Ella's head pounded as she opened her eyes. Ugh, what did I do last night? She turned to look at the clock, but it wasn't there. "Hmm?" She sat up and the sheet slipped off her, letting in a chill. What the hell? Why am I naked? Wait, where am I? She noticed her clothes strewn across the floor. The spot beside her in bed was empty. Did I come into a random hotel and strip before going to bed?
The sound of running water coming from the bathroom caught her ear. "Oh, no, no, no!" She bit her lip, stopping herself from screaming. I have to get the hell out of here. She rushed to pull her clothes back on, grab her purse, and rush out the front door, past the bodyguards who exchanged confused glances.
This never happened. She repeated the words in her mind while riding down in the elevator. How could I do something so stupid?! She bolted out of the hotel and flagged down the first taxi she could find to head back to the dorms, where she still needed to pack for the move.
Once the taxi pulled up near her hotel, she paid him off and ran to her dorm room.
"Ah!" she huffed and dropped to her knees just inside.
"Ella!" Alice rushed out of the bathroom after hearing the door open. "Oh my gosh, what happened to you?! We were dancing and having fun, then we turned around and you were gone. And then you weren't answering your phone..."
Ella sighed and looked up at her. "I don't know what happened; I don't remember. I have a splitting headache and a massive hangover, though."
Alice gasped. "We left you... drinking on your own..." Her shoulders slouched. "I'm sorry... But where did you go? Where've you been?"
Ella bit her lip as she forced herself to stand. "Well... I woke up naked in a hotel room—"
Alice's jaw hung open. "Did you... have a one-night stand?"
Ella covered her face with her hands and let out a muffled scream. "I can't believe this happened!"
"Um, Ella, what's that giant diamond ring on your finger? Did you get married?"
"What?" She looked at her left hand and her eyes widened. In her panic, she didn't notice it there. "What the hell is this?"
"Considering it's the ring finger it's on, I'd say it's at least an engagement ring. So wait, did you just meet up with Nathan again and agree to marry him in your drunken stupor?"
"I... Did I? I can't remember!" she screamed into her hands again.
Click.
"What was that?" Ella peeked through her fingers to see Alice with her phone. "What are you doing?" She lunged for Alice's phone.
"Sending a picture to Charlie and Kyra. What else would I do right now?"
"Not spread rumours about me being engaged! We don't actually know what's going on."
Bing, bing, bing.
"Kyra says she's glad you're okay. She was super worried about you. Charlie says it probably isn't Nathan, because he can't afford a ring like that even with his good job."
"How would she be able to tell that from a picture?"
"Remember when she was getting married, she got super into the wedding craze? Even now she keeps up with it and is obsessed with jewellery and whatnot..."
"I mean, it's a big rock, but I don't think that's out of his range."
"She says the ring is worth more than a million dollars..." Alice nearly dropped her phone.
"She has to be trolling us... right?"
A stream of texts came in from Charlie, lighting her phone up. "Holy crap," Alice gasped and grabbed Ella's hand to get a closer look at the ring, comparing it to the picture on the website Charlie linked her to.
"What is it? You're making me nervous."
"And you should be; that ring is one of a kind. It was made for the Hunt family generations ago and is always passed down to the first son."
"The Hunt family? Are they a big name or something?"
"I thought I was supposed to be the one out of the loop? Do you remember the name of the new hotel we're about to start working for? Actually, even the owner of this hotel..."
"Uh... It's written on the paper, and I have a general idea of the location, but I don't remember."
"Hunt Haven Hotel."
Ella paled. "Are you telling me I slept with our boss?"
"Considering he's married, I'd say it's our new boss; his twenty-three-year-old son is probably the culprit."
"Twenty-three?" Damn, just hearing his age makes me feel old... "Whatever; I'll just find a way to return this thing without meeting him." She grabbed the ring, but it didn't budge. Thinking she might be bloated, she held her hand in the air for a while and tried again. "It's stuck! Alice, help me." She frantically pulled at it until her finger started to hurt. "Ow, ow, ow."
"Uh... Does that ring have a little keyhole in the back of it?"
"Hmm?" Ella inspected the back of the ring. "Yeah, why?"
Alice tried to look up something similar right away. "Ha... It requires a key to take it off."
"You're kidding, right?"
"I know I troll people sometimes, but no, that's what this says."
"I'm doomed!" Ella moved over to flop down on the couch. "Who the hell has a ring that's basically like a handcuff?!"
"The Hunt family, apparently. Let me look them up..."
Ella's stomach did flips as she waited. "Well? What did you find?"
"Don't rush me... It doesn't go into specifics, but it looks like this family has some deep connections to their long-standing traditions, so I'm guessing it has something to do with that. I think the real question is, why would he give you an engagement ring?"
"Maybe he was just as drunk as I was." Ella sighed, hugging the couch pillow.
"I guess that's possible. And maybe he needs a wife to be able to take over the business; wouldn't be the first time I've heard about that being a requirement. Oh, what if he needed to get married or the entire business would be given to someone else or dismantled?"
"I think we can speculate all we like, but we're not going to figure out the answer..."
"Unless you ask him."
"I'd rather not talk to him and just find a way to give the ring back." Ella pulled at the ring again.
"But why not try your hand at a relationship with him? He's hot!" Alice showed her a picture. "Like damn, even I might settle down for him."
"I doubt it."
"Okay, maybe not completely, but for a little while."
Ella rolled her eyes. He seems familiar... Didn't I take his taxi the night I was rushing back here because of Alice? Ha... I'll pretend I don't know him and hope he doesn't remember me... and I'll just mail him the ring back once I find out where he lives. She stared at the ring stuck on her finger for a moment. "Hey, have you seen the new uniforms yet? Any chance they come with a pair of gloves so I can hide this thing?"
"Why hide it? I'd flaunt a pretty ring like that all around," Alice said in a singsong voice as she motioned with her hand.
"Are you kidding? I don't want anyone to know what happened that night. Heck, I don't even know what actually happened. I seriously can't remember. Ugh! This has never happened before."
"I don't think it's a normal thing to wake up engaged or married to someone."
"I meant getting so drunk I don't remember what I did the night before."
"Yeah, that was always my job." Alice giggled. Whenever that happened, Ella was nearby to take care of her. Alice sighed, realizing that she had failed to do the same thing for Ella. "We'll figure something out, and I'll go get you a pair of gloves to wear to work in, in case they don't give us any. You start packing; I'm almost done already." Alice bolted out of their room before Ella could even respond.
"Okay..." she mumbled and looked around. I know it's just a dorm, but I'm going to miss this place. She entered her room, her thumb constantly poking at the ring, and pulled a suitcase and duffle bag out from under her bed.
She rammed all her things in and flopped face-first onto her bed, exhausted.
Knock, knock.
Ella groaned, not wanting to move. Maybe they'll go away on their own.
Knock, knock. "Ella!" Charlie yelled and knocked rapidly. "I know you're in there; Alice said you're home."
Ella sighed and rolled off the bed, landing with a thud on the floor. Charlie wasn't about to leave anytime soon, and her neighbours wouldn't wait too long before coming to check, so she forced herself to answer the door.
"What?" Ella opened the door.
Charlie pushed her back into the room and grabbed her hand to stare at the ring. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe I get to see this ring in person."
"Get your fill of it now; I plan on returning it... somehow."
"You must be crazy! You know how much I'd give up to own this ring?"
"Um, if that's the case, then I think you need to have a serious conversation with your husband about the state of your relationship."
"Tch, I didn't mean it like that; I was emphasizing its value and magnificence."
"I know it's worth a ton, but it's still just a ring. You can't eat it, you can't use it—"
"But it's so pretty to look at. I could sit here all day staring at it," Charlie said as she gazed at the ring dreamily.
"I feel sorry for your husband..."
"Hmm? What did you say?"
"Nothing," Ella sighed and pulled her hand away.
"Oh wow, this place looks so weird without all your things..." Charlie finally looked around the dorm.
"We didn't really have too much stuff here." Most of my precious things are still at my mom's house anyway... aside from Penny.
"I suppose that's true, but you two had enough things in here to make it feel like a home rather than a staff dorm room. Feels so dreary now." She shuddered.
The front door opened and Alice came in with a bag of gloves. "I wasn't sure what our uniforms would look like, or what colour gloves you'd want, so I bought a whole bunch." She held up the bag, smiling. "Oh, you... What are you doing here?"
"Wow, what was with that greeting?" Charlie huffed.
"I mean, it's so nice to see you, but we're busy."
Charlie rolled her eyes and took the bag from Alice.
"Hey! That's for Ella!"
"Ooh, these ones are cute." Charlie pulled out a pair of white gloves with lace at the end. "But I think Ella would rip it; she's a bit brutal sometimes."
"Hey! I don't know what you're talking about; I'm delicate!" Ella grumbled. "And that's rich coming from you..."
"Can I have them?"
"No!" Alice swiped the gloves and bag back. "These are for Ella, not you."
"Tch, fine, be stingy. No going away present..."
"We're the ones leaving; why would we give you a going away present?"
"Because I'm going to miss you two," Charlie pouted and sat on the couch beside Ella. "Things won't be the same..."
"I'm still going with it should be you giving us going away presents." Alice sat on the couch on the other side of Ella and handed her the bag of gloves.
"Fine, how about I give you a ride? It's better than using an expensive taxi or public transportation."
"Uh..." Alice hesitated, remembering the last time Charlie drove them somewhere; she was speeding the whole time and rarely stopped for stop signs. "We... already called for a driver."
"Cancel it then. I'm already here and ready to escort you pretty ladies to your new abode."
"Do you know the way there? I mean, last time you drove us somewhere, we ended up being an hour late because you got lost."
"I got lost? We all got lost! No one knew the way there, so why do you always bring that up?"
"Because we told you when to turn, but your GPS said something different, so you chose to listen to that over us!"
"Guys, please calm down." Ella held her hands up, pushing their heads back and trying to block their view of each other. "Now is not the time for this. And Charlie, we'd love it if you'd give us a ride, so long as you obey the rules of the road."
"Bit of a buzzkill, but okay; I'll do that for you." Charlie hugged her. "Are you ready to go now?"
Alice and Ella both looked around the dorm room, filled with nostalgia now that they were leaving.
"Yeah, let's go."
Ella's head pounded as she opened her eyes. Ugh, what did I do last night? She turned to look at the clock, but it wasn't there. "Hmm?" She sat up and the sheet slipped off her, letting in a chill. What the hell? Why am I naked? Wait, where am I? She noticed her clothes strewn across the floor. The spot beside her in bed was empty. Did I come into a random hotel and strip before going to bed?
The sound of running water coming from the bathroom caught her ear. "Oh, no, no, no!" She bit her lip, stopping herself from screaming. I have to get the hell out of here. She rushed to pull her clothes back on, grab her purse, and rush out the front door, past the bodyguards who exchanged confused glances.
This never happened. She repeated the words in her mind while riding down in the elevator. How could I do something so stupid?! She bolted out of the hotel and flagged down the first taxi she could find to head back to the dorms, where she still needed to pack for the move.
Once the taxi pulled up near her hotel, she paid him off and ran to her dorm room.
"Ah!" she huffed and dropped to her knees just inside.
"Ella!" Alice rushed out of the bathroom after hearing the door open. "Oh my gosh, what happened to you?! We were dancing and having fun, then we turned around and you were gone. And then you weren't answering your phone..."
Ella sighed and looked up at her. "I don't know what happened; I don't remember. I have a splitting headache and a massive hangover, though."
Alice gasped. "We left you... drinking on your own..." Her shoulders slouched. "I'm sorry... But where did you go? Where've you been?"
Ella bit her lip as she forced herself to stand. "Well... I woke up naked in a hotel room—"
Alice's jaw hung open. "Did you... have a one-night stand?"
Ella covered her face with her hands and let out a muffled scream. "I can't believe this happened!"
"Um, Ella, what's that giant diamond ring on your finger? Did you get married?"
"What?" She looked at her left hand and her eyes widened. In her panic, she didn't notice it there. "What the hell is this?"
"Considering it's the ring finger it's on, I'd say it's at least an engagement ring. So wait, did you just meet up with Nathan again and agree to marry him in your drunken stupor?"
"I... Did I? I can't remember!" she screamed into her hands again.
Click.
"What was that?" Ella peeked through her fingers to see Alice with her phone. "What are you doing?" She lunged for Alice's phone.
"Sending a picture to Charlie and Kyra. What else would I do right now?"
"Not spread rumours about me being engaged! We don't actually know what's going on."
Bing, bing, bing.
"Kyra says she's glad you're okay. She was super worried about you. Charlie says it probably isn't Nathan, because he can't afford a ring like that even with his good job."
"How would she be able to tell that from a picture?"
"Remember when she was getting married, she got super into the wedding craze? Even now she keeps up with it and is obsessed with jewellery and whatnot..."
"I mean, it's a big rock, but I don't think that's out of his range."
"She says the ring is worth more than a million dollars..." Alice nearly dropped her phone.
"She has to be trolling us... right?"
A stream of texts came in from Charlie, lighting her phone up. "Holy crap," Alice gasped and grabbed Ella's hand to get a closer look at the ring, comparing it to the picture on the website Charlie linked her to.
"What is it? You're making me nervous."
"And you should be; that ring is one of a kind. It was made for the Hunt family generations ago and is always passed down to the first son."
"The Hunt family? Are they a big name or something?"
"I thought I was supposed to be the one out of the loop? Do you remember the name of the new hotel we're about to start working for? Actually, even the owner of this hotel..."
"Uh... It's written on the paper, and I have a general idea of the location, but I don't remember."
"Hunt Haven Hotel."
Ella paled. "Are you telling me I slept with our boss?"
"Considering he's married, I'd say it's our new boss; his twenty-three-year-old son is probably the culprit."
"Twenty-three?" Damn, just hearing his age makes me feel old... "Whatever; I'll just find a way to return this thing without meeting him." She grabbed the ring, but it didn't budge. Thinking she might be bloated, she held her hand in the air for a while and tried again. "It's stuck! Alice, help me." She frantically pulled at it until her finger started to hurt. "Ow, ow, ow."
"Uh... Does that ring have a little keyhole in the back of it?"
"Hmm?" Ella inspected the back of the ring. "Yeah, why?"
Alice tried to look up something similar right away. "Ha... It requires a key to take it off."
"You're kidding, right?"
"I know I troll people sometimes, but no, that's what this says."
"I'm doomed!" Ella moved over to flop down on the couch. "Who the hell has a ring that's basically like a handcuff?!"
"The Hunt family, apparently. Let me look them up..."
Ella's stomach did flips as she waited. "Well? What did you find?"
"Don't rush me... It doesn't go into specifics, but it looks like this family has some deep connections to their long-standing traditions, so I'm guessing it has something to do with that. I think the real question is, why would he give you an engagement ring?"
"Maybe he was just as drunk as I was." Ella sighed, hugging the couch pillow.
"I guess that's possible. And maybe he needs a wife to be able to take over the business; wouldn't be the first time I've heard about that being a requirement. Oh, what if he needed to get married or the entire business would be given to someone else or dismantled?"
"I think we can speculate all we like, but we're not going to figure out the answer..."
"Unless you ask him."
"I'd rather not talk to him and just find a way to give the ring back." Ella pulled at the ring again.
"But why not try your hand at a relationship with him? He's hot!" Alice showed her a picture. "Like damn, even I might settle down for him."
"I doubt it."
"Okay, maybe not completely, but for a little while."
Ella rolled her eyes. He seems familiar... Didn't I take his taxi the night I was rushing back here because of Alice? Ha... I'll pretend I don't know him and hope he doesn't remember me... and I'll just mail him the ring back once I find out where he lives. She stared at the ring stuck on her finger for a moment. "Hey, have you seen the new uniforms yet? Any chance they come with a pair of gloves so I can hide this thing?"
"Why hide it? I'd flaunt a pretty ring like that all around," Alice said in a singsong voice as she motioned with her hand.
"Are you kidding? I don't want anyone to know what happened that night. Heck, I don't even know what actually happened. I seriously can't remember. Ugh! This has never happened before."
"I don't think it's a normal thing to wake up engaged or married to someone."
"I meant getting so drunk I don't remember what I did the night before."
"Yeah, that was always my job." Alice giggled. Whenever that happened, Ella was nearby to take care of her. Alice sighed, realizing that she had failed to do the same thing for Ella. "We'll figure something out, and I'll go get you a pair of gloves to wear to work in, in case they don't give us any. You start packing; I'm almost done already." Alice bolted out of their room before Ella could even respond.
"Okay..." she mumbled and looked around. I know it's just a dorm, but I'm going to miss this place. She entered her room, her thumb constantly poking at the ring, and pulled a suitcase and duffle bag out from under her bed.
She rammed all her things in and flopped face-first onto her bed, exhausted.
Knock, knock.
Ella groaned, not wanting to move. Maybe they'll go away on their own.
Knock, knock. "Ella!" Charlie yelled and knocked rapidly. "I know you're in there; Alice said you're home."
Ella sighed and rolled off the bed, landing with a thud on the floor. Charlie wasn't about to leave anytime soon, and her neighbours wouldn't wait too long before coming to check, so she forced herself to answer the door.
"What?" Ella opened the door.
Charlie pushed her back into the room and grabbed her hand to stare at the ring. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe I get to see this ring in person."
"Get your fill of it now; I plan on returning it... somehow."
"You must be crazy! You know how much I'd give up to own this ring?"
"Um, if that's the case, then I think you need to have a serious conversation with your husband about the state of your relationship."
"Tch, I didn't mean it like that; I was emphasizing its value and magnificence."
"I know it's worth a ton, but it's still just a ring. You can't eat it, you can't use it—"
"But it's so pretty to look at. I could sit here all day staring at it," Charlie said as she gazed at the ring dreamily.
"I feel sorry for your husband..."
"Hmm? What did you say?"
"Nothing," Ella sighed and pulled her hand away.
"Oh wow, this place looks so weird without all your things..." Charlie finally looked around the dorm.
"We didn't really have too much stuff here." Most of my precious things are still at my mom's house anyway... aside from Penny.
"I suppose that's true, but you two had enough things in here to make it feel like a home rather than a staff dorm room. Feels so dreary now." She shuddered.
The front door opened and Alice came in with a bag of gloves. "I wasn't sure what our uniforms would look like, or what colour gloves you'd want, so I bought a whole bunch." She held up the bag, smiling. "Oh, you... What are you doing here?"
"Wow, what was with that greeting?" Charlie huffed.
"I mean, it's so nice to see you, but we're busy."
Charlie rolled her eyes and took the bag from Alice.
"Hey! That's for Ella!"
"Ooh, these ones are cute." Charlie pulled out a pair of white gloves with lace at the end. "But I think Ella would rip it; she's a bit brutal sometimes."
"Hey! I don't know what you're talking about; I'm delicate!" Ella grumbled. "And that's rich coming from you..."
"Can I have them?"
"No!" Alice swiped the gloves and bag back. "These are for Ella, not you."
"Tch, fine, be stingy. No going away present..."
"We're the ones leaving; why would we give you a going away present?"
"Because I'm going to miss you two," Charlie pouted and sat on the couch beside Ella. "Things won't be the same..."
"I'm still going with it should be you giving us going away presents." Alice sat on the couch on the other side of Ella and handed her the bag of gloves.
"Fine, how about I give you a ride? It's better than using an expensive taxi or public transportation."
"Uh..." Alice hesitated, remembering the last time Charlie drove them somewhere; she was speeding the whole time and rarely stopped for stop signs. "We... already called for a driver."
"Cancel it then. I'm already here and ready to escort you pretty ladies to your new abode."
"Do you know the way there? I mean, last time you drove us somewhere, we ended up being an hour late because you got lost."
"I got lost? We all got lost! No one knew the way there, so why do you always bring that up?"
"Because we told you when to turn, but your GPS said something different, so you chose to listen to that over us!"
"Guys, please calm down." Ella held her hands up, pushing their heads back and trying to block their view of each other. "Now is not the time for this. And Charlie, we'd love it if you'd give us a ride, so long as you obey the rules of the road."
"Bit of a buzzkill, but okay; I'll do that for you." Charlie hugged her. "Are you ready to go now?"
Alice and Ella both looked around the dorm room, filled with nostalgia now that they were leaving.
"Yeah, let's go."
