The Love Affair(Good Wife Better Mistress)

"Guess who?" asks a deep, seductive voice.

"thee Candela Romano?" Nicole asks aloud.

"Yes, "I think her design is superb. Look at the boldness of the colors in the stained glass. They say it's incredibly difficult to get them that rich."

Nicole suddenly stops and turns to claire with an intrigued expression,"

"

Claire opens the office door for Nicole.

The French window catches nicole's eye first. Then Nicole sees the simple table and chair. She turns left to find a sitting area with a sofa, tea table, and a bonsai tree. The design is simple but elegant. Claire brings over the remaining staff files.

The HR manager is a fat middle-aged man who drones on about his employment problems, "We're now suffering a massive staff shortage. Most remaining staff complain that they are paid less than they would be in other hotels, and I don't know how long we can keep them before they leave too."

"How do you plan to address the problem?" Nicole asks curtly.

"Since they have improved wages and other working benefits, I think we should—"

"Wage and benefits will stay the same," Nicole says, interrupting him.

She presses her temples and looks frazzled. She didn't sleep well, and she's not sure what she's doing. She knows the Romanos have raised their wages in competition, but she can't walk straight into their trap by doing the same.

"It'll be difficult to hire new people," the HR Manager says.

"I don't think the Romano can hire everyone in the city," Nicole responds.

Nicole organizes the papers on her desk and hands them to him.

"I'm not in a rush," she adds.

The HR manager is stunned. As he walks away fromNicole's office, he puzzles over her orders. He assumed that Nicole would force him to meet certain staff numbers since the staff is key to the success of the hotel. He doesn't understand why she's told him that there's no rush.

A message pops up on the upper-right corner of Nicoke's laptop. It's from Claire and contain's e-mail address. Nicole looks at the message and thinks about Alex and Gabriela.

Nicole rubs her head and continues thinking, "why is gabriela not letting go of alex she is stilll young, is she not scared to be accused of being his mistress?."

Nicole's instincts tell her that the situation is far more complicated than she can imagine. Her fingers fly over the keyboard, composing a message.

Miles away, a golf ball makes a perfect curve in the air over a sandpit before rolling slowly across the putting green and falling into the hole. John can't help but clap for Alex.

"Ever since Alex learned the truth about brownie's burn, he's been in an unusually good mood," John thinks, "He even slept in the Northern residence to allow Nicole full night's rest before her first day at the  Hotel."

"The news?" Alex asks.

John starts reading headlines from his tablet.

"WW's stock prices have suddenly risen."

"Next."

"The North Star Group has finished construction on their new Eastern condo."

"Next"

John scrolls through the headlines. Alex enjoys military news, so he reads, "A confederation of Middle Eastern countries announces it will build new nuclear weapons to face current threats."

"Next."

Johm clears his throat. Alex has stopped him several times in a row. Alex is looking to hear something specific.

"Mrs. Romano took over the Balato Hotel today," he reads.

He pauses, but Alex doesn't interrupt him, so he continues, "A lot of press is there. There are photos and many speculations about the future of the hotel."

"Yes, I know," Alex says as he swings again.

"HR has announced a staff shortage due to the acquisition and the Romanos' countermeasures."

"Hmm."

"Additionally, it's rumored that the hotel is your divorce settlement for Mrs. Ramano, so most guests have canceled their reservations."

"As expected," Alex says.

Alex looks tall and handsome in his white golfing outfit. Several young ladies playing the next hole cast frequent looks back at him. One of them stares too hard and trips on a sand trap, inciting her companion's laughter.

"Do you want me to handle the issues at the hotel?" John asks.

"She called?" Alex asks.

"No, she didn't."

John watches as Alex aims the ball at the hole in front of it. He taps it gently and it rolls in.

"Not at all?"

Alex knows that Nicole is proud, but he's surprised she hasn't asked for his help.

"I guess she's pretty angry at me," he thinks, recalling that she threw away all the quiche she made before he could have any for breakfast.

"HR says Mrs. Romano looks very calm and isn't in a hurry to hire new staff," John says.

"Book me a room at the Balato Hotel," Alex orders.

Back at the Balato Hotel, Claire leads Nicole to the open-air hot spring spa.

"We're shooting the footage here today," Claire says.

A crew of workers including lighting specialists, photographers and assistants is preparing for the shoot. Steam rises from the hot spring and a few workers are throwing rose petals into the water. The scene is dreamy with the hot fog and the light rose aroma.

Cherry blossoms fall to the ground as a breeze blows past. Nicole looks up at the fallen petals and several catches in her fair hair. Her beauty attracts the workers' attention, she looks almost timeless under the tree. If they weren't scared of being fired, they'd gossip and stare.

"What the hell are you looking at?" the director snaps, "Get the scene ready in ten minutes or get lost."

He throws the script on the table with frustration.

"Who's in the shoot?" Nicole asks curiously.

Claire is about to answer when a dark shadow catches her by surprise. A pair of hands cover Nicole's eyes and she gasps in surprise. She feels a man's chest against her back, and a hard jaw against her head.

"Guess who?" asks a deep, seductive voice.