章 3: She was drugged!

Camellia Hotel, City M.

Phoenix strutted into the luxurious hotel lobby. Her expressionless face was tired, but she was still walking with her chin high, looking regal, like an empress. Her high ponytail was swinging with every step she took. She had shed her outer jacket and hung it on her arms, leaving her cream satin blouse with a few top buttons undone showing her beautiful collar bone. Her extraordinary aura compelled people to look at her in a trance.

'I'm so done for the day.'

She badly wanted to get to her room, cleaned herself from the sweat and the stickiness of her body and lay on the massive and comfortable bed. There was only one last thing she needed to do before calling in the night, a daily phone call that would take her tiredness away and give her a good night's sleep. A call that she couldn't miss for a single day.

Her stiletto high heels clicked clacked on the grey marble floor of the hotel lobby. Her legs were crying to be released from this torture device that women used to boost their self-confidence, but she endured the pain and walked assertively across the lobby, while her mind was thinking about the gathering just now.

'Human interaction is tiring. I know tomorrow is the weekend, but aren't they overdoing it by suggesting we go to karaoke?'

She was already extended her social interaction by attending today's dinner. No way would she torture herself more by following them to the karaoke bar. Did she look like someone who enjoyed singing? Heck! She didn't know if she could even sing, and she didn't want to know either.

She only stayed until dessert was served and excused herself shortly after. She admitted that she was hungry, the restaurant they went to specialized in SouthEast Asia cuisine and each of the dishes presented was delicious. That was the only plus point that she gained from this gathering.

She was not a picky eater, other than red meat, she could eat all sorts of food even if it tasted bad. One needed to eat to keet living, and for her, 'Food is Life'.

She looked at her watch; it was already 10.00pm at night and she grimaced.

'I should leave the restaurant earlier. It has already passed our usual call time.'

It was a Friday night, lots of cars on the street making her journey from the restaurant to the hotel longer than usual.

Phoenix came to City M, in a hurry from Country B. She hadn't made any living arrangements and hadn't got the chance to find a house to move in yet.

So she had been staying in this hotel for a week now.

Camellia Hotel was a well-known hotel chain in the region. It was owned by Glorious Han's Group, which was an established name in the hospitality industry.

Phoenix usually opted for this hotel chain whenever she had to travel to other places for work. Their room was big and clean and they had a comfortable bed. The mattress made her feel like she had been hugged to sleep. Adding to the top-notch hospitality from their staff, it was not surprising that they have become the top hotel for years.

"Welcome back, Miss." The receptionist greeted her with a polite smile. The hotel staff was well informed about their guest, and was aware that Phoenix had been staying for a week and would probably stay for many more days.

Phoenix nodded her head as a sign of acknowledgement and headed to the elevator.

Pushing the button to go up, she stood straight, waiting impatiently for one of the elevators to become available. Soon, an elevator arrived from the lower floor and she saw two men and a pretty girl inside the elevator.

The girl was wearing a short party dress and was squeezed by the two men on both sides and her head was leaning on one of the man's body. The girl was sweating profusely, her head was tossing around slightly. Her pale face looked sick, and her lips had lost their colour. The girl was really weak and was mumbling some incoherent words that Phoenix couldn't understand. There was a strong smell of alcohol coming from the girl.

Phoenix assumed they were coming from one of the small event rooms on the lower ground floor of the hotel.

'She shouldn't party so hard. She must have drunk a lot to look that sick.' Phoenix eyebrows furrowed and her nose scrunched, looking at the girl, silently chastised her.

She was hoping for an empty elevator, and she could opt to let them go up first and waited for another one to be available, but the scene that she saw inside the elevator had tugged at her conscience. There was something unusual about the whole picture, and she didn't feel comfortable, and there was a nagging feeling inside her telling her not to look the other way.

Getting inside the elevator, she scanned her room card and pushed the button for floor number 15 where her room was, on the panel at the side of the elevator door. On the panel, buttons for floor number 15 and 16 were lit up. Phoenix chose to stand in front of the other three people, facing the door as she would arrive on her floor first before them.

The elevator then ascended with four people inside in silence. Only the sound of music that was playing inside the elevator was heard.

Phoenix was scrutinizing the others through the reflection on the door. The girl was delirious and so out of senses, while the two men were checking Phoenix's body up and down from behind. She had the urge to poke those lustful eyes that were checking her behind. Her blood boiled with the blatant disrespected of women from these two guys. She was about to turn around and gave them a piece of her mind when suddenly she heard a faint whisper,

"Help me…"