Chapter 5: Bright smiles.
Acacia stirred from sleep with a parched throat and dried tears,something had happened in her dream but it was vague ,she could not even remember a thing,what she knew ,deriving from how she felt,she must have screamed alot and leaked tears. Her whole body was covered in sweat that she wondered again what kind of predicament she must have been in that dream.
Acacia hated dreams,for her, dreaming was not something that came naturally or involved princesses and knights in shining armour,hers always came in form of nightmares and revelations. Whatever she dreamt about always came to pass,and the worst possible thing was that she always only dreamt of bad happenings.She did not see this as a gift rather a curse. No one liked bearing bad news.With that, she was glad she could not remember anything she had dreamt about last night .
She kicked the covers aside and headed to the mini-fridge in her bedroom in search of water. Her thoughts drifted to the Hotel and she laid down her plans in her mind,she had little time to revive the hotel . With the onset of her dreams,she was sure that something was cooking up. Danger loomed ahead and she had to be quick then take cover again. The only problem right now was the Hotel and it seemed they also had enemies, things were complicated but she had to be strong for her grandmother, she wanted her to do this and she was not going to dissapoint her.
Barefooted, she went to the kitchen to make breakfast, she had to ,because she needed the strength for it. She was going to face Arctic today and just the thought of him made her heart race . In her twenty-five years of life no man had ever made her so confused like he had. The feelings she had confused her for they were new to her. Whatever the man was doing to her,she was going to fight it . Their was no room for affections or empathy in her life.
Finished with her breakfast, she prepared herself for the day,previously, she was a confused lady looking for a way through. Arctic had met her twice in a vulnerable position, but that was it,she was going to make sure he would feel mistaken.
With a cold smile,she picked a blue pencil skirt with a plethora of buttons at the side sways,she matched it with a plain blouse and then completed the look with a shoulder blazer. Deciding what to wear on her feet took longer than expected but she finally settled on white patent ankle strap heels.
The clacking sound made by the heels filled the quiet hallway as she made her way out. She missed the melody birds offered in the morning at the Island,the playful chatter of kids as they prepared to go to school and the shouts of their parents . She missed waking up and greeting everyone around,she missed the morning scent of dew mixed with her grandmother's tea brewing which she always took before starting her day.
Today was not a day to be weak though, so she did not allow herself to be carried away with emotions. Feeling bolder and not wanting to show off,she picked the toyota camri keys and made her way out. Money was never a problem to them,from what her grandmother told her,her parents had left her a huge amount of money which would probably last her to more than ten generations. Her grandmother owned one of the largest Culinary school in the states and it was left under her care.
That was not the only thing she had inherited, she had alot of properties scattered in different countries,several businesses and other investments. Despite having all of these ,her life was kept underwraps that no one knew about her ,her grandmother always told her she was protecting her by keeping her away from the preying eyes of the world. It had helped upto her grandmother's death then all chaos broke loose making her flee her favourite and most safest place,the Island.
She drove in silence,her thoughts occupying the space. The forty-five minute drive helped her clear her mind until she stopped at the black farmiliar gate. Remembering their was no one who could open the gate for her,she alighted from her car, entered throught the footgate, opened the huge gate herself then drove in. No soul was in sight just as the first day she had come in. She shook her head in dissapointment,they sure did not care about security.
As she walked towards the reception area,she felt eyes on her. 'They are probably watching me from one of their windows ',she thought. The eyes left her and she figured they were coming down to meet her.
It is time.
Arctic was the first one to make an appearance with Berlah hot on his heels,they were both smiling brightly and Acacia concluded that they had probably rehearsed on how to behave infront of her,which apparently included smiling brightly.
"Acacia,so nice to see you this morning ",Berlah greeted with a cheerful tone while extending her hands for a handshake.
She nodded in reply as she briefly shook her hands . Her cold eyes then travelled to Arctic ,with the same curtness,she extended her hands to him while mumbling a Hello.
"It's a pleasure meeting you Acacia, I have to say that I've been looking forward towards this meeting ", he replied.
Acacia masked the shiver that engulfed her when his hands enclasped hers. She encrypted the feelings her face might have shown on hearing his voice. This man affected her in many ways but she was going to fight it. She shrugged her shoulders and turned to Berlah deciding it was easy to focus on her though it provided a little bit of difficulty.
Her cold greeting did not change her hosts bright smiles as they led her to a building which she figured was a conference hall.No one spoke until they reached the room . Berlah chose a table facing the gate.It was a round table with six chairs sorrounding it. She waited for both of them to sit down before choosing a sit which made her directly opposite to Berlah but sideways to Arctic, that way,she wouldn't have to face him directly as she spoke.
Suprisingly ..or not...still holding her smile,Berlah spoke first,again.
"So I figured that we should begin this journey with a proper introduction and as the common factor,I'll go first."She placed her manicured fingers on the table. "I am Berlah Marie Marjorie,the Manager and Co-owner of Pacific",she then signalled her brother to continue.
Instead of continuing, Acacia heard the scrapping of a chair and Arctic was suddenly sitting right across from her,but she was very ready as if she had figured out this would happen. She met his gaze with a cold stare.
"My name is Arctic, The CEO and Co-owner of Pacific, I have to say I'm really curious on how and why you want to rescue us." He began, his thick eyebrows raised in question.
"It is what I do".
"Rescue sinking hotels?"
"Yes".
"Is it even a career?"
"No".
"What do you gain from it?"
"Nothing ".
"You mean you want to help us without asking for anything in return?"
"Yes".
"What are you? Saviour?"
Acacia felt the irritation growing up but she decided to hold up. He had a reason to question her since she was just a stranger to them. Maybe a little bit of explanation would make them trust her enough to complete her mission. She cleared her throat and then let her eyes settle on Berlah.
"You guys have to trust me that I come with good intentions, to help. This is not the first hotel I am redeeming, it is something I do ,I don't know what to say for you to believe me but you just have to",her eyes flickered to Arctic, " If you want me to ask for something in return then I will ask for a Patnership,maybe that will provide a liability against me."
She let them ponder for a few minutes. The bright smiles had long disappeared.
"How?" Berlah asked in a serious yet curious tone".
"I own a food production company, I can supply your hotel with fresh food if you will allow me. I can't destroy something that will gain me profit right?"
"Well,atleast that gives a reason on why you would want to help,but that does not still solve the problem that we have,trust me,I still think the best solution is to sell it". Arctic replied and Acacia realised he still had his doubts though his eyes had a hopeful look.
"Well,that is why I am here. Will you guys give me the chance to proove myself?" She really wanted to move along to the first step of her plans.
"I'm in,it's the only chance we have,it's better to try than to just give up." Berlah replied immediately and Acacia nodded in gratitude, it was going to be easy to work with her. Their eyes fell on Arctic who was taking his time to weigh the options.
"Okay,let's see your plan",he answered after a moment. His blue eyes shining with anticipation. Both Acacia and Berlah sighed in relief.
It was time to lay out the plans.
"The first step to saving your hotel is figuring who your enemy is". She began.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Humbletigress
Humbletigress Acacia to the rescue...let's gooooo,adjust your seatbelts,it's about to be tiiiiightt.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone