Chapter 3
The private penthouse boardroom on the top floor of the hotel was ordinarily a sanctuary of hushed deals and panoramic views. On this afternoon, it felt like an interrogation room. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a sweeping panorama of the city skyline, but no one was looking at the view. Richard sat at the heavy mahogany conference table, his hands clasped tightly together to hide their tremor. Chloe paced near the window, her gold bracelet jingling with every agitated sweep of her arm.
"This is completely ridiculous," Chloe snapped, turning to face the head of the table where Eleanor sat. The older woman had changed into a fresh white blazer—identical to the ruined one—and was reviewing a thick leather-bound portfolio. "We are going to sue this hotel into bankruptcy. My husband will have your security guards thrown out on the street before the sun goes down."
Richard closed his eyes, pressing the bridge of his nose as if trying to ward off a blinding migraine. "Chloe, please. Sit down."
"I will not sit down!" Chloe shouted, slamming her hand against the windowsill. "You are letting an old woman walk all over us! Remind her who signs your paycheck!"
Eleanor slowly closed the portfolio. The soft thud of leather against wood cut through Chloe’s tirade. Eleanor looked up, her piercing grey eyes fixing on the younger woman with cool, dispassionate authority.
"Chloe, is it?" Eleanor asked, her voice carrying a calm cadence that made the silence that followed feel heavy. "Let’s establish some facts so we are entirely clear on our respective positions. You are standing in a building that bears my family’s name. Every brick, every piece of Italian marble, and every dollar in the corporate accounts traces directly back to my grandfather. Richard here was hired five years ago as a promising regional director. He was ambitious, articulate, and apparently very good at hiding his severe financial liabilities."
Chloe stopped pacing, a cold knot forming in her stomach. She looked at her husband, whose face had gone pale. "What is she talking about, Richard?"
Richard cleared his throat, unable to meet his wife’s eyes. "Eleanor, please. Can we discuss this privately? There’s no need to—"
"There is every need, Richard," Eleanor interrupted smoothly. "Your wife seems laboring under the delusion that you are a titan of industry rather than an employee whose corporate credit cards have been maxed out on designer dresses and sports cars that you cannot afford. When you married her, you violated the executive morality clause in your employment contract. And when you failed to disclose your pending litigation regarding the embezzlement scandal from your previous firm, you crossed from breach of contract into criminal negligence."
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Chloe stepped backward, her beige dress suddenly feeling too tight. "Embezzlement? Richard, tell me she’s lying. Tell me this crazy woman is making this up."
Richard looked up, his expression defeated. The last shred of his corporate armor had melted away. "She’s not lying, Chloe," he whispered. "It’s all true."
