Burp~
Cassius let out a shameless, satisfied belch.
Expensive food really was delicious.
He glanced at his phone screen. 2:07 AM.
Calling a cab from Beverly Hills back to that remote industrial motel at this hour?
Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.
The fare would be astronomical, and whether a driver would even be willing to go that far was a problem.
And to go back to what? A room reeking of disinfectant with sheets that probably weren't even clean?
What was the point?
He glanced at the closed bedroom door in the suite again. It was silent inside.
Kristen seemed to be out cold.
The maid had just cleaned the room.
Beneath his feet was plush, thick carpet he could practically sink into.
He looked around:
Spacious, quiet, perfect temperature, fresh air.
The massive L-shaped sofa in the living room looked ten times more comfortable than his motel mattress.
"Screw it. I'm not leaving."
A man has to treat himself sometimes.
The production had just wrapped anyway. He had no schedule for the next few days, and no new news from Rob.
He could sleep in tomorrow and wander back whenever he wanted. No one could say anything.
Just do it.
He went to the bathroom for a quick wash-up, using the hotel's luxury toiletries, which felt leagues above his nearly empty tube of cheap toothpaste.
Then he returned to the living room to set up his temporary bed.
He moved the decorative throw pillows off the sofa and tested the softness and length.
Perfect.
Long enough to stretch his legs out.
Cassius sneaked a peek at the bedroom door one more time to make sure Kristen wasn't moving, then tiptoed to the closet. He grabbed a clean spare blanket and a fluffy pillow.
His movements were as practiced as a seasoned hotel thief.
Returning to the living room with his loot, he fluffed the pillow, lay down comfortably on the sofa, and pulled the blanket up to his chest.
The sofa had excellent support, the fabric was soft against his skin, and the pillow height was just right.
Compared to his saggy, creaky bed, this was heaven.
He turned off the main lights, leaving only a dim wall sconce in the hallway—not bright enough to disturb sleep, but enough to see if he needed the bathroom.
Lying in the dark silence, his body was exhausted, but his mind was a little wired from the night's drama and the change of scenery.
Cassius rolled over to face the back of the sofa.
Instead of the faint musty smell of the motel, his nose was filled with the fresh scent of high-end fabric detergent.
He could hear his own steady breathing.
This five-star comfort wrapped around him like a warm tide. Combined with his accumulated fatigue and the lingering effects of the alcohol, the excitement was gradually replaced by heavy drowsiness.
His thoughts blurred, and his consciousness sank into darkness.
He slept deeply, dreamlessly.
No noisy neighbors in the next room, no drunks shouting in the hallway, no anxiety about tomorrow's livelihood.
Cassius was woken up by sunlight streaming through the gap in the heavy curtains.
He opened his eyes groggily. It took his brain a moment to reboot and confirm that he was still lying on the luxury sofa in Kristen Stewart's suite.
His body felt reset, lighter than it had in ages. Last night's exhaustion and buzz were completely gone.
He grabbed his phone to check the time.
11:07 AM!
Damn!
He really slept like a log.
He sat up and rubbed his eyes.
Just as he was preparing to slip away unnoticed, his eyes were drawn to the dining table in the living room.
There were two exquisite breakfast sets laid out.
One had been eaten; the empty plate and coffee cup were pushed to the side.
The other set was sitting untouched opposite it.
A main plate covered with a warming lid, a small basket of croissants, little dishes of butter and jam, and a glass of what looked like orange juice.
Next to the empty plate, weighted down, was a sticky note.
Cassius's heart skipped a beat.
He walked over and picked up the note.
The handwriting was a bit scrawled, but legible:
> Mr. Driver,
> Thanks for last night.
> Breakfast is on me.
> PS: Your phone rang a bunch of times. Same number. It was annoying, so I picked up. A girl named Lee So-yeon. Sounded urgent. You better call her back.
> — K
Cassius stared at the note, his brain buzzing.
K?
Kristen?
She answered Lee So-yeon's call?
He quickly grabbed his phone, unlocked the screen, and sure enough, saw several missed calls from Lee So-yeon. The earliest one was from after 8 AM.
Cassius felt a headache coming on.
Who knew what those two talked about?
He scratched his head in frustration.
But worrying about it now was useless. Fill the stomach first.
He looked at the free breakfast, which appeared quite decent, and decided not to waste it.
He lifted the warming lid.
Eggs Benedict. The hollandaise sauce glistened temptingly. The poached eggs sat wobbling on English muffins and Canadian bacon, with roasted asparagus on the side.
The croissants looked crispy and flaky.
He sat down and started eating.
Cutting into the Benedict, the yolk flowed out, mixing with the sauce and bacon—rich layers of flavor. The croissant was crispy outside, soft inside.
Five-star hotel breakfast standard: confirmed.
Eating good food calmed him down a bit. At least this free meal was a tangible win.
He finished breakfast quickly and stacked the plates neatly.
Taking a deep breath, Cassius dialed Lee So-yeon.
She picked up almost instantly.
"OPPA!!!!"
Lee So-yeon's voice pierced his eardrum, carrying high decibels and indescribably complex emotions.
"You finally called back! Are you okay? Where are you right now?"
The questions hit him like cannonballs. Cassius held the phone a little further away.
"I'm fine. Just woke up!"
Cassius tried to keep his voice calm. "Crashed at a friend's place for the night. Drank too much at the wrap party, couldn't make it back."
"Then when are you coming back? I think I might have set the kitchen on fire just a little bit... the smoke alarm went off again..."
Lee So-yeon's tone dropped lower.
Cassius facepalmed.
He knew it.
"I'm packing up now. Until I get there, stay away from the kitchen. Don't touch anything!"
He issued the command.
"Okaaay~"
Lee So-yeon mumbled. "Come back quick!"
Hanging up, Cassius let out a long breath.
He looked around the suite one last time to make sure he hadn't left anything behind.
Opened the door, left the hotel!
Standing in the sunlight outside, he looked back at the luxurious building.
Wondered when he'd be able to afford a room here himself.
Standing on the overly clean streets of Beverly Hills in the morning, Cassius took a deep breath of the supposedly "negative-ion-rich" air, then decisively walked toward the nearest bus stop.
A cab back would cost seventy or eighty bucks!
Just thinking about it made his wallet hurt.
Public transport was the economic way.
Even though he knew getting from this "Golden Triangle" back to Koreatown would be a long expedition.
He checked the map. The route was tortuous.
Take a local bus down the hill, transfer to another one heading downtown, then probably one more transfer just to scrape the edge of Koreatown.
Estimated time: 1.5 to 2 hours. And that was assuming no traffic and no long waits.