Alena: Story of The Coquette

Chapter 5

"Would you like some water or any other beverages, ma'am?" One of the flight attendant approached Alena who was listening to music and asked her if she needed anything. She took off her headphone and politely shook her head.

"No, thank you. But if you don't mind can I get some more of this peanut? It's delicious." She asked politely and the attendant nodded.

"Right away, please wait." She left and Alena was once on her own again. She put her headphone back on and continued her music. She stared down and saw a bag full of the amenity the first class had to offer. It was her first time flying with first class and she had to say it was way better than all the flights she had in her life.

Alena did not realize it at first, but as soon as she was on the taxi toward the airport, she went and checked her ticket again only to find out she had been assigned to first class flight to Monaco. She did not know who was crazy enough to gift her such thing considering the two of them had never met before but she was enjoying herself thanks to it.

Initially she had come to the airport with Evan who insisted on coming to Monaco with her and he had booked the same flight with the same airline at her but he got the business class flight since he thought she would be there as well but he was completely wrong. So the two of them ended up getting separated throughout the entire flight and she could not be happier.

As much as she thought he was useful, he was still quite a burden to her and her vacation. She wanted freedom throughout the trip and she had a feeling after they arrived there, they would stay at different hotel as well.

The previous day, as she had confirmed her flight with the mysterious stranger, he had given her a follow up email and instructions about her stay there. He had booked a five-star hotel in Monte Carlo for her stay and it was not just any five-star hotel. He booked her a room at Hotel de Paris Monte Carlo for the entire days she would spend in there.

Once she arrived at Monaco, she was picked up from the airport by a concierge service to the Hotel Hermitage, an iconic hotel set in a palace that's only two-hundred meters away from the casino. She walked in to the receptionist and showed the reservation email her secret admirer had sent. The receptionist confirmed it with her and gave her the key. The bell boy helped her with her belongings and it turned out the room which had been reserved for her was one of the suite with the sea view. It was fitting for at least two people but she was able to have the room all for herself. It made her wonder what kind of man her secret admirer was. She was not someone who could easily be swayed by material things. Her former self might, in the past, she used to be broke, when she was paying off her own college tuition, she had to work several jobs at the time to meet ends meet on top of studying. It was not a pleasant time for her, to say the least. She hated being poor and she would never want to experience the same thing again. However, her present self was used to such luxury, maybe not as grand as the one she experienced at the time, but it would take more than an expensive room with a sea view to impress her.

In the room, she saw a box which seemed to be prepared for her in advance as well as a large box of red eternal roses. She opened the box and saw a well-tailored red lace dress, a pair of gold shoes and a ruby jewelry set to match with it. The moment she saw it, she burst into laughter. It lasted for around a minute before her laughter subsided.

"This secret admirer of mine, seems like he's someone who pays attention to the details." She told herself. It was true, the dress and accessories he prepared for her were everything she wrote in her book, 'The Red Lady'. He must have truly read her book and remembered the details. She found it to be highly interesting. This little attentive gesture only made her more curious to finally meet him. The box also came with a letter.

"My lady, do you like the room and the gift I prepared for you? I hope you do. Come to the casino with the dress in the box. I'm looking forward to meeting you for the first time. Your secret admirer." She smiled as she read it, because it was too amusing.

"I still have a few hours, but I think I should just get ready now since I don't know the layout of this hotel and it may take some time for me to find the casino." She thought. She got into the bathroom and started getting ready. She took a look at all the amenities and realized they were provided by a well-known designer brand. As she took a bath, she tried to gather her thoughts. Everything that happened just felt so surreal. It was nerve-wrecking for her to go to another country without much preparation, but he seemed to keep his words and provided everything for her.

Once she was done, she got dressed in the gifts he gave her and wore one of her favorite perfume. She dried her hair and styled it loosely like she always did and once she was done, she walked out from her room and headed to the casino which wasn't too far from where she was staying. The casino was filled with different types of people. In the past, she would have been overwhelmed by this sight, however, she was no longer the impressionable girl she once was.

She decided to take a seat near the bar area and it wasn't a minute since she placed her butt there that a man approached her. This time it was an older man in his forties at least.

"May I offer you a drink or meal perhaps?" His accent sounded British. She politely rejected him and thought of something else to say in case he did not budge but much to her luck, someone suddenly approached her.

"Excuse me, miss. I have been ordered to bring you to the VIP room by my employer." He stated. Thinking it was a great way to escape the old man, she acted as if she expected it and politely bid her adieu to the old man and turned her attention to the man who approached her.

"Who is your employer and what does he want with me?" She asked. The man just smiled and led her to a VIP lounge area that had been booked by someone, who she assumed was her secret admirer. Her heart was thumping loudly before he opened the door. She would finally meet the man who had been sending her the emails and provided the trip to her.

"Okay, here we go."