“I know. But you’d need a reason. Everyone here knows I’m one of the best workers, even if I’ve never gotten employee of the month.”

“Are you threatening me, Manu?”

“I’m quiet, Dominic. But don’t mistake my silence for weakness. Push me, and you’ll see what I’m made of.”

“Clichés,” he scoffed. “So typical of you. Too bad you can’t come up with anything original.”

I stepped toward the door. “Let me out.”

“You should be begging me to take you.”

“I’d rather die a virgin.”

“I hope your first time is awful.”

“It won’t be,” I shot back, staring him down. “Because it won’t be with you.”

“Slut,” he spat.

“I’d only be one if I’d given in to you.”

Furious, Dominic flung the door open. I knew I was playing with fire—this man could ruin me, not my life, but my job, which was my lifeline. The only reason I didn’t bow to him was because everyone at the Hotel Bali liked me. They saw how hard I worked, and if something happened, they’d have my back. My family might reject and despise me, and my ex might treat me like garbage despite him being the cheater, but strangers? They treated me with respect and dignity.

I moved on to the next room, a spare that had been out of service for a while due to a broken bathroom. Every now and then, I’d tidy it up just in case. If the hotel ever got packed—a miracle in itself—this room could be used, as long as no one touched the bathroom.

I was wearing my earbuds, humming along to 4 Nipes’ “You,” smoothing out some wrinkles in the bedsheets, when my walkie-talkie buzzed at my hip. The last time it went off like that, the emergency was the hotel owner’s death. This was serious.

I dropped everything and ran to the meeting point, a small anteroom next to the main reception desk. The silence was deafening, broken only by the tense, rapid breathing of everyone around me. The final chords of “You” echoed in my earbuds.

All eyes turned to me. Under Dominic’s critical glare—he was the general manager now, the right-hand man of the hotel’s heiress after her father’s death—I yanked out my earbuds and shut off the music.

“Listen up,” Dominic said, his voice tight with nerves. “There’s been an incident… the best incident of our lives.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Simone asked. “Spit it out, or I’ll have a heart attack right here, and my grandma won’t survive without me. Everyone will know it’s your fault, Dominic. Talk!”

“Spare me your pointless drama, Simone,” he snapped, glaring at her. “The hotel where 4 Nipes was supposed to stay caught fire.”

“That’s awful!”

“And the closest hotel… is the Bali.”

My heart leaped into my throat. I sank onto the sofa while everyone else stayed standing. My legs shook so hard they couldn’t hold me up.

“Holy crap, she’s gonna pass out!” Simone shouted. “Someone get water!”

I wanted to speak, but I couldn’t. The room spun, and my cheeks felt like they were burning.

Someone handed me a glass of water, and I downed it in one go.

“We don’t have time for your theatrics, Manuela,” Dominic said, his eyes raking over me with disdain. “We’ve got a few hours to get this hotel spotless. The Bali is now closed to all other guests. Those who’ve checked in will be refunded and asked to leave. We’re exclusively hosting 4 Nipes and their crew.”

I felt like I might actually die. It was one thing to have a ticket to see Fred Hunt from the nosebleeds, where I’d be invisible to him. It was another thing entirely for him to stay at the Bali, a no-star hotel in the middle of nowhere.

In my wildest, most secret dreams, I’d never imagined this.

“There’s a list at reception with room assignments for the band and their team,” Dominic continued. “Do your part and get to work immediately. Anyone willing to pull overtime will be paid triple. No mistakes. Everything has to be perfect. The Hotel Bali is about to become the most famous spot in the region. And it’s all thanks to…”

“The bad luck of 4 Nipes, stuck slumming it here instead of a five-star,” someone quipped.

Everyone laughed, which only made Dominic angrier. I glanced at Simone, and we bolted for the reception desk, beating everyone else to it. That’s how we snagged the job of cleaning the room where Fred Hunt would stay, determined to make it flawless.

When we opened the door to the green suite—where literally everything was green, and not a chic emerald but a gaudy avocado—my heart sank. “I never realized how hideous this room is,” I said to Simone. “It’s not good enough for him.”

“Seriously, couldn’t they find something better?” she groaned. “It’s 4 Nipes! They should’ve hopped a jet to some far-off city with actual luxury instead of this dump.”

“We’ll make it comfortable,” I said. “But if they care about aesthetics, they’re screwed.”

Simone burst out laughing. “You’re gonna see Fred Hunt, girl!”

I started bouncing like a kid on a sugar high, my whole body buzzing with adrenaline. I could’ve run across the entire town without stopping.

I threw myself onto the bed—something I’d never done before. Spreading my arms and legs, I felt tears stream down my cheeks. “Fred’s gonna sleep in this bed, Simone! Can you imagine how much I’ve wanted to see him up close? And now… this feels like a dream. A far-off dream.”

“It’s real, Manu,” she said, lying beside me and grabbing my hand. “You’re gonna meet Fred. And if it’s up to me, you’ll get an autograph, because I know you’ll be too starstruck to even open your mouth when he’s standing in front of you.”

“I’ve dreamed of this man for four years… four long years,” I said. “And now I’ll see him up close and know he’s not just a figment of my imagination but a real person, flesh and blood.”

“What if he’s as big a jerk as people say?” Simone asked.

“No way,” I said. “I don’t believe everything we read or hear. How could someone with a voice that perfect, who writes songs that romantic, be a total idiot? It just doesn’t add up.”