Chapter 7 - The Public Trial
Within minutes, the lobby became a courtroom.
Blake was the accuser.
Margaret was the judge.
Victor acted as though a verdict had already been reached.
Lily stood alone.
Several guests recognized Blake and immediately accepted his version of events. Others whispered that hotel employees were becoming too aggressive.
A woman near the fountain began recording with her phone.
Rosa forced her way through the crowd.
“Lily, are you hurt?”
“My shoulder hit the wall.”
Margaret heard her.
“Your shoulder? My son could have been seriously injured.”
“He touched me first.”
Margaret stepped forward.
“My son does not need to force attention from hotel employees.”
Lily felt humiliation rise through her body.
“That is not what I said.”
Margaret lifted her hand and slapped Lily.
The contact was quick, but the sound echoed beneath the chandeliers.
The lobby became silent.
Lily stepped backward, stunned.
Rosa moved in front of her.
“You cannot hit an employee.”
Margaret looked offended by the challenge.
“She attacked my son.”
“You did not see what happened.”
“I know my child.”
Rosa turned toward Victor.
“Call the police and preserve the elevator footage.”
Victor’s face tightened.
“There is no need to involve the authorities.”
“Why not?”
“This is a sensitive matter.”
“For whom?” Rosa demanded. “Lily or the family paying for tonight’s gala?”
Victor ignored her.
He ordered security to escort Lily to the employee office.
Lily did not move.
“You haven’t checked the video.”
Victor lowered his voice.
“Do not make this worse.”
“You are the one making it worse.”
Blake watched with a faint smile.
Victor stepped closer.
“Apologize to Mr. Harrington, and perhaps we can resolve this quietly.”
Lily looked around the lobby.
The same people who had praised the hotel’s elegance were watching a young employee being pressured to confess to something she had not done.
“What exactly should I apologize for?” she asked.
“For losing control.”
“I did not lose control.”
Blake raised his voice.
“She grabbed me and twisted my arm.”
“That is a lie.”
Margaret pointed at Lily.
“Listen to her tone. She is completely unstable.”
Rosa stood beside Lily.
“She has been reporting his behavior for weeks.”
Victor turned sharply.
“This is not the time.”
“It became the time when you tried to remove her without looking at the evidence.”
Victor signaled to security again.
Before the officers could move, the main entrance doors opened.
Elena Marquez entered the hotel with two corporate executives behind her.
She saw the crowd.
She saw Lily’s red cheek.
She saw Blake clutching his wrist.
Then she looked at Victor.
“What happened?”
Victor hurried toward her.
“An employee attacked Mr. Harrington in the elevator. I am handling it.”
Elena’s eyes shifted to Lily.
“Did you attack him?”
“No.”
“Is there elevator footage?”
“Yes,” Rosa said.
Victor interrupted.
“We should review it privately.”
Elena looked at the giant lobby screen.
“No.”
May you like
She handed her bag to an assistant.
“Show it here.”
