Alfred walked over to the room's phone and called the receptionist.

"I don't care what method you use but you better get rid of all those reporters immediately before I sue your hotel over privacy breach!" Alfred scolded before hanging up as he poured a glass of scotch and slouched onto the couch.

"You can come out now!" Alfred announced as Francesca quickly ran into the sitting area in the suite.

"Are they gone?" She asked in a panic state.

"Just how did they find you here? Are you trying to sell your chance away as Mrs. Tang? Didn't you send them to the other room?" Alfred teased with an eyebrow raised as he walked slowly toward her. He brought her chin up to face him before kissing her.

At first, she could not resist his charm but her sober mind had been nagging at her that she had to think of ways to escape later from being caught by the reporters with him. So she pulled away and hurried off to the washroom to clean up while texting Liew Wei to help with her escape preparation.

"I will claim the remainder soon, sweetie!" Alfred teased as he continued to finish his scotch on the couch.

Liew Wei on the other hand, was planning for Francesca to be caught at the carpark when leaving. She knew Alfred had the habit of ensuring Francesca would enter the car safely before he left. Liew Wei also ensured she took pictures of them both leaving room 616 as proof before that.

She texted to inform Jia Yi as he arranged for the reporters to gather near the designated waiting area Liew Wei had arranged for Francesca. True enough, Alfred escorted her out but the moment he noticed a mob was coming at them, he ran off hiding himself as Francesca glared at Liew Wei thinking it was her grave mistake before dashing into the car which sped off.

Though the reporters did not manage to catch a clear picture of the man she spent the night with, it was enough to stir tabloid news for days as Qiu Wen was caught in a picture escorting Xue Ting out of the hotel and into the hospital. Speculations of Xue Ting's pregnancy were also stirring in the media which made Francesca's plans backfire altogether. However, there was not a chance for her to retreat with her plans in mind.

It's only a matter of time. She thought to herself while holding onto her stomach which had become the beacon of hope.

May was excited about the cruise trip with her new boyfriend, Lance over the couple of days that she had packed and drove to arrive at the parking lot by the pier earlier. However, to her disappointment, Lance was nowhere to be seen even after she repeatedly reminded him to be there an hour earlier for the breakfast she had prepared. Instead, she gave Xue Ting a call after reading about the tabloid news of Francesca's scandals and Xue Ting's pregnancy speculations.

"Hey babe! Aren't you heading to the cruise today?" Xue Ting asked while working on placing the cutleries in Jang's Cove.

"Can't you spare me a minute to rest in peace and enjoy my trip? What the heck are you doing in the hospital that day? Are you seriously pregnant again? Are you alright?" May scolded as Xue Ting laughed and explained the situation.

"Indeed, lots of drama. Well, you got what you asked for babe. I do not pray for you to ever be pregnant again after what you have been through. The twins are really a miracle." May said while being on the lookout for Lance who was already nearly twenty minutes late but still to no avail as she began to get restless.

"Why do you sound so… unhappy? It's a cruise you have been anticipating" Xue Ting noticed her agitation.

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"Nothing. Just someone's late and the cruise is about to leave. Having said so, I shall catch up with you when I'm back in three days. Be good!" May said as Xue Ting laughed.

"Enjoy yourself! Don't worry 'bout me." Xue Ting said before hanging up leaving May to drag her luggage up to the cruise alone while munching on the sandwiches she prepared cause she got a text from Lance saying he was already on board. A part of her regretted ever making the decision to date someone younger. She could not withstand a minute of his immaturity on tardiness but she easily forgot all these once smitten by their charm and at the very least not having poor leeches leeching over the money she loved so much. She sighed at the soothing breeze blowing her way on the cruise, hoping for a good beginning.

Qiu Yeh despite the tabloids and scandals over the past few days, was making his way on the cruise to inspect his new investment, away from the drama which he knew his Grandma had secretly settled. As the cruise began to depart from the port, he sat by the cafe enjoying the temporary freedom from the chaos of his life while sipping his coffee.

However, his sharp ears heard a familiar laughter from a corner. The sight of a familiar figure on board made him frown. May was walking hand in hand with Lance whom Qiu Yeh had heard of his notorious reputation. Lance was a womaniser and any business partner in the bar industry would have heard of him creating chaos in every bar he visited.

He wondered if May was under a spell as she was smart compared to many other women he had worked with. To find Lance on his business premises annoyed Qiu Yeh even more as he knew unwanted trouble would arise. Before anything of such happened, he had informed his secretary, Carl to watch out for him.

"Baby, it's so good to have you… I feel so bad for not always picking up your calls. My father had been putting me into his business. There's soooo much to do." Lance was complaining to May as she smiled and pampered him by her side.

"Aww, don't worry about it sweetie. Here's to our well deserved break!" May cheered with their tea as he stole a kiss from her which seriously took her agitation and annoyance all away like always.

"Baby, I need to head to the washroom for a minute. Will be right back!" Lance said after learning May was coaxed, and she nodded with a mouthful of toast.

As Lance made his way to the washroom's direction, he diverted to the second floor where another of his girlfriend, Nicole was waiting for him. She was enjoying the breeze in her summer dress waiting for Lance to get the key card to his and May's room. Lance approached her and covered her eyes from behind.

"Surprise!" Lance said as she squealed happily in his arms. "Oh, you're back so fast! I thought you would have a hard time coaxing her. Who would have known her to be so stupid!" Nicole said happily as Lance pinched her nose.

"Come, let's go to the room and enjoy!" Lance suggested cheekily.

"But what about her? Wouldn't she be suspicious?" Nicole folded her arms in hesitation.

"Baby, that would depend on your skills… The faster we end this, the less suspicious she will be!" Lance teased Nicole as he lifted her into his arms and walked to the designated room. Little did he know, Carl had recorded everything and returned to report to Qiu Yeh who was still enjoying his brunch.

Initially, Qiu Yeh wanted to ignore the entire event since it was not harming the business yet and besides, it was just May's personal life affairs. However, the longer he sat with the recording, the more he felt guilty.

Right when he wanted to distract himself and leave the cafe, he bumped into May by accident. She was absentmindedly making her way to the lobby with her luggage after checking Lance was not in the washroom and was not answering her calls or texts.

"I'm sorry! So, sorry!" May apologised quickly without seeing who it was as she rushed off.

Qiu Yeh then realised it was May and thought she must have gone looking for Lance. He went against his instinct and trailed her instead. He eventually found himself led to her initially booked room. She could hear voices from inside and there was a girl's voice other than Lance's.

Before she could bring herself to turn the door knob, the thought of dating a cheater again struck her. Feeling bittersweet but angry at herself for being a fool, she wanted to open the door to confront them this time.

However, a sudden force pulled her away from the door. In the midst of confusion, she followed the lead and found herself standing in a luxurious room on the VIP side of the cruise. Her mind was constantly scolding herself and she could even hear Xue Ting's voice nagging her.

Not even the cold breeze of the sea by the balcony could keep her thoughts away till she felt a coat covering her from behind. Only then did she turn to look at her rescuer.

"Xavier…" She whispered while blinking in confusion.

"You're welcome? Tea?" He said as he offered her a cup of warm tea which she gladly took.

"How did you know? What are you doing here?" She asked while half trying to stay composed as he raised his eyebrow.

"It's my duty to ensure my business runs well. Having a notorious customer like your boyfriend… Or should I say ex now unless of course you still have feelings for…" She cut him off.

"No, absolutely not. Don't tell Ting Ting. Not a word." May said flatly as he nodded when she fell to the ground, finally getting her mind wrapped around the fact that she had made another bad choice in her life.

Qiu Yeh noticed she spilled the tea but had no reaction to the scald. He quickly helped to wipe her with a towel while she struggled to stay composed but the moment he held her hand and took the cup of tea away, she broke down in front of him uncontrollably.

The sight of May made Qiu Yeh sympathise with her. He instinctively let her hold on to him and accompanied her while she cried. However, in mind, he was more worried about the chaos Lance might bring unannounced on the cruise. He crafted a plan to keep them at watch personally but it would also involve May.

If only she wanted to seek revenge. He told himself while sighing at the pity sight of her crying at her betrayal.