The Untold

Chapter 1

Imagine the New Majestic Inn—a huge, white-painted mansion with a beautifully coned-shaped roof, reminiscent of the grand mansions you might see at Disneyland. It features endless halls with Persian red-flowery carpets and dozens of luxurious rooms, all adorned with a massive crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the ceiling. The swimming pool is as large as a lake, its waters blue and crystal clear, with perfect tennis courts, wide and ready with their nets, and lush, untouched gardens teeming with colorful insects and butterflies.

A nice place for a vacation, I thought. It would be great if my best friend Shakira were here with me; it would be more fun. Unfortunately, this trip was for work—pure work, with no leisure. Despite all the positives about the New Majestic Inn, there was something eerie about the place: I was the only guest. The only person in the pool, the restaurant, and the gym. Everywhere I went, I felt the eyes of the New Majestic Inn's staff watching me.

My mind kept wandering with endless questions.

Why did Avenue Corporation, the company that hired me three months ago, choose this place over other fancy hotels closer to the upcoming meeting venue?

Did Sharon, a short, chubby lady with glasses who seemed to dislike me from the first day at work, purposely choose this place for me?

One by one, all the negative thoughts overwhelmed me. I should call her right away and insist on changing my accommodation immediately.

I was just too tired from the long journey. Maybe I should call Sharon tomorrow, I told myself.

In the middle of the night, I lay wide awake in bed, listening to the silence. Occasionally, I glanced at the bedside table and looked at the clock.

"Oh, it's already 1 o'clock in the morning," I mumbled.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps getting closer. I sat up when I heard the sound of a keycard being scanned from outside. My door creaked open, and I heard a voice whisper,

"My room... my room..."

Then I heard the door close. I remained still in bed and waited. Nothing happened—just silence.

I definitely won't be able to sleep tonight, I convinced myself.

Who was that?

What did he want?

I was still terrified in bed. How could someone enter my room?

Did I forget to lock the door?

Was the lock broken? This room is not safe—someone just got into my room!

I grabbed the telephone on my bedside table and called the reception. No one answered. I was furious.

I called again, and this time I heard a male voice on the other end,

"Hello, may I help you, Ms. Rosa?"

"Yes, please... someone just entered my room a few minutes ago. He had a key. Can you find out who he is and what the problem is?"

"Oh, let me double-check with our security officer. I will call you back soon. Is there anything else, Ms. Rosa?"

"No, that's all. Please hurry!" I exclaimed.

After about 30 minutes, I finally received a call. It was the receptionist I had spoken to earlier.

"Hi, Ms. Rosa. We've checked with our security officer, and there must have been a misunderstanding. Apparently, one of the security officers mistakenly opened your door. He was supposed to open the room next to yours. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused."

The next morning, I was still the only guest having breakfast. It was early, just 6 o'clock. I couldn't sleep after what had happened. The staff kept giving me guilty looks. They must have heard about last night's incident, I thought.

I glanced at my watch, a classic Casio with a silver dial and stainless-steel bracelet. It was already 8.

I called the office. No one answered. I let out a long sigh and decided to force myself to finish the remaining baked beans from my American breakfast.

I raised my hand to get the attention of the staff. A middle-aged lady came to my table and said, "Yes, miss?"

"Can I have a cup of hot mocha, please? Thank you." She nodded and disappeared behind the bar.

I called the office again and heard a hoarse voice on the other end.

"Good morning, this is Avenue Corporation. May I help you?"

"Hi, I'm Rosa, the new consultant. May I know who I'm speaking with?"

"Oh, Ms. Rosa, how is your trip? This is Susan."

"Hi Susan, I was wondering if I could speak to Sharon, please."

"Hmm... I don't think that's possible. Sharon is not in the office starting today; she is on leave."

"Ah, I see. Do you know who I should speak to regarding changing my accommodation?"

"Is there a problem, Ms. Rosa? I can arrange something for you if needed."

"Yes, please. I would like to request a change of my current accommodation to somewhere closer to the meeting venue. I want to avoid traffic jams, as soon as possible, please."

"Oh, sure, Ms. Rosa. I'll do my best. I will let you know the details of the new accommodation as soon as everything is settled on my end."

"Thanks, Susan, you saved my life! Alright, take care."

"You too..." I heard the phone line disconnect on the other end.

"Here you are, your hot mocha, miss." The aroma of coffee filled the room.

"Enjoy your mocha, Ms. Rosa." A young man in a black vest looked at me from behind the bar and flashed me a smile.

I saw my name written on the coffee, 'Rosa,' in cursive. I smiled back at him. I took a sip. The hot, refined Arabic coffee with creamy chocolate warmed my throat.

"Perfect," I said to myself.

I grabbed one of the Bulletin newspapers next to the wall rails. The headline read, 'Tankers Attacked in the Gulf of Oman.' I shook my head, and a deep breath escaped my lungs.

"Another oil crisis," I muttered to myself. I quickly read the news. The attack had caused oil prices to increase by 2%. 'What a suspicious tactic,' I thought. I continued to browse the rest of the Bulletins. I saw a poster for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, posted by a local AMX Cineplex. A flash of Keanu Reeves in action filled my mind. Something nice to occupy my loneliness here, my heart said.

After one final sip of my mocha, I rushed back to my room. I bumped into one of the room attendants in the hallway; she had just finished cleaning my room. The smell of lavender air freshener filled the room as soon as I entered.

Suddenly, my eyes were drawn to a 5-inch red rectangular box wrapped with a ribbon on top of the dressing table. There was a note. I quickly grabbed the box and read the note: 'Complimentary. Please accept this gift as our sincere apology from the manager.'

I unwrapped the box and pulled out a thin white paper with something written on it: movie ticket vouchers valid for a week. A movie marathon! I exclaimed excitedly. The New Majestic Inn never failed to surprise me.

Pessimistic thoughts suddenly appeared.

How do they know I wanted to watch a movie?

Are they watching me? Everywhere?

I became extra cautious as a flashback of that night's incident rushed through my mind. Everything will be fine, Rosa; you're just thinking too much, I reassured myself.

I better take a shower now, I told myself. I hadn't finished my PowerPoint slides for the upcoming meeting; I needed to get it done soon. The meeting was scheduled for next week, so I had several more days.

And several more nights to be stuck here... suddenly, the sound of that voice rang in my ears again, my room... my room...