Chapter 99: Chapter 99: The Sins of the Fates
After ten agonizing minutes, a soft chime echoed from the receptionist’s desk. Helen snapped her eyes open and stood up instantly.
The receptionist looked up with a professional smile "The agent has accepted your request, Madame."
Helen let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders dropping.
The receptionist reached into a drawer, pulling out a sleek, black keycard and sliding it across the counter "Here is your access key for Room 404. You may head up immediately."
Helen looked at the card, slightly confused "Room 404? But isn’t his room number 911?"
The receptionist offered a small, knowing chuckle "No, Madame. ’911’ is strictly his personal agent codename and the designation for his private quarters inside the facility. The actual encounters take place in our designated shared suites, where the agents rotate based on availability. Room 404 is the assigned space for this session. He is already waiting for you inside."
Helen grabbed the keycard and hurried toward the glass elevators, her heart pounding against her ribs as she rode up to the fourth floor. She found Room 404, swiped the card with trembling fingers, and pushed the heavy door open "Alex!" gasped Helen, stepping quickly into the luxurious suite.
She stopped dead in her tracks. The man standing by the window wasn’t Alexander. Instead, a handsome young man with sharp blond hair turned around to look at her. It was Marcus, Alexander’s best friend from the training academy.
Marcus offered a calm, polite smile and gestured toward the velvet sofa "Welcome, Madame" said Marcus "Please, come on in."
Helen went pale, her mind dropping into a state of shock "Marcus? What... what are you doing here? Why are you in this room?" shouted Helen, her voice cracking as she looked past him "Alex! Alex, I know you are in here! Come out! Don’t play this kind of sick joke on me! Alex!"
She ran past Marcus, tearing open the bathroom door, ripping the closet doors open, and searching every single corner of the suite in a state of frantic desperation. The room was empty.
Marcus didn’t say much as she panicked. He walked calmly over to the small marble bar in the corner of the suite, picked up a crystal decanter, and poured two glasses of neat whisky. He picked up one of the glasses and walked over to her, extending his hand "Do you want one to calm your nerves?" asked Marcus "Trust me, it will help."
"I don’t drink" snapped Helen, her breathing heavy as she glared at him.
"Alright, that’s no problem at all" said Marcus, placing the glass down on a side table without losing his composure "I suppose you came here looking for Alex, right?"
Helen’s eyes widened in utter surprise, a chill running down her spine "How... how do you even know that?" asked Helen, her voice shaking as she backed away toward the door "What exactly is going on here, Marcus? Is this all part of a plan? Did Alex set this up to get revenge on us for what happened?"
"It isn’t like that at all" said Marcus, taking a slow sip from his glass "Alex didn’t set anything up. But I know exactly what is happening here, and I understand it. I ran away from my own home the second I secured this job at the institute."
Helen stared at him, her chest heaving as she tried to process his words.
Marcus walked over to the desk, glancing at the invitation notification on the terminal "Looking at your reaction and checking the account number you used... I finally understand the misunderstanding with my friend" said Marcus, a faint, cynical smile breaking across his face "You took Ashley’s private client card and came straight to TMC. On that day, I was the agent scheduled to attend to that specific booking. But I had an emergency come up at the last second, so I asked Alex to cover the shift for me as a personal favor."
Marcus let out a soft, sharp laugh, shaking his head "What a bizarre twist of fate" muttered Marcus "He ended up going into that dark room and fucking his own aunt."
Helen’s face instantly turned a deep, burning crimson. The realization hit her like a physical blow, making her knees feel weak as the puzzle pieces finally clicked together in her mind. It hadn’t been a calculated trap. It hadn’t been a sick game of revenge. It was a complete, blind accident born from the secrecy of the TMC booking system "Oh my god" whispered Helen, covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes welled with tears of embarrassment "He... he didn’t know it was me."
"Of course he didn’t" stated Marcus, his tone turning grounded and serious "And you need to understand something else, Madame. That afternoon in Room 911... that was Alex’s very first time handling a real client. You took his virginity."
Helen stood frozen, her eyes wide as the weight of Marcus’s words sank into her mind. Her hands trembled against her purse, her throat too dry to form a coherent sentence. She had spent days driving herself mad with worry, only to discover that the terrifying secret that broke her family was a freak accident of the universe "You took his virginity" repeated Marcus, setting his glass down with a soft click "He was as green as they come until you stepped into that room."
Helen swallowed hard, her voice a fragile whisper "I... I had no idea. I thought he..."
"Want to see him?" asked Marcus, cutting straight through her daze.
"Yes! Please, take me to him right now" said Helen, taking an urgent step forward and grabbing Marcus’s forearm "I need to talk to him, Marcus. I need to explain things."
Marcus gently but firmly pulled his arm back, shaking his head "I can’t do that directly" said Marcus "He isn’t even in the hotel right now. But I can give him a call when he gets back and let him know you came by. If he wants to see you, I’ll let you know."
Helen’s shoulders slumped, a deep wave of disappointment washing over her "Is he... is he angry with us? Does he hate me?"
"Trust me, he doesn’t hold a grudge against you, and he is doing fine" stated Marcus, leaning back against the bar counter "It’s just that there is a lot of deep resentment in his heart right now regarding your husband and the house. But Serena, Madame... you should really sit down and think about whether seeing him is what you actually want."
Helen looked up, confused "What do you mean?"
Marcus let out a low, knowing chuckle, his eyes scanning her full, mature figure "He is a trained TMC agent now" murmured Marcus, a teasing smirk on his lips "If he already tasted your fresh meat once, I highly doubt he won’t want to take another bite the second he sees you again. Are you truly prepared for that?"
