𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐄

chapter eight

Alexandra looked outside the tinted window of the sleek black car to see the hangar emerging. Today was the day she would be traveling to Singapore with none other than Clayton. Johnathan would be joining them a few day later, which she was happy about, but she couldn't imagine being in a confined space with that man for so many hours.

After the explosion at Stefan's it had taken her a while to trace back the cause of that outburst. How stupid could she have been to show such vulnerability in front of him of all people? And now newspapers began printing gossip of dating rumors and that they were having a "lover's tiff".

She wore a white, Chanel blazer dress with gold buttons and detailing. Her hair was tied in a low, chignon and she wore her favorite sunglasses. The interior of the jet was extravagant and she didn't expect anything less from Arthur Hudson. Clayton sat in a seat not too far from the entrance, typing away on his laptop.

She cleared her throat uncomfortably and walked over to him,"Good morning."

They hadn't spoken since the day he confronted her about her attitude. To some extent she was grateful because if she kept acting like a "bitch" toward them, they would expect her to fuck them over. On the other hand, if she played nice, she would have the element of surprise later on.

Clayton looked up and saw her looking down at him. He gave a half smile in return and continued his email. This all felt weird to him. The fact that she said good morning was unexpected. Maybe he had gotten through to her.

Alex sat down opposite him and crossed her legs. She removed her glasses and looked out of the small window.

"I'm sorry about my behavior the other day. And the days preceding that. You were right. I was acting very unprofessional,"she admitted capturing his attention,"Look Mr Hudson, I want the best for my company and having good relationships with my partners is a must. I hope we can put everything behind us and start afresh."

She added a small smile at the end and looked at him expectingly.

Clayton listened to her and closed his laptop, finally looking at her completely. Immediately his eyes landed on her crossed legs and he had to force himself to look at her face while she spoke, especially trying not to look at her dark red tinted lips.

"I think that's a good idea,"he responded clearly out of his element a bit here. He was right, the moment the sour personality was gone, she looked sort of beautiful. He returned the smile and began to discuss with her the pitch he had prepared for the Singaporean investors.

"It must be nice to have such a fine jet at your disposal whenever you need it,"Alex noted whilst they were eating a really nice prepared dinner. It reminded her of the train rides she would share with her father when she was young, and her first experiences at fine dining.

"Yeah it's especially handy when I need to throw those wild parties in the Hamptons,"he sarcastically said with a small smirk.

Alex was a bit confused but then she remembered their first interaction,"Was that a joke Mr Hudson?"

She held back a grin but he could see she wanted to smile,"Maybe."

---

Singapore was one of Alex's favorite cities to be in but today was not one of those days.

"What do you mean there's only one booking?"she yelled at the hotel desk clerk. Clayton ran his hand over his face and pressed his index finger and thumb over his temples. They had just come off a 15 hour flight and he just wanted to rest.

"I'm sorry ma'am but there's only one booking under the name,"the young girl stuttered clicking away at the keyboard,"Clayton Hudson."

Alexandra sighed and let out a frustrated groan. There must be another way, she thought. The clerk said there were no other rooms since it was peak season.

"The next available room is at our other branch,"the concierge said as soon as he noticed there was an issue,"But it is three hours away."

Alex's face dropped. Another three hours of travel? Absolutely not.

"Ma'am there's no other available rooms at any surrounding hotels?"the clerk said looking up from the computer screen, apologetically.

Alex felt defeated and was about to yell again when she felt someone grab her arm and pull her away from the desk.

"Hey!"she protested yanking her arm away.

"Look I know this isn't ideal, and trust me this is going to be as uncomfortable for me as it is for you, but I think it's best if we just share my suite for tonight and rest up. We can figure this out tomorrow,"he said and yawned.

Alex thought it over and decided it was her best option. She thanked the concierge and walked to the elevators with Clayton next to her.

"I can't believe they'd make such a mistake such as this. The Lotus is my favorite in Singapore,"she huffed crossing her arms.

"Stop whining,"he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as well,"You sound like Nina."

Alex didn't know how to react to that and chose to ignore him. She wasn't whining. How would he like if his booking was canceled after a 15 hour flight.

"I trust the couch will be comfortable for you,"Clayton said dragging his suitcase into the bedroom. The suite was spacious and beautifully decorated. Alex's admiration of the interior was interrupted when she heard him.

"Excuse me?"she scoffed as she watched him dissapear into the corridor,"You cannot seriously expect me to sleep on the couch."

"Listen the room is under my name and I'm doing you a favor here,"Clayton responded throwing and pillow and blanket in her general direction. It hit her in the face and he couldn't help but laugh.

"How chivalrous of you,"she sarcastically said sitting on the couch.

"Goodnight Miss Cohen."

"Yeah whatever."