Chapter 34: School Rivals

Michelle Cindy hurriedly rushes out of the manager's office, looking slightly disheveled. Breathing heavily, she follows the waiter to the first-floor restroom. Avery's bodyguards stand outside the door to the women's restroom, smoking cigarettes. Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, the bodyguards quickly stub them out.

Michelle glances briefly at the two bodyguards and enters the women's restroom. She can hear voices coming from inside. A glazed window has been opened despite the chilly day. The first-floor window is not far from the ground; anyone could jump out of it easily.

Two waiters are trying to stop a petulant woman from climbing out of the window.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but our manager needs to talk to you about the secret photos you've taken before you leave. Please come with us."

"Let your manager come here to see me," the woman says.

Though she's trying to escape from a restroom, the woman does not seem embarrassed. On the contrary, she looks arrogant. The waiters look at her with great confusion. No matter what they say, the guest insists that the manager see her here.

"Why does she want to meet someone in a hotel restroom?" they wonder.

The Zuri Hotel is a five-star hotel with a spotless and luxurious restroom. However, no matter how pleasant the place smells, it's not a suitable place to meet someone for a talk.

"The guest looks so beautiful and elegant," the waiters think, "Why does she have such strange habits?

Avery doesn't care about the waiters' confusion. This bathroom window is her one opportunity to escape from the examination at the hospital. At the manor, bodyguards strictly patrol the perimeter and it was impossible to escape. It'll be equally difficult to get away from the car or the hospital.

"Avery Peters, is that you?" a slightly surprised female voice interrupts Avery's thoughts.

"Michelle Cindy?" Avery turns around and looks at the other woman with a slight frown. She never expected to see Michelle here.

"The staff said that a person was claiming to be Mrs. Howel taking secret photos," Michelle says, "I didn't expect it to be you!"

Avery remains silent.

"Evan Howel is your husband. Why do you need to take photos of him in secret?" Cindy asks.

The waiters try to hide their surprise, but Avery can hear them whispering, "No way! Is she Mrs. Howel?"

"Is there a rule that I can't take secret photos of my husband? Now you know it was me, not some crazy stalker, so can you please leave? I need to use the restroom."

"Don't ask me to leave. We're old school friends," Michelle says with false chumminess, "Why you're just as proud as you always were!"

Cindy forces a smile, but she can't hide her distaste.

"Why is she so arrogant?" she thinks, "Was it useful to land a rich and powerful man like Evan? It clearly can't be that attractive to him—she must be taking photos to document the affair everyone is gossiping about."

Avery gives Michelle a calm, sober look, but her direct gaze makes her seem aloof. She doesn't want to talk to Michelle; she just wants to end the conversation so she can escape as quickly as possible. If she's gone too long the bodyguards may become suspicious.

Avery's refusal to talk insults and embarrasses Cindy, but she keeps a professional smile on her face.

"Come on, we're old school friends. There is nothing we can't talk about," she says, I might even be able to help you."

"I have nothing to say to you. If you want to help me, please get everyone out of here."

"Get everyone out of here? I can't help you with that," Cindy says, a nasty tone creeping into her voice, "Hotel policy forbids stealth photography. It's essential to protect our famous guests and make them feel comfortable here. Moreover, you know that your husband hates having his photo taken, especially secretly."

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"She's right," a waitress whispers, "I heard that there was a journalist who took a photo of Mr. Howel in secret. He disappeared and they can't even find his bones."

"Wow!" the second whispers back, "Is his image sacred or something?"

Michelle Cindy glares at the waiters and they immediately stop talking.

Avery shrugs. "Michelle claims I haven't changed," she thinks, "But she's truly the same. She's just as aggressive as she was when we were in school. It seems she's as good as ever at making friends, too."

Back when they were at school, Michelle managed to gain the confidence of many girls only to talk about them maliciously behind their backs. Avery remembers that Michelle spread a story that she had big breasts, but was too frail and stupid to do anything with them. Avery reminds herself that she has no time to dwell on the past.

"Evan is your husband. If you want to take photos of him, of course, you can. But I think he'd be displeased to know you were trying to catch him with another woman. At the Zuri Hotel, we ensure that our guests can dine with whomever they want, privately. I don't think he'll be pleased to know you're spying on him, do you?"

Michelle walks to the washbasin and plays with the lily petals floating on the surface of the water. 

"Dining with another woman?" Avery shoves her hands into her pockets and gives Michelle a confused look. She has no idea what Michelle is trying to do.

"Oh, I assumed you knew that Mr. Howel was dining with Miss Leonie Summers," Michelle says casually.

"Leonie Summers?" Avery thinks, "Why didn't I know that Leonie would be joining us for lunch? I can't believe Evan thinks I'll eat with her!'

Seeing the confusion and surprise on Avery's face, Michelle gloats.

"You're so pitiful. You came to catch your husband cheating, but you don't even know who he's cheating on you with. It's just such a sad cliché. Everyone else already knows because he added her on Facebook today."

"Really?" Avery says dryly.

She's appreciating Michelle's dramatic performance. Michelle has no idea just how happy she'd be if Evan were cheating on her. Just imagining him with another woman fills her with a kind of joy.

"Oh poor Avery, still struggling even though you've married into the Howel family. Like I always said, you have big breasts but you're quite stupid. Evan may enjoy a body like yours for a while, but after a while, I can imagine how tiresome it must be to be your husband. High society is cold, Avery, and you can't depend on anyone, especially not a man. You should have made it on your own like me. Through my hard work and ability, I became the client manager here."

The waiters smirk and look at each other. Everyone knows that Michelle slept her way to the top, but she talks with such confidence and pride. They're amused to hear Michelle humiliate a Howel like this.

"Your point?" Avery asks rudely.

"My point is that it's not easy for me to be the client manager. I can't make exceptions for old school friends, even if I want to. It's my responsibility to enforce hotel policy. I hope you understand."

Michelle's voice sounds warm and regretful, but Avery knows it's all acting. The woman is malicious, and she'll do everything in her power to humiliate Avery.

"Of course I understand," Avery says with false friendliness.

"It's best this way," Michelle says, "I'll escort you to Mr. Howel and you can give him a full statement about your actions. I'm willing to let him decide what to do with you, and if he asks me to forgive your transgression, I will."

She pauses and her eyes gleam nastily, "Since he's your husband, I'm sure he won't punish you too severely. On the contrary, he may even blame me for the lapse in hotel security."

"I can't go with you," Avery says, worrying that her time to escape is running out. "And anyway, the photo wasn't entirely secretive. Evan asked me to take it," she said calmly.

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