Hush, My Sweet Darling

Chapter 2: A Suffocating Lottery

As Violet reached the outer entrance of Netherby, a female attendant greeted her with a warm smile. "Good evening, miss. How may I help you?"

"I'm meeting a friend, and I think he's already inside," Violet replied.

"Under which name was the reservation, miss?"

"Tam? Adam Tam."

After checking the system for a while, the attendant said, "Hmm, I'm sorry, we don't have any reservations under that name. Are you sure it's the correct name? Perhaps it was made under another one."

"Well, I'm not sure, but—" Violet hesitated, but before she could finish her sentence, she heard someone call her name.

"Miss Lee."

She shifted her gaze to the source of the voice and saw a tall, middle-aged man walking toward her from inside the restaurant. He was dressed in a clean-cut black fitted suit.

"Good evening, Miss Lee, I'm Julian Sato, the general manager of Kingsley Hotel. How may I be of help to you this evening? Is there a problem?" The man held out his hand while smiling brightly.

Julian Sato had just finished entertaining a group of vital guests of the hotel at the restaurant. He was about to return to his office when he saw Violet Lee being held at the restaurant entrance.

This was the first time he had seen her in person. Still, at his position in the hospitality industry, he would be incompetent if he didn't recognize the only daughter of one of the largest conglomerates in the country, the Lee Group, which was also the largest shareholder of the hotel he was managing.

Violet took Julian's hand and shook it before answering with an uneasy smile, "No, Mr. Sato. There's no problem at all. My friend made a reservation, and I think I've just gotten the name mixed up."

"Oh, but there's no need for that kind of thing. Miss Lee is always welcome in our establishment—with or without a reservation. Please see if your friend is already here. My apologies for the inconvenience." Julian Sato slightly bowed his upper body. His arm extended toward the entrance archway to the restaurant's front courtyard.

Violet thanked him and immediately made her way into the indoor yard. Covered by a glass dome roof, the yard's square was filled with lush green indoor plants and flowers. A middle pathway led her to the actual entrance of the restaurant.

As soon as Violet was out of sight, Julian Sato turned to face the attendant and insisted, "Miss Lee is a very important guest. Please see to it she's well-tended to."

***

Inside the restaurant, another female attendant came to greet her. She introduced herself as Sarah Zhao, the maître d'hôtel of the restaurant. "Good evening and welcome, Miss Lee. I'll be at your service this evening. Would you like me to take your coat for you?"

It looked like Julian Sato had informed the restaurant's management about her appearance, that even the maître d' herself had to come and fetch her personally. Violet was starting to regret coming there. It appeared she had attracted unnecessary attention.

After taking off her coat and handing it to Sarah, she gave the room a quick scan. Only a few guests were dining at the restaurant that early in the evening, so she quickly spotted the person she came here for. Her face fell. Although the news came from a reliable source, a part of her still wished it wasn't true.

But right in front of her eyes, her boyfriend was sitting at a table for two. A single red rose on the table in front of him complemented his unusually spiffy appearance. Although the chair opposite him was still empty, it was clearly not reserved for her.