×The New Madness Begins×
“Uh… I’m sorry, sir, what do you mean by that?” Staylie pretended not to understand.
“I want you to be the cleaning staff for my hotel room while I’m staying here,” Karel said directly, without any pause.
Bang!
In a flash, Staylie shot up from her seat, slamming her hands on the table.
Karel flinched slightly, startled by her sudden movement. His face turned stiff as he tilted his head up to look at her.
A moment later, Staylie sat back down. Karel quickly adjusted his gaze to meet hers.
She tried to stay calm, though inside, she was seething.
“What, does he think I’m a housekeeper or something?!” she screamed internally but kept her expression composed.
Responding in her best professional tone, Staylie said calmly,
“But sir, we already have housekeeping staff at Atma Start Hotel. Are their services not satisfactory?”
Karel shook his head right away.
“No, it’s not that. It’s just… I get uncomfortable with strangers entering my personal space.”
“And I’m not a stranger?” she thought bitterly.
“That’s a very common concern, sir. But this is a public accommodation—of course the staff won’t be people you personally know.” Staylie kept her tone polite, upholding her SPV dignity.
“True, but I’ve always had this thing. I can’t handle unknown people entering my private space.”
Private space? Staylie scoffed internally. This is a hotel room, not your personal sanctuary!
“And I’m asking for your help, Miss Staylie, because you’re the only one I trust,” Karel explained his reasoning.
Staylie blinked. They had only met once. How could she possibly be the only person he trusted?
“Why me, specifically?” she asked, needing to understand why she was being singled out.
“I trust you because you were the one who helped me the very first time. And honestly, your service as a VIP handler has been top-notch.”
He smiled softly, trying to win her over.
“Oh please, save the compliments. I didn’t ‘help’ you, I was forced to be your servant that day,” she scoffed in silence.
Sigh...
Staylie exhaled quietly, steadying herself.
“Sir, it’s not that I’m refusing, but my job as SPV already consumes most of my time every day. I think it would be better if you requested help from the trained housekeeping staff instead—someone professional in that field,” she replied tactfully.
Karel crossed his arms and leaned back.
“I still only want you to do it.”
Staylie stared at him with disbelief but said nothing.
Karel realized it wouldn’t be easy to get someone to agree to something like this. He was ready with a backup strategy—an offer she couldn’t ignore.
“If you agree, of course, you’ll be compensated,” he said, straightening up in his seat.
In an instant, Staylie’s eyes lit up. She straightened her posture, now very professional.
“I’ll pay you double your current SPV salary.”
Let the negotiation begin.
Staylie didn’t respond immediately. She just listened closely.
“Oh, is that too low?” Karel added. “Fine. I’ll make it triple your salary. How about that?”
Still no reply. Staylie kept her gaze fixed on him, her mind calculating.
Karel, feeling the silence drag on, decided to sweeten the deal.
“Heh…” he laughed awkwardly. Trying to think fast.
“All right, fine. Five times your current salary. Deal?”
Staylie still didn’t respond. She was weighing everything carefully, trying to align her thoughts and emotions before replying.
Karel was growing nervous—but he wasn’t about to give up.
“What if I throw in a free weekend getaway every week? Tempting, right?”
He watched her closely, praying she wouldn’t decline after all that.
“Deal.” Staylie finally spoke, extending her hand across the table.
A light, diplomatic smile played on her lips.
Relief flooded Karel’s chest.
She said yes.
“Deal.”
Was it a mistake?
Staylie didn’t even think it through.
She just… said yes.
And it turned out, she wasn’t just a room cleaner for him.
She also became his emotional dumping ground whenever he got bored.
Like a walking robot, Staylie’s energy was near depletion. She couldn’t take a single step farther.
Thud!
Completely drained after cleaning the VIP guest’s room, she collapsed onto the bed without caring what came next.
Snore… snore…
Staylie passed out cold.
---
#+++++#
Beep.
Karel swiped his room card and pushed open the hotel door.
He stepped inside and shut the door behind him, walking down the short hallway into the main bedroom area.
The room was spotless.
“Well, well… she did a great job,” he murmured.
Now—where was Staylie?
His eyes scanned the room.
And then he saw her.
“There you are, Miss Staylie.”
Karel smiled slightly as he walked over to the woman now fast asleep on his hotel bed.
He genuinely hadn’t meant for things to go this far—asking her to clean his room wasn’t his proudest moment. But he felt like he had no choice.
She was the only person he could really trust. He was sure she wouldn’t snoop through his things or try to discover his real identity.
Karel moved away from the bed and headed toward the bathroom, sweating and ready to shower.
Ten minutes later, he emerged freshly cleaned, dressed in beige long-sleeved pajamas.
He chose not to wake Staylie. He let her sleep.
No, he had no ill intentions toward her.
Karel, for all his eccentricities, was a decent man. He treated women with respect.
All he really wanted was peace.
But the trauma… it still lingered.
The memory of losing his older sister—who, if she were still alive, would probably be the same age as Staylie—never left him.
Of course, he was only guessing. He didn’t know Staylie’s exact age.
But she did seem a bit older than him.
Yaaaawn…
Karel yawned wide, not bothering to hide it even with her lying next to him.
He climbed into the other side of the bed—he couldn’t sleep anywhere else.
Too picky for that.
Meanwhile, Staylie lay facing away from him.
He pulled the blanket up and shared it with her.
Eventually, they both slipped into their own dream worlds, side by side.
---
#+++++#
Blugh. Blugh. Blugh.
Karel’s alarm tone—set to a bubbling noise—blared loudly through the room.
Staylie stirred, her eyes slowly fluttering open, annoyed by the unexpected sound.
She blinked several times, trying to get her vision to focus.
She stared at the ceiling.
And then—
“What the heck is this loud—” she mumbled groggily.
Suddenly—
“Ow! Miss Staylie, why are you smacking my face like that?”
A male voice?
Who—?
Tap!
She turned her head toward the source of the voice.
O. M. G.
“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!”
Staylie screamed at the top of her lungs.
She had no idea what had happened the night before.
What had she done with this VIP guest?! Huh?!
This was the start…
of a whole new madness.