章 16: An Unexpected Coincidence

Diane didn't know how she made it out of the mall, but when she did, she was completely broken and lost for several reasons.

As Diane got to the hotel, she stopped at the reception desk to book a room.

At the same time, Christian was stepping out of the conference hall in the hotel after a meeting when saw her familiar figure and stopped in his steps.

The people he was working with stopped as well to follow his gaze. "Mr. Knowles, is there any problem?" one of them inquired.

"No," Christian answered without meeting his gaze. "Go ahead, I will meet you all there in a few minutes."

Although the conference he had come for ended three minutes ago, there was still a roundtable meeting over dinner he needed to attend.

So, while others left, he adjusted his necktie and walked towards the front desk. "What are you doing here?" he asked from behind her.

Immediately Diane heard that familiar voice, she spun to face him. Seeing Christian standing right in front of her surprised her.

For a good minute, she remained confused as she started to think if she had mistakenly stepped into one of Heir's Hotels in which he was the CEO.

As unlikely as this may sound, Diane had indeed stepped into one of Heir's Hotels. Of everything that went through her mind when she made her pick, the fact that Christian was the CEO of Heirs' Hotel didn't come to her mind, and it's not like she was expecting to meet him.

The odds were numbered.

Christian took in her surprised expression before his gaze wandered to the four branded bags that were neatly placed next to her feet.

This time around, he just went ahead to grab her hand and take her towards the lounge area, leaving the branded bags at the front desk. It's not like anyone was going to touch it.

Christian released Diane's hand as soon as they had some privacy around them. "What are you doing here?" he asked again. There was no way he thought that she had come to see him.

The first guess that came to his mind was that she wanted to book a room. At least that's what they do at the front desk apart from making inquiries. And if she wanted some information from him, she would have directly called instead of going through the trouble to come down here.

"I am here to book a room," Diane answered as she took in his sophisticated appearance.

Christian was putting on a slim-fit beige three-piece suit, a white shirt and a navy necktie. His shoes were a product of brown Italian leather. It was definitely a Dolce & Gabbana.

His dark-brown hair was slicked to one side and shined before her eyes, courtesy of a good shampoo.

"Why do you need to book a room?" Christian stuffed his hands inside his pant pockets and gazed at her. "What happened to your apartment?"

Diane released a deep sigh and nudged the tip of her sneakers on the clean tiles. The number of times her situation has embarrassed her before Christian was reaching a million, and it was alarming.

He seemed to be getting really close to knowing every ugly experience she had passed through.

Diane was already embarrassed enough to want to disappear.

"My husband changed the codes," she answered as she met his inquisitive gaze.

Hearing that, Christian took another look at her. Even he has been wondering why she was still dressed in the same clothes from yesterday and it turns out that she was locked out of her apartment.

"Why come to book a room in a hotel when you could have driven back to your parents' villa?" he asked.

Almost immediately, she answered without mincing words. "I am not allowed to go back home until the prenup issue is settled. My mother banned me."

Christian was stunned for a bit as he realized the other reason Diane had come to him for help. She had no support from her family regarding the divorce and prenup challenges with her husband.

Half of her assets were on the line, and she was going to lose them if something wasn't done. Still, instead of her family sending their lawyers to help her, they left her alone to fight her battles.

Different thoughts went through Christian's mind for a while. He has always known the kind of family Diane came from and hearing what she revealed, he didn't even have an ounce of doubt.

Her mother was truly capable of anything, unlike her father who was much more lenient but would always end up leaning toward his wife's decisions.

"Have you booked the room already?" he inquired.

Diane shook her head. "They were trying to see which rooms were available before she you came."

"No need to book a room. You can stay at my place until you figure out how to get past the door to your apartment," he said to her with a serious look on his face before adding, "That's part of the perks that came with our agreement."

Christian didn't want to directly remind her that she was his mistress, so he used other terms. But it was not his business whether Diane understood his thoughtfulness towards not rubbing salt in her wounds.

Diane did not agree to his offer immediately as she remained rooted in the same spot contemplating her options.

She didn't mind spending a few nights at such an expensive hotel because money was the least of her problems. Her family had that in abundance.

On the other hand, Christian didn't wait to hear her response. He glanced at his wristwatch and discovered that he was running a bit late for his next meeting, so he said to her, "There is food at home. Order something from the hotel in my name. You can go to bed if you are tired, so don't wait for me."

Just like that, he made the decision for her and handed the keycard to his penthouse to her. "George will escort you into the estate, walk you up to my floor and leave."

Diane was left with no choice. And to think that Christian would go ahead to order her dinner as if he knew that she wouldn't listen and put the bill in his name.

Shortly after he left, George came to the lounge area to help her with her bags. "Ms. I will take you in my car and have someone drive yours back…"

"No," Diane quickly refused. As funny as it sounds, she has been losing her things or rights to her properties and she didn't want to leave her car behind.

George was forced to compromise by letting her follow behind him in her car on their drive back to Christian's estate.

He also didn't forget to make a report back to Christian concerning Diane's request to which the former told him to let her do as she pleased if that's what would give her peace of mind.