Hotelier Ghost Tycoon

"…make it matter to you?" Deresita stammered. She looked to the side and saw the kind of luxurious life Rhodes was living based on the smart apartment he had. She looked at him again. "…I'm sure you have forgotten, but… Faded Rose's downfall is somewhat caused by you. I don't want to blame you directly, but at least acknowledge that your words led to this."

"My words?"

"Local papers caught you arguing with Giles about the hotel. You want to shut it down." Deresita hung her head in dismay. "It was a few years back, but it did have an impact. Right now, it still has that connotation. You are such a famous person…"

Rhodes took a swig of the juice. He stared at the low table and remembered the old hotel in Menorosa. If he didn't use the money he had no plans for, this Faded Rose might end up like that. He sipped on the juice again. In a soft murmur, he agreed. "Okay. But I want to see that place first. Also, help me recall what I said. I might be able to retract it."

Deresita didn't think he would agree after she blamed him. She smiled after a second. "Thank you so much. Yeah, Menorosa County is two hours away from here. It's best to go in the morning instead—"

"What did you say?" Rhodes flinched and squinted at her. "Menorosa County?"

"Yes…" Deresita's eyes flickered. "Uh, we live in Menorosa. Faded Rose Hotel is also in Menorosa. Don't worry. It's not that outdated… It's still considered a destination site! Uh, if you like, you can stay at Ring Garden Hotel—wait… how about staying at the Flower House with me and my family? Since we're cousins, it's okay, right? We have tons of guest rooms—"

Rhodes held a hand as if stopping Deresita from talking. He slowly brought it down. "Back up… I have been there before…? I mean, you said… housewarming party… like… of your house in Menorosa?"

Deresita nodded. "Yeah, fifteen years ago. I think you're still in med school by then… or not… I don't really remember. But yes… why? Did you recently travel to Menorosa?"

He tried to shake off his confusion. "My wedding is at First Sunday. I didn't recognize the skyline, even if it was supposed to be memorable. Did it not make an impression on me?"

"Oh, that new highway going to the modern side was only completed eight years ago. In fact, the modern side didn't exist when you visited with Professor." Deresita giggled and waved her hand. "We drove the old road going around the woods. We saw La Caldero, remember? You even said you wanted to check out that manor… but you retracted your words when I said it was a haunted house!"

"Oh…" Rhodes had already seen a few things. He wouldn't go for a haunted house even if asked now. He turned away as if embarrassed. "Yeah… I guess I did retract that. Anyway, I'll take up your offer. I want to see more of that place again."

"Really? Oh, Rhodes!" Deresita got to her feet and circled to Rhodes's back. She loosely wrapped him in a hug. "You're really the best! Thank you! Thank you for pledging! Wait… how much are you…?"

Rhodes felt strange. This woman's embrace didn't repulse him. Did that mean they were really familiar? When other female doctors tried during his stay, he hated and avoided their arms. He patted her wrist. "Depends on what your husband and I will agree on. I want to see Faded Rose first."

Deresita released him. She hummed as she tapped her chin. "If you drove along the new highway… you should have seen Faded Rose. It's really visible and eye-catching. It's the tallest one on the skyline. It also breaks the skyline because it has no neighbors… just a wide parking lot."

"…shucks, I thought that thing was closed down…"

"It's only got until the end of the month… We can only hold out until the end of the month." Deresita chuckled, not denying Faded Rose was closing. It made Rhodes pull a long face.

If he had not been involved in its downfall, he would not have invested in a dying business. Regardless, he smiled and agreed to meet Deresita again tomorrow morning.

He also decided on one more thing. He had no more future in the city. It might be best to see what would happen to him in a small county.

…

Around ten in the evening, the buzzer rang again. It just beat Rhodes's hand by seconds. He was about to set the alarm before sleeping for the night. His muscle memory was so strong that he could lock his house without paying too much attention to the combination code.

However, right now, someone was visiting him at ten in the evening. Rhodes frowned at the monitor's black screen. He was not keen on entertaining the person, but the buzzer rang again. There were even additional knocks on the door.

"Rhodes? Are you already asleep? Did his sleep schedule change?" Lionel's voice was outside. When Rhodes clicked the monitor to check, Lionel was indeed standing outside. He was even fiddling with his phone before stopping. "I forgot Rhodes hadn't gotten a new phone yet…"

"Don't. I'm here." Rhodes pressed a button and spoke. Lionel would have gone for another round of calling out to him. He opened the door. "What is it? It's eleven."

Lionel checked his expensive wristwatch. "Eleven? It's only 10:06 PM. Are your clocks wrong?"

Rhodes scoffed as he vacated the doorway to let Lionel inside. "You know it's ten in the evening, and you still come over? Am I that generous not to sleep when asked not to?"

"Oh… I… I usually come to your house this late." Lionel chuckled and walked inside. "You often know you can't sleep just by how the day ends for you. It's not new for me to be this thick-skinned and come at ten. You're worse because you would call me at midnight and ask if I could stay with you."

"Really? Must have led you on." Rhodes made a short comment, but those words incredibly changed the atmosphere. He felt Lionel's deep gaze coming from behind.

Rhodes cleared his throat. He continued to act nonchalant. "I figured you should have eaten already. I don't have food to serve."

Lionel put his bag down beside the long couch. A small smile formed on his face. However, he noticed the tote bag used for takeaways. He reached inside and checked the boxes for anything. "Did you go out today? This isn't a food box for delivery."

"Yeah… I met with my lawyer." Rhodes didn't join him on the couch. He wanted to dispose of the boxes, but the other person was investigating it like he was a detective. "Did you find what you're looking for?"

"…you didn't buy this." Lionel snuffed out the receipt from deep inside the paper bag… as well as a lipstick-smeared tissue paper. "Your lawyer isn't a girl. Did someone else come over?"