Chapter 10

**G R A C E**

I catch the bottle of the body scrub before it falls to the floor and place it right back on the glass rack. I step back to examine my now set up bathroom, and it looks half-baked as hell. It is not my fault, though, it is too big a space for one person. All my supplies easily settled on two racks, and I haven’t even touched the space above the emerald green bath tub, or opened the drawers on the marble glazed cabinet under the mirror.

I step back into my room and sit down on the bed, I’m startled by how far deep it sinks. I jump back up to my feet and survey it to realise almost all of its height is just foam and mattress.

*Wow. The way the rich live. *

Since I couldn’t find the remote to turn on the AC, by the time I’m done setting up the room and my wardrobe, I am drenched in sweat. I open the wardrobe and pull out a pair of shorts and an oversized T-shirt, perfect for a day full of doing nothing but lounging on a luxury bed, and watching The Vampire Diaries on the hundred and twenty inch TV. And once I’m done with that, the next stop is the swimming pool.

I have to say, despite the peaking at my skinny-dipping and acting like an ass for no reason, Alex Moretti is a noble man with a good and giving heart the size of this house.

Just when I’m about to enter the bathroom with my towel, I hear a ping. I step back into the room and look around for the source. With the dark navy curtains lining the windows, most of the sunlight is blocked, making it easier for me to spot the glow on the little screen attached to the wall near the bed–similar to the intercom device he was showing me earlier. I drop the towel on the bed and walk closer to it to read.

**New Messages (1)
Welcome drinks and dinner at 6 p.m.
Beach Garden Dining
Casuals**

*What the fuck?*

I look at the screen, wondering what to do. *Can I send back a message? Who will it go to? Who is this even coming from? Alex?*

Casuals it says. I have casuals. I guess. I have that navy blue satin dress I wore for my prom last year, it almost looks like silk, everyone asked me where I got it from, no one believed when I told them i made it. And that yellow sequin gown that almost touches my ankles, though that might be a little over the top. What does casuals even mean?

It is 12 noon right now, that means I have 6 hours to figure this out, if at all, I have to attend it. Honestly, I could just skip it. It must be a thing for the business partners, I won’t be missed by anyone if I’m not there–except Sophia.

*I need Sophia.*

I step away from the screen and look for my phone on the night stand, it's not there. I move around a few things on the bed, the couch, the wardrobe even, until I realise he never returned my phone. That motherfucker.

The bedroom wall that’s supposed to be facing Sophia’s doesn’t have any windows, so I select the only left option. I walk down to her house only to find her door locked, there is no bell, so I knock some more till someone next-door comes out to check on me. I immediately run and hide in the alley to avoid the meeting, though I do get a very brief glimpse of a button down white shirt and army pants.

With Sophia MIA and my phone with her asshole brother, there is little I can do, and I decide to take the easier route and pretend I never saw the message. It is not like someone is going to come get me if I’m missing.



I’m not sure when I fell asleep. I’m not sure what time it is now, but since the room seems much darker than earlier, it might be after sunset, maybe even later. I stretch in the bed, feeling the softest mattress engulf me into a sleepy hug when I feel it–the earth shaking.

I sit upright, or I try and fail. My arm turns wrong, and I feel a muscle stretching the wrong way. I throw my head on a pillow before screaming into it. The room shakes again and this time I hear the shake, the doors, and windows rattle. I’d wake up and look outside to know what is happening if my hand could still support my weight.

The rattling comes back, this time only the door shakes, followed by a panicked call for my name. I sit upright at that sound. It’s Sophia.

“Grace!” She repeats. “Get out of there, now!”