Chapter 3 - ROOM 814
The Harbor Grand sat twelve blocks away.
Ethan drove.
Maya sat in the passenger seat wearing Ethan’s suit jacket over her ruined dress.
Neither spoke for the first five minutes.
In the back seat, Caroline stared at her phone.
Noah had come too.
So had Victoria.
She insisted.
That alone made Maya nervous.
“You don’t have to do this,” Ethan finally said.
“Yes, I do.”
“I said I believe you.”
“You hesitated.”
His jaw tightened.
“Maya—”
“You hesitated, Ethan.”
“I was shocked.”
“So was I.”
“That card came out of your purse.”
“And your mother’s hand was inside that purse.”
Victoria spoke from the back.
“I will not sit here while you accuse me of—”
“Then don’t.”
Maya twisted around.
“Nobody asked you to come.”
Victoria stared at her.
“I’m here for my son.”
“No. You’re here because you’re scared.”
Ethan gripped the steering wheel.
“Maya.”
“What?”
“Please.”
Maya turned forward.
Fine.
She would stop talking.
For now.
At the Harbor Grand, the night manager greeted them with the careful expression of a man who knew rich family drama when he saw it.
Ethan placed the key on the desk.
“We need to know what room this key opens.”
The manager hesitated.
“I can check the encoding, but I can’t disclose guest information without authorization.”
“Check it.”
He scanned the card.
His eyebrows lifted.
“Room 814.”
Victoria folded her arms.
“Well.”
Maya looked at the manager.
“Who rented it?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am.”
“I’m being accused of cheating on my fiancé.”
“I understand, but our privacy policy—”
Ethan leaned forward.
“My mother is claiming this key belongs to Maya Collins.”
The manager’s face changed.
“Did you say Maya Collins?”
Maya’s stomach dropped.
“Yes.”
The manager looked at his screen.
Then at her.
“That is the name attached to room 814.”
Nobody spoke.
Victoria slowly exhaled.
Caroline whispered, “What?”
Maya stepped closer.
“I never booked a room here.”
The manager turned the monitor slightly away.
“It was booked yesterday afternoon.”
“What time?”
“I shouldn’t—”
“Please.”
He glanced around.
“Four seventeen.”
Maya almost laughed from pure disbelief.
“At four seventeen yesterday, I was presenting quarterly numbers in a conference room downtown. Twelve people were there.”
Victoria lifted her chin.
“You could have booked it online.”
The manager shook his head.
“No.”
They all looked at him.
He swallowed.
“This reservation was made in person.”
Victoria went still.
Maya heard it.
The tiny catch in her breath.
The manager continued.
“And whoever checked in showed identification.”
Ethan stared at Maya.
Maya stared at Victoria.
Then Noah spoke.
“Hotels have lobby cameras, right?”
The manager slowly looked toward the ceiling.
“Yes.”
Maya’s pulse jumped.
“Then pull the footage.”
The manager hesitated.
And Victoria suddenly stepped forward.
“That won’t be necessary.”
Everyone turned toward her.
May you like
Maya’s voice became ice.
“Oh, I think it will.”
