Her Fall From Queendom

Chapter 10: The Boss

❤ Paul’s POV ❤

I had just come back from a trip abroad when I ran across the applications for new housekeepers. The Solaris Hotel is one of my recent acquisitions, and I had it renovated to add more rooms. We had to hire new employees to keep up with the demands of the hotel.

When I saw Jessica’s name in one of the resumés in the rejected pile, I picked it up and read her resumé. Aside from her full name, she had a picture attached to her resumé. Despite the low quality of the picture, I was able to confirm that the woman on the resumé is none other than my first love, Jessica Villadolid.

I have been in love with Jessica since we were freshmen in high school. Aside from being very beautiful, she used to be sweet and nice. There was one time that she smiled at me when she handed me my book that fell on the floor. She had the most beautiful smile, and I knew right then and there that I was in love with her and that she was the woman that I wanted to marry.

I immediately spoke to the hiring manager and asked why she rejected Jessica’s application. She said that she had no prior experience working at a hotel. I told her to call Jessica back and hire her immediately.

I had to go out of town again but made sure that Jessica was assigned to clean the penthouse suite so I could see her when I got back.

When I saw her, she didn’t recognize me. She’s still very pretty, but she looked so tired and stressed. I decided not to tell her who I was yet and just kept observing her from a distance.

I initially did not know why she left school but eventually found out that she got pregnant. Jamie was even bragging that he took her virginity and that she begged him to marry her. He claimed that the reason why Jessica dropped out of school was because she was heartbroken.

I even went to Jessica’s house to find out what happened, but they seemed to have moved out of their house too. There were a few rumors that came out, and I don’t really know the truth about what happened to Jessica and her family.

Now that I’ve seen her again, I wonder why she applied as a housekeeper in my hotel. Their family is one of the wealthiest in the country, and as far as I know, their family’s cosmetics business is still as successful as before, even more.

Ashley and I got together a few times before, but it was only supposed to be a casual hookup. She got too clingy, and when she found out that I was back in the city and staying in the hotel, she came to my suite without me knowing.

I argued with her, but we eventually made up and did what we usually end up doing. When she hurt Jessica, I got so mad that I kicked her out of my suite. I told her I never wanted to see her again.

Seeing Jessica again made me realize that I am still in love with her. She mentioned that she had a son when she was begging me not to fire her, which confirmed what Ashley told me earlier.

Ashley seemed pleased to see Jessica again, but only because she was now working as a housekeeper. She’d always been mad at her because Jessica used to bully her, which eventually led to her dropping out of school. She blamed Jessica for every bad thing that happened in her life. At one point, she got addicted to plastic surgery.

When Ashley appeared at my suite, she told me all about what happened to Jessica. Apparently, Jamie did get her pregnant, and Jessica ran away from home and lost touch with her family. All this time, she has been living as a single mom, and this is probably why she had to get a job as a housekeeper in my hotel. I kept wondering how she’s managed to take care of her child on her own prior to working at the hotel.

When Jessica rejected me, I set a goal to become as successful as I could be. I swore not to fall for another woman again. I have never been in a serious relationship before, and I’ve only been with women for casual hookups. I am not proud of it, but I am not emotionally stable to be in a romantic relationship. Seeing Jessica again made me think about whether I am ready to finally be in one. 

I’ve been waiting for Jessica to recognize me eventually, but she’s always had her head down and rarely looked at me. When she finally looked at me, she still didn’t recognize me. I eventually told her who I was, and she just kept quiet while she looked at me.

------------------------------------------

❤ Jessica’s POV ❤

I still can’t believe that the person in front of me right now is the same person that I rejected and used to bully seven years ago. I know I owe him an apology too, and as soon as I got my bearing, I kneeled in front of him.

Jessica: “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being awful to you in high school. I’m sorry for bullying you. I never meant to hurt you.”

Paul didn’t say anything, and when I looked up, he looked confused. He didn’t say anything for a while. He eventually turned around. Before he got to his bedroom, he said, “Get up. Go home and take the rest of the week off.”

Jessica: “But–”

Paul: “Do as I say, or I’m going to fire you.”

I stayed kneeling until I realized that I better do what Paul is saying before I got fired. I stood up and fixed myself before heading back downstairs to deposit my cart. I went to Elaine's office to tell her that the boss told me to go home and take the rest of the week off. Paul must have talked to her about it already because she just sniggered before saying, “Go!”

I sent messages to Nerissa and Melanie before heading home. When I got to the apartment, I decided to just rest. I  took a nap because I felt so tired. I woke up after lunch and ate the packed lunch I had. I checked my phone while eating and saw messages from Nerissa and Melanie. I assured them both that I was okay.

I got ready to pick Jericho up from school. I’m sure he’ll be excited to see me, as it has been a while since I have picked him up from school. I’m sure he’ll be glad to spend a longer time with him for the whole week as well.