Julia rushed over to Tyrson as they got out of the car and threw her arms around him. "I was waiting for you to come pick me up, but you never showed up!" she whined like a child.

"It's okay, we're here now," he said, gently pulling away from her embrace. He walked away, but Julia shot Meryl a hateful glare before following after him.

"Jealous much?" Meryl thought to herself, rolling her eyes.

"Why did you two come together?" Julia asked Tyrson, her tone suspicious. She wondered why they had come in the same car.

"I picked her up on my way here," Tyrson said, his tone unreadable.

Julia frowned, clearly unhappy about the fact that they had arrived together.

Meryl scoffed, and she felt a familiar image flash through her mind - the memory of the kiss they had shared. She felt herself smile, despite herself. "Gosh," she thought. "What's wrong with me? I shouldn't be thinking about that. I'm here for a reason, and I can't be distracted by a kiss."

"You have to stop thinking about that," her subconscious mind told her, and she pushed the thought away.

"Hey, Meryl!" Iris called, breaking her train of thought. She looked at him, and he was admiring her dress, his eyes scanning her up and down. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze, and shifted awkwardly.

"You look beautiful," he said, his voice light and easy. She smiled nervously, unsure of what to say.

"Shall we go?" he asked, gesturing to the path ahead of them. She nodded, and he bowed. "After you," he said

*

They boarded a private jet that belonged to the company, and it didn't take long for them to reach California. By the time they arrived, it was late at night, and the city was alive with lights. They were greeted by chauffeurs, who helped them with their luggage as they entered one of the most popular and expensive hotels in the city.

Tyrson walked up to the front desk, where the receptionist recognized him immediately. He must have been a regular here.

"Mr. Griffen," the receptionist said with a smile.

"Welcome, sir," the receptionist said, her voice flirtatious. Tyrson ignored her and booked a VIP suite.

The receptionist led them to the suite, and as she turned to leave, Julia quickly rushed to Tyrson's side, wrapping her arm around his.

Meryl rolled her eyes. "Gross," she thought. "She's becoming more annoying by the day. Who is she trying to impress?"

"So, do you like it here?" Iris asked Meryl suddenly, his voice light and friendly.

"Yeah, I think it's pretty nice," she replied, giving him a polite smile.

***

"There are only three rooms available," Tyrson announced as they walked into the suite. "So someone will have to share with someone else."

"I volunteer!" Julia said, her voice eager. Meryl could tell she had been waiting for a moment like this. "I'll share with Tyrson."

Meryl rolled her eyes, biting back the urge to say something sarcastic. She just wanted to go to sleep.

Julia had her arm wrapped around his, clinging to him like a limpet. Meryl had to suppress a scoff.

"Are you really going to share a room with her?" she thought, feeling a little uneasy. Just because they had kissed a few times didn't mean they were anything more than that.

"No, that's fine," Tyrson said. "I'll take a separate suite. You all can have the rooms."

Meryl smiled inwardly, relieved. But then she wondered where Tyrson would sleep.

"I'm scared to sleep alone," Julia said, doing her best to look innocent and vulnerable. "Can I sleep with you?"

"Actually, that's not a good idea," Tyrson said, his voice gentle. "I think you and Meryl should share a room. That would be best."

Julia's face fell, her eyes flashing with anger. "What the hell?" she blurted out. "I'm not sharing a room with this... this... thing!" She glared at Meryl as if she were a piece of dirt on the bottom of her shoe.

"What the...

Meryl was about to respond, but before she could, Tyrson spoke up.

"Hey, watch your mouth," he said, his voice sharp and stern. Julia flinched. Meryl watched the scene unfold, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Meryl is not a 'thing,'" Tyrson continued. "If you're not okay with my decision, the door is right there. Feel free to leave."

Meryl couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was sticking up for her? But why? Wasn't he supposed to be on Julia's side?

Julia stomped her feet and stormed out of the room, going to the one she'd been assigned.

Meryl could feel Tyrson's eyes on her, so she turned to meet his gaze. He was staring at her, his expression unreadable. She regretted turning to look at him, unsure of how to break the eye contact.

"Iris, take care of your sister," he said, finally breaking eye contact with Meryl. He left the room, heading for the balcony room.

Meryl, feeling flustered, went to her own room and shut the door behind her. She leaned against the door, her heart still pounding. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Tyrson had actually stuck up for her.

"What the hell is going on?" she whispered to herself.

*

A few moments later, Tyrson called everyone to the balcony for dinner. The food was delicious, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Everything was going smoothly until Iris offered to feed Meryl a piece of chicken.

"You should try this, Meryl," she said, holding up a forkful of chicken. "I think you'll really like it."

Meryl was about to decline, but she noticed Tyrson, who had just let Julia clean a sauce stain off his lip without a protest. Meryl sighed.

She let Iris feed her, even though it made her a little uncomfortable. She could feel Tyrson's gaze on her, but she tried to ignore it.

That is, until Julia picked up a fried prawn from her own plate and held it up to Tyrson's lips.

"Try this, Tyrson," she said, her voice sickeningly sweet. "It's spicy."

Tyrson, who was allergic to spicy foods, took a bite anyway.

Meryl wondered if maybe he had outgrown his allergy, and that's why he was willing to eat the spicy food. But still, it seemed like a bad idea. She tried to keep her cool and not get involved, but it was hard to stay silent.

She watched as Julia fed him the prawn, her stomach twisting in knots. What if something happened to him? What if he started to choke, or his face swelled up?

Meryl couldn't take it anymore. "No, stop!" she yelled before she could stop herself. Everyone looked at her, their eyes wide and questioning.

Meryl felt her heart pounding in her chest, her palms sweating. She bit her lip, trying to figure out what to say. But all she could think of was how to explain how she knew that Tyrson was allergic to spicy food, and she couldn't think of a plausible explanation.

She could feel Julia's gaze burning into her, as if she were daring her to say something. Meryl wanted to blurt out the truth, but she knew she couldn't.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I... I said that a bit too loud," she apologized.

Tyrson didn't look convinced. He held up the cup of coffee and took a big gulp, as if to prove a point. He met her eyes for a moment, but then looked away, standing up from the table.

"I'm going to head inside," he said. "Good night."

Tyrson booked himself a new suite and made his way there, grabbing a jug of water on his way. He filled a glass and gulped down the water, his tenth glass since the incident with the prawn.

He loosened his shirt, the heat of the moment getting to him. He felt a strange tingling sensation, like his skin was on fire.

Then he felt a wave of nausea, and rushed to the bathroom, where he emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

He knew that his reaction was caused by the spicy prawn he'd eaten. Why had he eaten it? He didn't even like spicy food. But he couldn't stop himself.

He had been consumed by a strange feeling of jealousy when he'd seen Iris feed Meryl the chicken. It was a ridiculous feeling, he didn't have any claim over Meryl. But he couldn't help it.

He felt a wave of heat wash over him, and started to sweat. His breathing became labored, and he started to feel light-headed. His body itched, and he scratched himself.

His body was red and swollen from the scratching, and the pain was so intense that he fell to the floor. In a desperate attempt to quench the fire, he grabbed the jug of water and poured it over himself. But instead of cooling the fire, it seemed to only make it worse.

His vision began to blur, and he felt faint. He was in agony, his body burning, his mind hazy. He tried to fight off the encroaching darkness, but it was no use. He blacked out, collapsing on the floor.

*

Meryl lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep, her mind racing with thoughts of what had happened at the balcony.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about Tyrson. She didn't want to, but she couldn't help it. Images of him kept flashing through her mind, and she couldn't get them to stop.

She tossed and turned, but sleep continued to elude her. She had to get some rest - she had a big day ahead of her, and needed to be well-rested for the jewelry design show.

"Is he going to be okay?" she found herself asking, even though there was no one there to answer her.

She picked up her phone, intending to call him and check on him, but then she realized that she didn't have his number.

She got out of bed, put on her slippers, and rushed out of the room. Luckily, Tyrson's suite wasn't far away, and when she arrived, she found the door slightly ajar. Should she go in? She hesitated for a moment, then pushed the door open.

As she opened the door, she let out a gasp. The sight before her was terrible.
Tbc