Lakeviewed Hotel

When the boat finally touched the shore, Delia Asia Vieira stood up and, as carefully as possible, walked out onto the rocky ground. She looked around - night had already fallen on the lake, but there were faint lights flickering on the horizon. The path leading from the shore was well-trodden, and yet, as she took a few steps, the ground beneath her feet seemed deserted and forgotten. Directly in front of her stood a three-story building - a hotel that had attracted her attention ever since she learned of it. From a distance, it looked abandoned, as if it had not been in human hands for a long time, and its crumbling walls and charred windows reminded her of an old tale of misfortune left in the past.

However, at that moment, as Delia Asia Vieira walked towards the gate, she noticed something strange. Right at the entrance, under a large arch, there was a car - a black Mercedes of the latest model. She couldn't help but notice this car: shiny, new, with the engine running. The car was parked here, in this forgotten place, where it couldn't possibly be, unless there was someone in the building who could leave it.

Delia Asia Vieira froze, stopping her steps. Her eyes began to probe the dark corners where only silence seemed to reign recently. Why wasn't the car parked somewhere else, where its visibility would not attract such attention? Why here, at the hotel gates, when the building itself seemed long abandoned?

These thoughts quickly settled in her head, but in the depths of them a new guess was already maturing: someone was in the hotel. Maybe even here the answers she was looking for were waiting for her. And perhaps this car was a sign that someone who could shed light on her search was inside.

She decided to move closer. Her steps became more confident as she noticed dim lights shining through the hotel windows. That could only mean one thing: someone was inside. Why else would someone leave a car if the hotel was abandoned, if there were no people here?

Approaching the gate, Delia Asia Vieira did not have time to open it, as she heard the creaking of the door, almost hidden by the sounds of the night. Her heart began to beat faster. She continued to move forward, but now, with each step, she felt how her search was approaching something dangerous and unknown.

There was no longer any doubt. There was someone inside the hotel. And perhaps that someone knew about Robert, the man for whom she had overcome so many obstacles and gone through so many dark places. But was that so? And who could be here, in this place, in this strange city that held more questions than answers?

Delia Asia Vieira couldn't afford to hesitate. She stood in front of the service entrance of the three-story building, her gaze sliding across the dark windows of the hotel. The main entrance was locked, as were all the other exits that could lead her inside, but the service one was open, slightly ajar, as if someone had deliberately left it unlocked. She glanced briefly at the car parked near the gate, then took a step forward without thinking. Determination pulsed in her soul. The answers were here, inside.

The smell was the first thing that struck her when she entered, a mixture of mold, cigarette smoke, and old beer. Everything was covered in dirt, as if no one had touched the place for a long time. The stairs led upward, and as she took each step, she felt the air become heavier. The ceilings were low, and the walls were shabby, stained with dirt and soot. The elevator was in the corner, but the doors were locked, and inside the cabins there were still traces of ash and charred cigarette butts, all signs that the place had once been alive, but now it was abandoned, and only echoes of its former inhabitants remained.

Delia continued up the stairs, avoiding puddles of spilled beer, feeling the moisture seep into her shoes. She didn't slow down-her path was clear. Somewhere in this building was information, the answers she'd been searching for. Maybe those answers were about Robert, maybe they were about something else she didn't even know about. All she knew was that the further she went, the more she felt like her presence here was no accident.

Passing locked doors and noisy, empty rooms, she finally reached the door that led into the restaurant. This place was different from the rest of the building-even though it looked like it hadn't been used in years, it was brighter. It had a soft glow, and the air was filled with the smell of food, perhaps long forgotten, but still alive.

Delia Asia Vieira reached out to the door, and when it opened, her gaze immediately fell on the person standing in the center of the room. A girl in a brown dress, with fancy dark hair, was there, as if her appearance was not unexpected. There was no surprise on her face, only a slight displeasure, as if she had been waiting for this moment.

Delia Asia Vieira has taken a step forward.

"Delia York," she said, intuitively knowing who it was, though it seemed she had never met the person before. "You're here, in this hotel."

Delia York, despite the fact that her face did not express much emotion, looked at the robot with distrust, as if evaluating every word, every movement.

"You came again," she said quietly. "I knew you'd find me. And that you'd ask. You don't think you're alone in this world, do you?"

Robotess tried to understand what was going on here and what she had to do to find answers, but her thoughts were torn apart when Delia suddenly extended her hand, holding a neatly folded envelope.

"This is for you," Delia York said with a sly smile. "A present from the president."

Delia Asia Vieira froze, and Delia York suddenly laughed predatorily, not joyfully, but rather playfully - this laughter made robotess feel anxious. Continuing to laugh, the girl ran somewhere ahead, without turning around, as if she had something to hide from robotess.