Kai was waiting for her in the private living room. A very unhappy Bex followed Hilary downstairs, carrying her backpack for her. Mrs Harrison also waited by the front door wearing a glum expression.
As Hilary proceeded to give a parting hug to Bex and her mother, Kai mentally rolled his eyes at the scene.
"I'll bring the car around", he said gruffly getting to his feet.
Hilary plastered on a smile. Bex looked upset but nevertheless pulled her in for a bear hug.
"Come visit me in Japan anytime", Hilary whispered kindly. And we will keep in touch through social media".
Mrs Harisson embraced Hilary in a warm motherly hug.
"You take care of yourself, love. And no more jumping off of trees and walls and whatnot", she said sternly.
Hilary composed her face into a brave smile although she felt sad and empty inside. In such a short span of time, she had grown extremely fond of Mrs Harisson and her daughter and had felt a sense of belonging with them.
She felt a nudge against her knee and glanced down to see Kai's beautiful husky. As she bent down to pet Mishka, Kai drove up to the front of the house. Bex placed Hilary's backpack in the back seat and Hilary slid into the front passenger seat alongside Kai whose eyes were hidden by dark sunglasses.
Sighing unhappily, she turned to look at the mansion and her new friends one last time. She spied the curtains in the living room flutter and noticed a lady with a stern expression watching her.
That had to be Mrs Burns. Probably thrilled that Kai was getting rid of her, Hilary thought bitterly.
Kai sped out the gates and soon they were on the road, headed towards the city.
"I gather you have more luggage than just the backpack" Kai spoke. We should make a quick stop at the hotel you stayed in and collect the rest of your bags. Do you know the name of the hotel or its location?"
"Err...
Hilary felt her face heat up with embarrassment. She didn't want Kai within a mile of her hotel.
Maybe she could get him to park a little way away from the hotel and then run out and get her bags herself. That way Kai wouldn't have to set eyes on the place. But then again, it would be a difficult feat managing her suitcase on her own with her arm in a sling.
"A street name maybe?", he probed again.
She would just have to bear the pain and manage her bags one way or the other.
"Yeah I will set up the location on the GPS for you", she replied. She set up the main road next to the hotel as the destination on her phone's GPS and handed it over to Kai.
Hilary settled back into the plush leather seat as they drove towards their destination in silence.
--
"Are you sure this is the place?" Kai was looking distastefully at the narrow road filled with overflowing dumpsters. They had arrived on the street where the hotel was located and Hilary knew the building was just beyond the next bend.
"You can stop the car here, Kai. The hotel is right around that corner. I will go grab my bags and be right back".
"This place doesn't look safe. I will come along with you", Kai insisted, getting out of the car.
"There is no need for you to come along, Kai. I am more than capable of handling this by myself".
Kai looked at her injured arm pointedly, ignored her request and walked on down the road.
Hilary let out a cry of frustration and quickly hurried after him towards the dilapidated accommodation.
When she stopped in front of the building Kai looked at her quizzically for a moment and then it dawned on him. He took his sunglasses off slowly, struggling to contain his horror upon seeing the building. It looked as though it was standing up in one piece due to some divine intervention.
"Hotel Gardenia", he mouthed wordlessly and let out a snort of amusement when he spied the dried up plants around the property.
"Its looks a lot better on the inside." Hilary had no clue why she was defending the place.
"Oh yeah, must be very fancy." Kai smirked sarcastically.
You don't have to come in. I will go settle the bill and grab my stuff", Hilary replied stiffly.
"Had no intentions of doing that anyway", Kai muttered. "I'll be here if you need me.
Hilary made her way towards the reception desk and rang the bell. Anton came in through the back door and his face lit up on seeing her.
"Dear lady! I thought you cheated poor Anton and disappeared without paying!" he exclaimed.
"I'm sorry Anton. I got into a bit of an accident. But I'm here now and will settle the bill and take all my stuff".
The inn keeper dragged her suitcase from under the staircase. "I had to give away your room to another gentleman", he replied sheepishly. "I wasn't sure if you would come back. But all your things are in here and you are welcome to inspect your belongings".
"I trust you Anton", Hilary smiled, patting his arm gently. She took out the BBA issued credit card from her purse and handed it to him. He tapped the card on the EFTPOS payment terminal and Hilary walked away to gather her luggage.
"I'm sorry Miss but the card is declined". Anton called out.
Hilary froze.
How could that be! She had used the card previously at coffee shops and had also used it to pay her taxi charges.
"It's probably a connection problem. Happens all the time. Do you want to try it again?"
She held her breath as the man tried her card again. It displayed the same message - CARD DECLINED.
"Perhaps you can pay by cash instead"? he suggested.
She did have some money, but it was nowhere near enough to cover the bill.
"I could go to an ATM and withdraw some money", she replied trying not to show any panic on her features.
Anton was no longer smiling. In fact, he looked really angry.
"I can't let you do that. NO PAY...NO LEAVE!" he thundered.
Hilary backed away from him.
"Look, I'll leave my bags here and my passport too. I'll only need a few minutes to arrange the money and I swear, I'll be back soon.
Anton pulled a telephone from under his desk. "I am calling the police", he said menacingly.
Hilary yanked the receiver away from him. "Wait! Don't call the police!"
Her mind was in overdrive trying to come up with a solution. Kai was right outside and would definitely lend her the money. But she would rather go to jail than accept his help. She didn't want him to think that she couldn't manage her own affairs.
Hilary made a quick decision and removed a thin gold chain that was hanging around her neck - A present from her mother on her 15th birthday ; and placed it on the counter.
"Here! You can hold onto this till I come back with the money".
Anton caught hold of her right hand in a death grip while he turned the chain around in his hand, trying to discern if it was real gold or a fake.
At that moment the front door sprang open and an utterly irritated Kai stood at the threshold. Both Hilary and Anton stood frozen, staring up at him.
"What is taking you so long to...". The words died on his lips as Kai surveyed the bizarre scene before him. He saw Hilary's pale scared face and his eyes flashed in sudden anger.
"Let go off her this instant or you will be very sorry", he growled
Anton gulped and dropped Hilary's hand as if it had burned him. He stepped away from the girl and eyed Kai uneasily.
Kai turned to Hilary. "Do I even need an explanation?" he muttered exasperatedly.
She turned beet red and proceeded to explain how she had tried to pay the outstanding bill with the company issued credit card but it was declined.
Kai pushed past her towards the desk and pulled the receipt towards him. Hilary noticed Anton slither away from Kai's reach and had to suppress a giggle. Kai took out a wad of notes from his wallet and thrust it at the man.
"This should cover the costs and there is a little extra in there for you to carry her luggage out to my car".
He snatched the gold chain from Anton and tossed it to Hilary. "I believe this is yours".
With that, he turned and walked out the building. Hilary gulped and smiled weakly at Anton. The man happily pocketed the money and proceeded to carry Hilary's luggage to the waiting car.
Kai was already behind the wheel, sunglasses firmly back on his face. Hilary slipped in quietly next to him. As she was buckling up the seat belt, Anton tapped on her window. She rolled down the window and began apologizing about the messy turn of affairs.
"No harm done Miss. We are all good now. You and your boyfriend are welcome to my humble abode at any time", he waved cheerily as the car pulled away from the hotel.
Hilary blushed and glanced at Kai from the corner of her eye. But he appeared unaffected and unconcerned by what had transpired.
After what felt like an eternity of silence, Kai finally stopped the car outside a grand hotel. He walked towards the revolving glass door, throwing his car keys to the valet.
Hilay stood rooted to the spot. Never before had she seen such a luxurious hotel. She followed Kai inside and the smell of fresh flowers and expensive perfume hit her senses. Kai was purposefully striding towards the reception and Hilary hastened to keep up with him.
The beautiful woman at the reception had leapt up at the sight of Kai.
"Welcome to The Aspen International, Mr Hiwatari. Shall I make arrangements to have your usual suite ready for you?" she asked sweetly in English.
"Thanks Olivia. Please have the room ready for my guest, Ms Tachibana. She is visiting from Japan. Kindly see to it that the room is equipped with everything that she may need".
As Kai scribbled his signature on a few forms, Olivia eyed Hilary with undisguised curiosity. Her eyes roved over Hilary's casual outfit of shirt and denim shorts, her arm cradled in the sling and her worn out sneakers. Hilary smiled back sweetly and continued to check out her surroundings. There was a huge floral arrangement at the centre of the lobby and soft jazz music was playing from hidden speakers. A large crystal chandelier shimmered from the high ceiling. Smartly dressed men and beautiful women were merrily walking towards the in- house restaurant for dinner.
A young bell boy came over with her bags and the concierge ushered them to the elevator. Hilary waited for Kai to accompany them but he stood by the reception.
"Olivia and the others will take care of everything for you. All your meals will be sent to your room. I shall come by with the doctor in a day or two".
He handed over a black business card.
"If you need me, this has both my personal and office numbers. Go on and get some rest. We will talk soon about the BBA matter", he said softly.
Hilary looked up into his dark eyes which held a tinge of concern for her. He graced her with a small smile as she entered the elevator, and soon he was out of sight as the doors closed and the elevator whisked her up to the luxurious suite.