“I didn’t say anything.”
“Yes, you did,” Lupita said quietly from the hallway entrance. “And it is not the first time.”
Patricia straightened behind the desk. “That’s enough.”
“No,” Ethan said. “It isn’t.”
His voice was not loud.
That made it worse.
People in expensive rooms were used to shouting. They knew how to survive shouting. They could apologize through shouting, cry through shouting, blame stress through shouting.
But Ethan did not shout.
He simply looked at Patricia and said, “Get the general manager.”
Patricia blinked. “He’s unavailable.”
“Make him available.”
“Sir, I don’t know who you think—”
“Tell him Ethan Vance is waiting at the front desk.”
The name landed like glass breaking.
Karla stared.
Patricia’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Lupita looked from them to Ethan.
For the first time, she understood.
Not all of it.
But enough.
Behind the desk, Patricia reached for the phone with fingers that trembled.
