Chapter 6 - The Unraveling of the Ring
The arrest of Julian Sterling sent shockwaves through the luxury hotel industry. By midnight, corporate security teams had seized every hard drive, every ledger, and every safe deposit box key within the Aldridge Grand's executive suites.
Marcus sat in the dark living room of his suite, a single lamp illuminating the table where he worked. He had spent hours reviewing the personnel files of the hotel. He discovered that Claire and Renata hadn't just been rude; they were part of a systematic ring Julian had established, where wealthy guests were given unauthorized upgrades in exchange for cash tips that never cleared the corporate books.
The phone on the desk buzzed. It was the night supervisor from the front desk.
"Mr. Whitfield, I am so sorry to disturb you," the woman said, her voice trembling. "But the morning shift has just arrived. We have a severe shortage of staff due to the suspensions, and the medical conference guests are checking out early because of the... scandal."
Marcus looked toward the bedroom door where Sophie was still sleeping peacefully beside the rooster pitcher of roses.
"I'll be down in ten minutes," Marcus said.
May you like
"Sir?"
"Open Lane One," Marcus ordered. "I’ll run the desk myself."
