Kissed by the Baddest Bidder (1.D)

Zayn: His POV Episode 5

Zayn/S1/His POV/Episode 5

It's been several days since I made the decision to send Natalie away. I'm sitting on the sofa, reading my newspaper as usual when I say without thinking,

"Hey, Natalie. Where's my..."

I stop short when I suddenly remember what I've done.

She's never coming back here.

"There's nobody left here but me," I sigh.

I remember the way her face would look when she brought me coffee, smiling as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"It's only been a few days..."

She didn't leave because her life here was painful, or because she asked to. I sent her away.

"I'm just going back to how things were before she came here..."

I'm the one who decided to let her go back to her normal life. And yet I...

"Regret."

I'd eliminated that word from my vocabulary a long time ago.

But there's no other word to describe how I'm feeling other than "regret."

I haven't felt such human emotion in a long time.

"After all this time... Regret. How pathetic."

I pick up the phone and call Dornan.

"It's me. Bring me a coffee," I order.

"Yes, sir," he replies.

I order coffee from room service like always and fold up my newspaper, close my eyes and wait until I hear the manager come in.

"Pardon me, sir. Here is your coffee."

"Just put it down over there."

As usual, the manager pours my coffee with perfect manners. But that's all he does. I look at the cup of coffee with no sugar or milk in it and smile wryly.

"...Guess I'll have to start doing it myself again," I quietly reach for the sugar bowl and toss three cubes into my cup.

Then I pour in a bunch of milk.

"Are you done with Natalie, sir?"

The reason I trust Dornan to work for me is because he never meddles, even at a time like this. He never expresses his own opinions or that of those around him. He just sticks to the facts.

"...Yes. I know the situation ended up causing you more work than usual," I say.

I wonder if she's back to her normal life?

I could have just saved her from the auction, made her sign a confidentiality agreement and sent her back to work.

But instead I chose to have her stay with me so I could use her for my own convenience.

If I ruined her life, it's my fault.

I never thought the day would come when I'd feel guilty about something.

"I'll be going now, sir," now that he's done serving my coffee, he bows his head.

"Wait. How is Natalie lately?"

"...She's back to work. She's not making any mistakes."

But that's not really what I wanted to know.

I guess it's not for me to worry about.

I remember the concierge I saw with her. After I trail off, the manager casually continues...

"The only thing I'm concerned about is she seems to be working much more than usual."

"What do you mean? She's being made to work more to make up for her lost time?" I question.

"No. The staff still seems to think you two are a couple."
"...I see."

That reminds me... I heard something before...

Apparently some employees were harassing Natalie at work. Despite that, she still fulfilled both her responsibilities with her job and as my girlfriend.

If she asked for my help, I could've taken care of it immediately.

I remember how she'd always rush up here, pager in hand. She never came up here later than the five minutes allowed.

...She's really putting me through the ringer. As a reward for helping my business deal go through, I'll help her get back to life as normal.

After I'm done drinking my coffee, I head out to break up with her in public while she's at work.

**

I walk down the stairs to the lobby and find Natalie talking to someone near the hotel entrance.

That man... He's still with Natalie...

"That's the concierge, isn't it?" I ask myself.

They're both talking with a smile on their faces. If she never would have met me, maybe she would have been with him a long time ago.

What is this strange uncomfortable feeling deep inside me?

I stop walking, trying to shake off this indescribable feeling of discomfort.

If she has him, there's no reason for me to interfere anymore. Maybe it's best for her to have an ordinary life with him.

I think and turn around to go back to my suite when I hear another employee say harshly to Natalie...

"Natalie. You must be done cleaning all the guest rooms if you have time to slack off here. You're supposed to be in charge of all the morning check-out rooms today."

"I know. I'm finished already," Natalie tells her.

So that woman's the ringleader of all the harassment.

Natalie isn't disobeying her at all, instead she's responding politely.

"Taylor, about Natalie's work...," he seems to be worried about Natalie and interrupts, but the woman shows no signs of stopping.

What's going on?

"She's trouble right up until the end," I say to myself.

I can't believe I'm doing this for a woman. But this is the last time I'm getting involved with you, Natalie.

As soon as I cut off all ties with her, she can go back to her normal life. I walk down the stairs to take care of it once and for all.