Chapter 2
The elevator doors opened slowly.
I expected to see my father.
Instead, three people stepped into the lobby.
A tall woman in a navy business suit led the group. Behind her walked a security supervisor and a younger man carrying a tablet.
The woman looked directly at Marcus.
"Mr. Reed?"
He hurried toward her.
"Ms. Carter."
She didn't smile.
"My name is Evelyn Carter. I'm the regional director of Bennett Hospitality."
I recognized her name.
My father had mentioned her years ago.
She was one of the few executives he trusted completely.
Evelyn turned toward me.
"Ms. Bennett?"
I nodded.
Her expression softened immediately.
"I'm terribly sorry about what happened."
Before I could answer, Victoria marched forward.
"Evelyn, this is absolutely ridiculous."
Evelyn looked at her.
"Mrs. Sterling."
The way she said the name told me they already knew each other.
Victoria lifted her chin.
"This woman was disturbing guests. Marcus was simply doing his job."
Evelyn's expression remained calm.
"Assaulting a guest is not an acceptable way to resolve a disturbance."
Victoria scoffed.
"Assault? That's dramatic."
My cheek still hurt.
I wanted to say something.
But Evelyn spoke first.
"The security footage has been secured. The original recording will be preserved, and nobody on this property is authorized to alter or delete it."
Marcus looked down.
Victoria's lips tightened.
"You're making a mistake."
Evelyn turned to the security supervisor.
"Please make sure Ms. Bennett and her daughter are comfortable. They are not to be approached or disturbed."
Then she looked at Marcus.
"Your management authority is temporarily suspended pending an investigation."
His mouth fell open.
"Ms. Carter, please..."
"You witnessed a guest being struck while holding an infant."
He swallowed.
"And you attempted to remove the victim instead of addressing the person responsible."
Victoria stepped between them.
"Marcus was following my instructions!"
Evelyn looked at her coldly.
"That is precisely the problem."
I felt something loosen inside my chest.
For the first time since the slap, someone was actually listening.
But Victoria wasn't finished.
"Do you have any idea who I am?"
Evelyn's eyes narrowed.
"Yes, Mrs. Sterling. I know exactly who you are."
Something strange passed between them.
Victoria's expression changed.
I noticed it immediately.
She wasn't simply angry.
She was worried.
"Then you know I have a longstanding relationship with this hotel."
"That relationship does not give you the right to assault guests."
Victoria looked at me.
"You planned this."
I almost laughed.
"Planned what?"
"Coming here dressed like that. Making a scene. Calling your father."
I stared at her.
"My daughter needed to eat."
"Don't pretend you're innocent."
Evelyn stepped forward.
"Mrs. Sterling, that's enough."
Victoria looked around.
Several guests were watching openly now.
A woman near the windows had started recording with her phone.
Victoria noticed.
"Put that away!"
The woman didn't move.
Victoria turned back to Evelyn.
"I want my attorney."
"You're welcome to call one."
Then Evelyn added something that made Victoria freeze.
"But I recommend you preserve all communications relating to today's incident."
Victoria opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Evelyn guided me toward a private family suite off the lobby.
A quiet room with comfortable chairs, a changing table, and a small kitchenette.
I sat down carefully.
Lily began fussing.
I checked her blanket, supported her head, and prepared to feed her.
Only then did I realize how badly my hands were shaking.
Evelyn noticed.
"Would you like a nurse or a doctor to check on you?"
I hesitated.
"My cheek hurts, but Lily seems okay."
"Let's have you both assessed, just to be safe."
I nodded.
She arranged help without making me feel helpless.
Then she sat across from me.
"Your father is on his way."
My heart dropped.
"He's coming here?"
"Yes."
I looked down.
I wasn't ready.
Two years.
That was how long it had been since I'd last seen him.
Two years since I'd walked out of his mansion carrying one suitcase.
Two years since I'd told him I would rather struggle alone than become another person he could control.
And now I'd called him.
Because when the world turned cruel, I still remembered the safety of his voice.
Evelyn studied me.
"Are you all right?"
I forced a smile.
"I don't know."
She didn't press.
Instead, she said something unexpected.
"Your father has asked about you more times than I can count."
I looked up sharply.
"What?"
"He never stopped worrying."
My throat tightened.
"He could have called."
Evelyn hesitated.
"I believe he tried."
I shook my head.
"No. We agreed to leave each other alone."
She looked uncomfortable.
"Perhaps that's something you should discuss with him."
Before I could ask what she meant, my phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
I opened it.
There was a photograph.
A picture of me entering the hotel earlier that morning.
Lily was in my arms.
Beneath it were six words.
YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED AWAY, NIA.
My stomach turned.
I stared at the photograph.
It had been taken from across the street.
Someone had watched me arrive.
Someone knew my name.
And someone wanted me frightened.
I showed Evelyn.
Her face became serious.
"Did you recognize the number?"
I shook my head.
She immediately contacted security.
Then she asked permission to photograph the message for the incident record.
I agreed.
The fear from the lobby returned.
But now it was different.
Victoria hadn't simply attacked a stranger.
She had recognized me.
I thought back to the moment before the slap.
The way her eyes had narrowed when she first saw my face.
The way she seemed angry before I'd even spoken.
Had she known who I was?
I looked at Evelyn.
"Mrs. Sterling knew my father, didn't she?"
Evelyn paused.
"Yes."
"How well?"
She didn't answer immediately.
That silence told me more than any explanation could have.
"Evelyn."
She took a careful breath.
"Victoria Sterling has been associated with Bennett Hospitality for many years."
"Associated how?"
"Through consulting contracts and several investment proposals."
I frowned.
My father rarely discussed his business with me.
But I knew enough to recognize that Victoria was no ordinary hotel guest.
"Does my father trust her?"
Evelyn's expression darkened.
"He used to."
Before I could ask another question, the door opened.
A security officer stepped inside.
"Ms. Carter, there's a situation."
Evelyn stood.
"What happened?"
"The woman from the lobby is trying to leave through the private executive entrance."
"Then let her leave, provided investigators have what they need."
The officer hesitated.
"That's not the problem."
He looked toward me.
"She's demanding access to the private elevator that leads to Mr. Bennett's office."
I felt a chill.
My father kept an executive suite on the hotel's top floor.
It had been his headquarters for nearly twenty years.
"What does she want upstairs?" Evelyn asked.
The officer swallowed.
"She says she has something in the office that Mr. Bennett can never be allowed to find."
May you like
Evelyn went completely still.
And suddenly, I understood that what happened in the lobby might have been only the beginning.
