Hotelier Ghost Tycoon

Rhodes completely lost the shy feeling brought by the strange man's kiss. He stared at those deeply seething eyes thrown his way. He swung the wedding dress to one arm, walked down the altar, and stood before his supposed mother-in-law. With his height, it was easy to tower before Mrs. Wester. He gave the wedding dress to her.

"I'm done playing your game. Are you satisfied now?" Rhodes shook his arm when Mrs. Wester didn't take the wedding dress. He dropped it to the ground after three seconds. "I'm sorry for your loss, but please don't go after me without evidence."

"…what evidence? You think there is a case?" Mrs. Wester gritted her teeth, her makeup not helping her ugly expression. "Your loathsome Coles family wants us to drop the case. The main family also doesn't want to touch you. Rhodes Huxley, I can't send you to jail, but I can send you to hell where you belong. Thank me for letting you meet your parents early."

Rhodes didn't say anything in response. He was still processing the matter. He only heard about this Coles family when Lionel told him about the guests. Regardless, this mother clearly wanted revenge.

At this point, she had gotten it, right?

His reputation was tattered instead of his criminal record. If he accidentally killed Joan, his standing in the academe and medicine wouldn't be affected. If he killed Joan, people would find ways to prove how unhappy those two were in their arranged marriage. That was why she forced Rhodes to go through the wedding. He would look insane and disgusting to everyone.

The man had already lost everything when he woke up. Grieving over his broken reputation and ruined career sounded redundant. 

The groom only hummed in acknowledgment. He turned away and walked off the venue when most guests had left. However, he stopped halfway through the aisle. Rhodes looked over his shoulder and gazed at Lionel at the altar. "I'll wait by the car."

"Why? Am I supposed to attend the reception?" Lionel frowned. He didn't hear the conversation between the two, but he had a feeling something was wrong. He grabbed the crumpled balls of marriage certificates and placed them somewhere easier to find. The officiant jogged to catch up to the other doctor. They walked out of the church together like it was just a mass that ended.

"…just like that? How could he disregard everything like this?" Mrs. Wester gritted her teeth and stomped her high heel against the hard floor. She didn't even care if she stepped on the high-end wedding dress. She walked away to another exit, leaving her husband at the side.

Mr. Wester picked up the wedding dress and dusted it. He looked at everyone who chattered by their seats, seemingly aware of the scene just now. "What kind of misfortune did my daughter draw?"

…

Rhodes and Lionel arrived at the hotel shortly. They changed out of their suits and left Menorosa just like that. Lionel's phone started blowing up again, but Rhodes only muted it. Lionel chose to turn the radio on to alleviate the silence.

Lionel glanced at his movie-star passenger. Unlike earlier, Rhodes looked outside the window, watching the passing scenery. The doctor whispered, "Rhodes, what are you planning to do now?"

"…I don't know. Continue treatment and seek therapy?" Rhodes visibly glanced at Lionel. "My doctor said I can't practice now that I'm impaired. I can't work, either. The hospital has offered to pay me a minimum salary so I won't resign. That doesn't sound right. I plan to resign and find a way to regain my memories through scientific ways."

"Okay. I'll visit you as much as I can. We work in the same department. Your workload and patients will surely be distributed to everyone else." Lionel chuckled and moved one of his hands to cup Rhodes's thigh. "…Rhodes… did you really want to marry Joan…?"

Rhodes's gaze shot down his thigh. Lionel's hand caressed him like it was welcome to make contact. When Lionel's pinky climbed too high, Rhodes collected the hand from his thigh. He just held it in his hands like a pet. "I just survived a car accident. Don't make me go through one again."

Lionel entwined his fingers with Rhodes's unwilling hand. A small smile curled his lips as he managed to hold Rhodes's hand longer than a second. "Sorry…"

It was itchy. Rhodes's hand felt so itchy under Lionel's grip. He didn't intend to hold hands with this man, but he didn't want a repeat of what happened in the hospital. Whether it was Lionel losing control or going through a haunting, Rhodes preferred not going through those alone. Moreover, he only had to hold this man's hand until they returned to the city.

Hopefully, this man could behave well. Rhodes didn't want to choose between murder and sexual assault.

…

Luckily, the hospital called Lionel. He dropped Rhodes off at his condominium unit before going back to the hospital with a dark face. The amnesiac could still open his house locks, proving to Rhodes that some things were embedded in his muscles. Only his memories and expertise were affected… the ones he would tap into the most.

Rhodes lay on his couch after a quick shower. He had a towel around his neck as if still drying his hair. One hand had a beer can, while the other was scrubbed red. The amnesiac fiddled with his TV remote and looked for a show to watch.

All the movies on his list were ticked completed, but he had no recollections of what they were. He just picked one at random and ran it in the background.

Ring! Ring! Rhodes flinched while he was stuffing his mouth with a club sandwich. The house phone started to ring as if someone was still using it. He got up and casually answered the phone he clipped between his head and neck. He said, "Rhodes Huxley, speaking."

["Dr. Huxley, thanks for answering the phone. I've been trying to reach you for days now. It's about your email. I've answered it, but you never responded. Did something happen?"] The voice coming from the other end belonged to another man. It was in quite a high pitch, and the man had an accent he couldn't hide. Rhodes seemed to have an impression of this voice.

The image of a thin man in a custom suit appeared in his mind. The image had no name or face, but Rhodes vaguely recalled who owned such a unique voice. He answered, "Sorry, I've been caught up in many things. Could we meet up instead?"

The man on the other end agreed, ["It's all right. When? I'll ask my secretary to clear out my schedule by then. Does tomorrow morning work? I have a feeling that this was already overdue."]

Rhodes glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 22:00. He glanced at the movie playing on his smart TV. He smiled. "How about the afternoon?"