Two Villains

Ch. 11- Meet Marco Reus Alvares

The next morning, I woke up in my bed, lying on my stomach, feeling like an idiot.

A heavy sense of guilt weighed upon me, and it wasn't a new sensation. It was a reminder of an old habit that had plagued me for much of my life—an obsession with vanity and physical appearance. I couldn't help but care deeply about how people looked, and this obsession had led to numerous mental breakdowns over the years. It wasn't that I ever ridiculed anyone for not meeting society's ever-changing standards of beauty; in fact, I believed that I had never met an unattractive person. My fixation lay in my attraction to men and women who possessed physical beauty, often at the expense of having any depth of character or intelligence.

This obsession had deep roots in my past, in the haunting memories of relationships that had left me scarred. Those experiences had fueled my insecurity, and the images of their faces, unattractive and repulsive, haunted my mind. I couldn't escape those memories, and I couldn't escape the guilt of my own shallowness. The weight of it all was suffocating, and I closed my eyes tightly as if trying to shut out the painful thoughts that threatened to consume me.

I don't want to remember this...

I don't want to remember this...

I chanted quietly.

It was almost 10 am. I rolled around in bed a few times, and then I sat up.

The view from my bedroom alone was enough to make me realize I didn't even need to leave my suite to explore the entire city of Paris, the City of Love.

The City of Love.

Last night when we landed in front of the hotel, I had been on the lookout for the iconic Eiffel Tower. However, the grandeur of this building surpassed my expectations. It wasn't merely a vantage point for the Eiffel Tower; it was designed to offer panoramic views of the entire city. This explained why the tower looked somewhat diminished from my windows compared to the images I had seen online.

The extravagant pricing of these rooms, starting at a staggering 10 grand plus VAT, service charges, and taxes, finally made sense.

Inside the opulent suite, yesterday I noticed a laptop in the office room. I approached it, realizing that this part of the grand suite had remained untouched since my arrival. I eagerly opened the laptop and began searching for the pricing of the presidential suite.

To my surprise, the description of the presidential suite fell short of what I had experienced. While it was undoubtedly grand, it couldn't hold a candle to the magnificence of my surroundings.

I contemplated the Imperial suites, but they too didn't seem to measure up.

Adjacent to the office, I discovered a library and a mini reception area. As I explored the library, I realized that not a single book was fictional. The shelves were filled with business books, political histories, military information, and a plethora of volumes on astrology and astrophysics, including math and basic physics books suitable for graduates.

Intriguingly, a miniature replica of a rocket, bearing the SpaceX logo, drew my attention. Positioned to the left of the rocket, there was a glass casket holding a ragged rock, delicately nestled on a velvet cushion. These items adorned the sole empty cabinet on the shelf.

The impeccable condition of the bookshelf, devoid of even a speck of dust, was a testament to the meticulous maintenance of this luxurious space. The seating arrangement offered the most exquisite view of the suite, with floor-to-ceiling windows providing an expansive view of the city. The wooden handles of the divan in front of the windows showed signs of wear, and throw blankets were artfully draped over every seat in the library.