Chapter 3 The Hawthorne's

CASPIAN'S POV: I stirred awake, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "God, how much did I have to drink last night?" I murmured to myself while reaching for my phone. "Five missed calls from Ava?" I whispered, my fingers hurriedly dialing her number, but the line remained silent, leaving me with the sinking feeling that she was angry with me. "I know you're upset about me missing your call, babe. I'm really sorry. Please, call me back," I made her voice note to her before setting the phone down on the bed. With that, I headed to the bathroom, craving the comfort of a warm bath. "The casino is undeniably a fun place to go. No wonder Julian was the happiest person when he was put in charge of the casino and he spends most of his time there. It seems to echo his lifestyle, a life of spending..." I am Caspian, hailing from the illustrious and affluent Hawthorne family. My older brother, Lucian Hawthorne, holds the title of the first son. He oversees the advertising company and is happily married with two children. Following him is me, managing the tech startup and in a committed relationship. Lastly, there's Julian, the youngest sibling, who runs the casino. We are all excelling in our individual pursuits. "My Dad, now retired, often pops in for visits, eager to lend a hand whenever he can. Meanwhile, Mum is actively involved in owning and running a fashion house, alongside Olivia, our beloved adopted sister." "Mum often mentions her desire for a female presence in the house, which led to her decision to adopt Olivia, fulfilling the daughter role she always longed for. This arrangement leaves us with a family of four children in total." Rushing back to the room, I encountered one of the cleaners diligently carrying out her tasks. "Good morning, sir," she greeted as she kept on with her work.. Clearly, she doesn't recognize me since I rarely visit this area. "I don't understand. Is this the standard way of working here?" I inquired, puzzled by the apparent lack of work ethics. "Do you all normally enter people's rooms without permission?" I asked, struggling to keep my temper in check. "I apologize, Sir. I did knock, but there was no response," the lady explained. "Then, under normal circumstances, one would have retreated. That's what a person with sound judgment would typically do," I remarked, trying to maintain a composed demeanor. "What's your name?" I inquired. "Ayra Malik," she stuttered, her response slightly hesitant. "Now, if you don't mind, please gather your belongings and temporarily vacate this room until my departure," I instructed. "Okay, Sir. I apologize," she said, sounding contrite before exiting the room. At that moment, my phone began to ring... "Hello, Ava," I greeted as I answered the call. "I'm sorry, Ava. I was exhausted and unintentionally fell asleep," I apologized as soon as I could. "Caspian, you should have called me before going to bed. You left me worried" she said. "Hope you're not with another girl there," she said, her tone betraying a hint of pouting. "No, babygirl. I'm all alone. Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?" I asked, putting the phone on loudspeaker as I started to get dressed, attentively listening to her voice. "No" she replied. "So, have you gone to the family house for breakfast already?" she asked after a silent pause. "Nope, still at the casino, but I'll be heading out soon," I replied as I sat down to put on my sneakers. "Hope you won't spend the night at your parents' house today?" she asked as I stood up, packing my things to go. "No, babe. I can't wait to see you, so I'm definitely coming back today," I assured her. "Okay, fine. See you later," I replied before ending the call. I've been dating Ava for three years now, and I'm absolutely certain she's the one for me. I'm committed to taking our relationship to the next level, marrying her, and having her as the mother of my children. She's truly my ideal partner. "Good morning, Sir," greeted a portly man as he hurried over to me, offering assistance with my bag. "Hope you had a wonderful stay, sir?" he inquired politely. "Yes, certainly," I replied with a nod, acknowledging his question. "What's your name?" I asked. "Mr Larson Sir" he replied. "Mr Larrson, I will take it from here" I called but on a second thought, I kept mute. I intended to lodge a complaint about the staff's behavior earlier, but then I realized he's not the most appropriate person to address. Since he's also a staff member here, I believe Julian would be the best person to speak with. He should provide a better explanation because such behavior is detrimental to the business. AYRA'S POV I arrived at the Casanova for my Afternoon shift. "Hi Collins," I greeted snappily as I hurried towards the changing room, my footsteps echoing in the hallway. Much to my surprise, I encountered Charlotte, also in the midst of changing. "Good afternoon, Charlotte?' I greeted as I removed my uniform from the hanger. "Morning," she replied casually as she continued to change. I have a strained relationship with Charlotte because she tends to leverage her connection with Mr. Larson to exert control and undermine us. She acts like she's head of us and not one of us as well. "You will clean one of the presidential rooms" she said as she wears her shoes. "I don't understand. Aren't we supposed to finish cleaning everything before leaving?" I opposed, expressing my disagreement. "Well, I couldn't get it done, so Mr. Larson asked me to tell you to take care of it," she explained, meeting my gaze directly. That is it, she's always using Mr Larsson to impose some certain things on us. "Okay, fine," I conceded, and she promptly stood up and left. I changed into my uniform and swiftly gathered my cleaning utensils before heading downstairs. I realized I forgot to ask her which of the presidential suites to clean. I guess I'll have to figure it out myself.