Kill for Love

Chapter 9 - Astilbe

He couldn’t help himself but laugh as he saw the footage of the elevator camera. He found it so fun to watch. It gave him an indescribable feeling of satisfaction when he saw Ares’ expression. Ares looked so lost. The confusion was evident on his face when the woman was so happy to receive the bouquet of blue roses and astilbe flowers.

He was sitting on his favorite swivel chair while enjoying his kopi luak coffee when he heard a three-knock before the door finally opened. He looked at his loyal butler, who bowed first before walking his way towards him. 

“Sir, the CCTV cameras are ready. They are just waiting for installation. Do you want me to install them for you?” his butler asked courteously. 

“No, I will do it myself. I don’t want them to see you. Last time, Cytherea looked at you. She might recognize you if she sees you the second time,” he calmly explained. He didn’t want to take that risk. He has to play his pawns carefully. 

“Yes, Sir. I had everything set up already. All that’s left is to install those cameras. All of them will be out of their hotel room by 9 AM and will not be back till 8 PM.”

He stood up while still holding his coffee and went to the window. He watched workers busying themselves with their works. He grinned. Everything was going according to his plan.

“Great!” He looked at his gold Rolex watch to check the time. It was 8:45 AM. He then faced his butler and with a determined look, he said, “Time to move, Nim.”

“Yes, Sir.” The butler bowed once again before exiting his office.

The moment the door closed, he went to his table and opened the right-side drawer. At first glance, the drawer seemed to be empty. However, if a person takes a look at it closely, there is a tiny hole in the middle of it. He reached for his pen that was neatly placed on a pencil cup and used it to poke the hole. When he heard a click, a secret compartment was revealed. It contained a black photo frame.  He took the frame and lovingly stared at it. It’s a candid shot of a smiling woman-- a smile that for him can launch a thousand ships.

“Cytherea… I will save you from a predator like Ares. You don't deserve a man like him. You… you belong to me." He kissed the picture and put it back in the secret compartment.

He went towards the bookshelf and reached for the oldest book. He tilted it a little bit and the bookshelf moved, revealing a hidden door. It has an eye scanner attached to it. He moved closer to the gadget to scan his right eye and the door immediately opened.

The moment he entered the room, the bookshelf moved again to hide the door. The room is full of monitors from different angles of the inside and outside of the Emerald hotel. However, there are still five unused monitors. He is planning to use those once he finally installs the remaining cameras.

He smiled. He couldn’t wait to see his woman of dreams on those monitors. He went to his wardrobe, which was in the corner of the room. It contained the clothes that he doesn't usually wear. He took his black jacket and wore it. He went towards the light switch button, which was just beside the wardrobe and pushed the button twice. It was a hidden command so that another exit will be revealed. It was a connecting door going to his main walk-in closet that is connected to his bedroom. It has his expensive suits and glass cabinets that contained his expensive pieces of jewelry. 

When he got everything that he needed, he got out of his room and went to his inexpensive car. The butler bowed once again upon seeing him and handed him a key card. He accepted it right away and put it in his pocket without saying any word. The butler opened the driver’s seat door for him. He immediately sat on the driver’s seat and the butler closed it as soon as he was situated. He looked at the passenger’s seat and saw a duffle bag. He knew that the cameras were there. He started the engine and drove off to the Emerald Hotel. 

As soon as he got off, he took the duffle bag and handed his car key to the valet. He went straight to the elevator and pressed the fifth floor.

He looked at his watch. It's already 9:10 AM. Most likely, Cytherea and company are no longer in their room. 

He smirked. Everything was just in time.

He got off the elevator as soon as it reached the fifth floor. He went in front of Room 510 and took out the keycard that his butler handed him. 

He swiped it on the doorknob. He heard a click before the door opened. He went inside the room and everything was indeed taken care of by his butler. 

Inside the room was a trolley for cleaners. There was also a set of uniforms for housekeeping nicely placed on the bed. On top of it was another black keycard. He opened the duffle bag ang put some clean towels inside it as well as some unopened cleaner solutions and then put it inside the trolley and covered it with the clean beddings. He undressed and took the uniform to wear them. His moves were fast and calculated. Every minute counts and he cannot afford to fail his mission-- a mission for his happiness.

He put the black keycard in his pocket and wore the new facemask he found in the trolley. He pushed the trolley out of his room till he reached the room at the end of the hallway.  

Room 520.

He left the trolley and went in front of the door. He took the black keycard from his pocket and slid it to the doorknob. He pushed the door open after he heard it beeped. He went back for the trolley and pushed it inside the room. He made sure that the door was locked before getting the duffle bag. He took five spy cameras, which are as big as a dime. He installed one inside the fire alarm in the kitchen, one in the chandelier in the living room, one in Cytherea’s room inside the lampshade beside the bed, and one in Ares’ room is also inside the lampshade. After installing the four cameras, he went back to Cytherea’s room with the duffle bag. He looked at the surroundings to find a perfect place for the fifth camera.

“Hmm, where should I put it?” he asked himself. He looked up and saw the air vent. He grinned.

“Gotcha!”

He took the chair and put it in front of the wall where the air vent is installed. He opened the cover of the air vent and put the camera. 

“Perfect! I will be able to guard you now, my Princess. I will be your knight in shining armor.” He smiled widely. Satisfaction was written on his face. 

He was about to put it back when suddenly, the door opened.

“What are you doing?!”