's when the fun begins." He smirked. "I will win your heart."

"Is that a promise?" She whispered almost breathlessly.

"Aye, and I always keep my word." He rose from the couch and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight."

"Night, Killian."

That night, they both laid in their beds thinking the same thought. What they had gotten themselves into.

The next morning, Emma was sipping her coffee while watching the morning news. A news segment came on and Neal's hotel was in the shot of the camera. Paramedics and police officers were walking in and out. Then, a stretcher came out of the building. A white sheet was covering the body.

"Woman overdoses at Cassidy's Suites."

She gasped. She placed her coffee down and sat in front of the television.

Neal's face came onto the screen with a saddened face that Emma knew was fake. She had seen that face many times during her time with him. "It is really upsetting to hear that this woman died. I don't know what everyone does when they are in one of my rooms, and I don't know what they want to accomplish as they come in."

Emma shut the television off and began to get ready for work. She wasn't in the mood to hear lies from her ex boyfriend. As she was applying her makeup, she couldn't help but think that she was going to get to see Killian. She had gotten her first night of sleep in three days, and she was feeling better instantly.

As she came out of the elevator, a rush of people came towards her. They were all asking questions, and most of them had notepads and pens in their hands. She immediately recognized them as the press.

"What connections do you have with the death of the overdose woman?"

"Neal is blaming you, do you have any comments for him?"

"Why would Neal Cassidy blame you for the death of the woman?"

Those were just a few of the questions she had heard.

"Enough!" Emma yelled. Everyone in the lobby went silent. "I am not answering questions. Now, get out of my lobby unless you want a room."

The people backed away and left the hotel. As soon as the last person was gone, she could breathe again. She walked to her office and found that the door was unlocked. On her desk, was a single red rose. There was a note tied to it as well.

'Good morning, Swan. I hope you slept well.'

A stupid grin tugged at her lips. She couldn't resist smelling the sweet aroma of the flower.

A knock at the door broke her out of her trance. She looked up just in time for David to come in.

"What is with all the press?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Emma sighed. "A woman overdosed at Neal's hotel. They found her body this morning."

"Damn."

"Yeah. I know."

Just then, Regina burst into the room. "Why is Neal blaming you for the death of that girl?"

Emma's eyes widened. "What?"

"You didn't see the news?"

"I did, but I turned it off. Let's just ignore this. It will slowly fade out."

Regina nodded and left the room. David followed her out and shut the door behind him. Emma plopped down in her chair behind her desk and grabbed a small stack of paperwork.

'What have I don't to Neal to deserve this?" She asked herself. All she could think about was why he would do this to her, but she didn't have any answers. But she also wasn't going to just show up at his door and demand to know why he blamed her for it either. For all she knew, that's what he wanted her to do.

As Emma buried herself deeper in paperwork and hotel stuff, her thoughts slowly drifted away from Neal and the fact that he could be attempting to run her business to the ground.