Chapter 4

"Of course, Miss Twoys. A man is waiting for you in the restaurant; he told me to inform you as soon as you arrived," she replied with a smile that Liz returned.

She was a young woman, a few years older than her, with brown hair and eyes, fair skin, and of medium height. For some reason, she reminded her a bit of Carmen.

"Thank you," Liz said.

She made her way to the restaurant. The place continued to impress her with its exotic and majestic charm. Golden and white colors adorned the surroundings, making her feel like she was at an Egyptian party with music and candles. The tables were a brown hue, matching the golden chairs with white cushions.

Upon reaching the restaurant, she scanned the area with her eyes, looking for Mark. A smile formed on her lips when she spotted him. It had been many years since she had last seen him, but she could never forget his appearance.

"Mark!" she shouted his name, and the man looked up from his phone at the sound.

Elizabeth leaped into his arms as he stood up, thrilled to see him again. In her impulsiveness, she almost knocked Mark out of his chair, but he didn't seem to mind; on the contrary, he was visibly delighted to see her.

"Little princess, I'm glad you're here," the affectionate nickname brought a tear to her cheek. That's what her father used to call her.

"Oh my God, look at you, you're so tanned. And let me tell you, you look older," Mark chuckled, and she joined in with laughter.

It was true what he said; he had visibly changed. His hair, once brown, was now streaked with some white strands, and his always cheerful and youthful face was covered with a few wrinkles.

"Well, Lizzie, how about I take you to your room so you can settle in?"

"Please, I got room number 237," she inquired. Mark stood up and offered his arm, which she gladly accepted. Both of them headed towards the elevator, catching up on all the details of their lives during the time they hadn't seen each other.

Mark was telling her about an upcoming tomb discovery when his phone rang, interrupting their conversation. As he looked at the screen, a worried expression crossed his face.

"I have to take this call," he said apologetically. Mark moved a little away from her to answer the call.

Elizabeth busied herself by examining some paintings to give him privacy. After a few minutes, she started to get bored, but just then, Mark finished his call.

"Lizzie, I'm so sorry, but I have to leave. They need me urgently. Would you mind settling in on your own? I promise I'll come by tomorrow and show you everything," he said, sounding like he was begging her to understand.

Elizabeth waved her hand dismissively. "No problem, I can go up and rest. But yes, you better come for me tomorrow," she affirmed with a smile.

"Count on it."

Liz watched him leave the hotel's exit. She could follow his figure for a few seconds until he disappeared into the crowd. She turned around and walked confidently toward the elevator.

There were too many people, and combined with the intense heat in the air, it was starting to suffocate her. The elevator music was driving her crazy.

The floor where her room was located was the fifth one. The hallways were not very crowded, but it was lunchtime, so she didn't pay it much attention. After all, she had seen everyone in the lobby earlier.

"237... 237... 237, Bingo!" she exclaimed when she found her room's door almost at the end of the hallway. She was about to insert her key into the door when a hand stopped her, perhaps with more force than necessary. Elizabeth looked up to see the person who was preventing her from entering.

"Excuse me, this is my room," she said politely.

The man, who wasn't much older than her, let out a little laugh. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her, leaving her confused and not realizing that her hands were still on the doorknob. Was he mocking her?

"I'm sorry, miss, but you're mistaken. This is my room," he said as if explaining something to a primary school child, which annoyed Elizabeth.

"No, you're wrong. You are the one who is mistaken," she replied angrily.

They both stared at each other, challenging, and then at the door. By the expression on his face, Elizabeth deduced that he had the same idea as her. Without waiting to confirm if her suspicion was correct, she lunged for the doorknob, but she wasn't fast enough. Somehow, they both ended up wrestling with this stranger for control of the room.

"It's mine..."

"No, it's mine... Get off!"

"No, you get off."

Minutes passed, during which neither Elizabeth nor the guy yielded. They were in a full-blown war for the place. Sure, she could leave it there and check into another room, but she didn't want to give in to this scoundrel, who, in her opinion, was the lowest form of life.

Because just look at him... Fighting with a lady like her!

They continued like this for a while, until Elizabeth heard the clicking of high heels on the floor. Apparently, the guy had heard it too because he looked over his shoulder to see who it was. It was a hotel staff member, and she didn't look happy at all.

"Oh, dear," Elizabeth thought. It was the last thing she needed, to be kicked out of the hotel for causing a scene. She hoped that wouldn't be the case; she would die of embarrassment right then and there.

"Is there a problem?" she asked with a polite smile, although it seemed too tense to be genuine.

"Yes, this gorilla got the wrong room, and they both want to keep mine," she said, clicking her tongue, and took the initiative as she noticed the guy intended to speak.

"Of course not. It's the young lady who is mistaken," he said, gesturing towards her. He had emphasized the word "young lady" with his fingers in quotation marks. Elizabeth blinked in surprise.

"Well, maybe the hotel made a mistake. In that case, I kindly ask you to come with me to the front desk to resolve it. Some guests are complaining about the commotion you're causing here."

Elizabeth blushed deeply. The woman was right; they had made a spectacle of themselves. She glanced at the stranger and saw that he was also blushing. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, allowing the air to fill her lungs and calm her nerves.

"All right," they both responded simultaneously, looking annoyed. It was clear that they already despised each other without even knowing each other.

They followed the woman to the elevator to go to the ground floor and resolve the situation as quickly as possible. Elizabeth hoped she wouldn't be kicked out of the hotel; she didn't have the time to find another place to stay, nor did she have a larger budget for it.

The three of them got into the elevator, and tension hung in the air. None of them said anything because, in truth, there was nothing to say. Elizabeth fidgeted with her hands, feeling very nervous. What kind of trouble had she gotten herself into now?

"Yes, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience

. We will compensate both of you with a discount on the room rate."

The receptionist who had checked her in apologized for the tenth time. It seemed that the hotel had confused the reservation dates. They both had the same room, just on different days. Therefore, the receptionist had assigned the same room number to the stranger (whose name she now knew was Julian) as to her.

Elizabeth glanced at the guy over her shoulder, who was busy with the paperwork to switch rooms and ensure that it wouldn't be occupied this time.

"Well, it's all settled, Elizabeth," she said, her voice laced with annoyance.

"I don't know him; he's not my friend, so don't call me by my first name," she replied sharply. She knew she wasn't being polite at all, but she had had enough of this "gentleman" for one day.

She turned around, signaling that the conversation was over. She wanted to go back to her room and rest. She got in the elevator again, headed to her room. Along the way, she realized something.

She hadn't brought her luggage!

God help her; at this rate, she would die before she finished her trip or found the answers she desperately sought. She was exhausted and just wanted to lie down in her bed and take a well-deserved nap that would last for hours.

She spun around and ran in search of her suitcases. "What a disgusting guy; I hope I never see him again," she thought as she ran.

Soon she would learn that what you wish for doesn't always come true and that she should be careful with the words she spoke, as they could come back to haunt her.

Back in her room, having changed into more comfortable clothes, she called her godmother. She dialed the number on her cell phone and held it to her ear while reclining on the bed.

Her godmother answered on the second ring, for which Elizabeth was immensely grateful; Cristina's maternal voice calmed the young woman, who was already quite nervous.

"Hello?" came the voice from the other side.

Elizabeth had to make a considerable effort to keep her voice from trembling, even clearing her throat a little before speaking to clear her voice. Even so, her voice still sounded somewhat tense.

"Godmother! It's me, Elizabeth," she said, forcing a smile, although she knew that Cristina couldn't see it.

"Elizabeth? Oh, my dear girl! I was very worried because I hadn't heard from you," she remarked. Despite her kind words, Elizabeth could sense the reproach underlying them.

"I'm so sorry... It was all so sudden," she explained, trying to apologize.

She could hear Cristina click her tongue on the other end. Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh at the sound, and Cristina joined in immediately. She supposed it was nerves from all the different emotions she had experienced in such a short time.

"Well, that's beside the point. Tell me everything! I want to know every last detail," Cristina ordered.

Elizabeth didn't need to be told twice and proceeded to narrate everything that had happened since her departure from London to her arrival in Egypt.

Her godmother listened, alternating between amused and amazed, dropping occasional comments about how much she resembled her late parents.

She didn't keep track of how long they talked; when she looked at the clock hanging in her room, it was already past midnight. In London, it would be even later, and she didn't want to deprive the woman of her precious hours of sleep; she knew Cristina would be very tired.

Therefore, Elizabeth bid her farewell with affectionate words, promising to keep in touch and keep her updated on everything as it happened.