The moon hung bright above the pool, its reflection stretching across the glowing blue water. John and Martha stood beside it, both dressed in swim pants, the warm night air brushing their skin.It was the first time John had ever seen a woman’s figure this close. He tried not to stare — but Martha noticed anyway.She walked toward him with a playful smile, then sat gently on his lap. John’s breath caught for a moment. He brushed her hair back, his fingers light against her cheek.“You look so beautiful,” he said softly.Martha blushed, her eyes lowering for a second. “I’m older than you, you know.”John leaned in, his voice warm. “Age is just a number.” His eyes moved down from her eyes to her lips.She stared into his eyes, smiling — then placed a finger on his lips and pushed his head back lightly.“Not yet,” she teased.She stood up from his lap and began walking backward toward the pool, her steps slow and playful.“We came here to swim, right?”John set his glass of w

John leaned back on his hands. He was still calm. “Chill,” he said. “Can’t you skip work today? You’re with me. You’re my girlfriend now. And I’m a Top VIP. I can call the hotel. Tell them you’re with me.”Martha was already looking for her phone. She found it on the floor. She pressed the button. The screen lit up. 17 Missed Calls. All from: General Manager Shelton. Last call: 9:47 AM today.Her face went white. “Oh no. Oh no. He called. So many times. Since last night. My phone was off. I forgot to charge it.”She looked at John. Panic was in her eyes. “John, I have to go. Right now. I’ve never been this late. Never. They’ll think I ran away. They’ll fire me.”John sat up now. “Hey. Breathe. They won’t fire you. I’ll talk to them.”“No,” Martha said fast. She was already running to the bathroom. “You don’t know Mr. Shelton. He’s strict. He’s scary when he’s mad. And CEO Mr. Leo is worse.”She came out two minutes later. She had washed her face. Her hair was in a quick knot. And

“Am I?” John asked calmly. “Fifteen billion. I’ll have the papers drawn up today. If I fail, I’ll walk away. I’ll never come back. And you can slap whoever you want.”Martha grabbed John’s arm. “John, don’t. That’s too much money. You shouldn’t—”“I should,” John said. He didn’t look at her. He looked at Shelton. “Well? Do we have a bet, General Manager?”Shelton’s mind was racing in confusion. He was trapped. If he said no, he looked scared. If he said yes…“Fine!” Shelton shouted. “Fine! You want to bet? Let’s bet! If you can buy Moon Plaza Hotel, worth 15 billion, I will resign! I will get on my knees and apologize to her! But if you fail, you leave. You will forget about your top VIP membership, and you will never show your face here again! Deal?”“Deal,” John said. He held out his hand for a handshake.Shelton stared at it. Then he spat on the floor next to John’s shoes. “I don’t shake hands with liars.”John just smiled. He put his hand down. “Smart. You’ll need your hands to si

The Grand Ballroom of Moon Plaza Hotel was packed. Gold lights. White flowers. Big cameras. Many of the rich people in the city were here. News people too. A big sign on the stage said: "Inauguration Ceremony: New Ownership of Moon Plaza Hotel"Martha stood near the stage. She was not in her pink gown anymore. She wore a dark blue suit. Her hair was up. She looked sharp. Strong. She had a gold name tag now. It said: Martha Chen — General Manager. Her cheek was still a little pink from yesterday. But her eyes were clear. John stood next to her. Simple black suit. No tie. He was calm, like always.At the main entrance, Blake walked in. He wore a shiny gray suit. His hair was slick. His smile was wide. On his arm was Selene. Selene had long black hair. Red dress. High heels.Blake squeezed her hand. “Smile, babe,” he whispered. “This is our chance. The new chairman of Moon Plaza is here today. No one knows who he is yet. But my uncle Shelton is the General Manager. He runs everythin

“What?” Blake said. His voice cracked. “What did he just say? Valerio?”Selene’s hand flew to her mouth. Her red nails looked sharp against her skin. “He said… Mr. Valerio.”Blake let out a short, sharp, fake laugh. “No. No way. Valerio is a common name. It could be anyone. That loser from college?”Selene leaned against the wall. The marble was cold on her back. “Blake… he was standing next to the General Manager. Maybe they were speaking the truth. Her name tag said Martha Chen — General Manager. She defended him. I think they fired your uncle. Because he is not here yet.And the announcer only said ‘Mr. Valerio.’ Like he’s famous enough that we should all know who he is.”“Stop it!” Blake snapped. He ran a hand through his slick hair, messing it up. “ Can't you see this is all a set up? You don’t know what you’re talking about. Let's be realistic. Isn't this the guy you dumped six months ago because he was poor? He’s now the chairman of a thirty billion dollar hotel? Use your brai