Chapter 6 - THE BILLIONAIRE WHO FIRED THE WRONG WOMAN
By late afternoon, Charlotte returned to the Solmere.
This time she did not enter alone.
Mara came with her.
Evelyn refused.
“I’m more useful if they think I’m still invisible,” she said.
Charlotte understood.
The moment Charlotte walked into the lobby, the atmosphere changed.
Employees straightened.
Guests whispered.
Someone had already leaked the morning confrontation.
A blurry cellphone video circulated online.
It showed Victoria slapping Charlotte.
Then the guard calling her Ms. Vale.
The clip ended before Nathan appeared.
Charlotte’s phone had accumulated dozens of messages from journalists.
She ignored them.
Nathan waited near the elevators.
“Who is she?”
He looked at Mara.
“My accountant.”
Mara smiled politely.
Nathan did not.
“We need to speak.”
“After I see the security department.”
“Charlotte.”
She continued walking.
Nathan followed.
Victoria stood near the concierge desk.
She wore sunglasses now.
Indoors.
When Charlotte approached, Victoria removed them.
“Can we talk?”
Charlotte stopped.
Victoria’s arrogance had been replaced by something softer.
Calculated vulnerability.
“I behaved terribly this morning.”
“Yes.”
“I was upset.”
“That explains nothing.”
“My mother is ill.”
Charlotte waited.
Victoria blinked.
Charlotte said, “Were you expecting that sentence to make assault acceptable?”
Victoria flushed.
“I’m apologizing.”
“No. You’re trying to protect yourself.”
“Charlotte…”
“You grabbed a stranger by the hair.”
Victoria looked around.
Several guests were watching.
“You embarrassed me.”
Charlotte almost laughed.
“I embarrassed you?”
“I made a mistake.”
“You made several.”
“I said I’m sorry.”
Charlotte turned to Nathan.
“Does Victoria hold any official position with the Solmere?”
Nathan frowned.
“No.”
“Any employment agreement?”
“No.”
“Any ownership?”
“No.”
Victoria’s eyes widened.
Charlotte continued.
“Does she receive complimentary accommodation?”
Nathan hesitated.
“Yes.”
“End it.”
Victoria stared.
“What?”
“Effective immediately.”
“Charlotte.”
“All privileges. Suites. dining. transport. concierge charge accounts. Event access.”
Victoria stepped forward.
“You can’t do that.”
Charlotte looked at her.
“I believe this morning you asked whether I could fire you.”
Victoria’s face hardened.
“You think this hotel is still yours because a dead man gave you paperwork?”
Nathan said sharply:
“Victoria.”
Charlotte went still.
There it was.
Not embarrassment.
Not cruelty.
Knowledge.
Charlotte walked closer.
“What did you just say?”
Victoria realized her mistake.
“I meant your father.”
“No. You said still yours.”
Nathan moved between them.
“This is going nowhere.”
Charlotte looked past him.
“What does that mean, Victoria?”
Victoria’s fear returned.
“I misspoke.”
Charlotte lowered her voice.
“What do you know about Vale Legacy Management?”
Victoria stopped breathing.
Mara noticed.
Nathan noticed too.
Charlotte smiled.
“Thank you.”
She walked away.
Behind her, Nathan whispered something furiously to Victoria.
Charlotte did not need to hear it.
Victoria Sterling knew about the shell company.
That was enough.
The digital security office occupied the ninth floor.
Inside, technicians worked across multiple monitors.
Charlotte requested the access logs.
The director, a nervous man named Simon Park, showed her records.
The deleted lobby footage had been accessed at 10:07 a.m.
Using Nathan Cole’s credentials.
Nathan stared at the screen.
“That wasn’t me.”
Simon swallowed.
“The system shows your login.”
“Someone cloned it.”
Charlotte looked at Mara.
Possible.
But convenient.
“Can we recover the video?” Charlotte asked.
Simon nodded.
“Probably.”
“How long?”
“A few hours.”
“Do it.”
Nathan leaned toward Charlotte.
“You see? Somebody is framing me.”
“Maybe.”
“You don’t believe me.”
“I don’t believe anyone yet.”
Nathan’s jaw tightened.
Charlotte pointed at the next log entry.
“What is that?”
At 10:12 a.m., five minutes after the footage was deleted, another system had been accessed.
PRIVATE SERVICE LEVEL.
Charlotte looked at Simon.
“What private service level?”
Simon glanced at Nathan.
Nathan said nothing.
“Simon?”
“There’s an internal designation.”
“For?”
Simon’s face went pale.
“Restricted infrastructure.”
Charlotte pulled out her father’s letter.
“Room 417?”
Simon’s eyes widened.
Nathan slammed his palm on the desk.
“That is enough.”
Everyone froze.
Charlotte slowly turned toward him.
Nathan realized what he had done.
He stepped back.
Charlotte said quietly:
“You keep telling me you don’t know anything about Room 417.”
Nathan rubbed his face.
“I know it exists.”
“Finally.”
“That doesn’t mean I know everything happening there.”
“What does happen there?”
Nathan looked at the technicians.
“Not here.”
Charlotte folded her arms.
“Then where?”
Nathan stared at her for several seconds.
Finally he said:
“Your father called it the Black Room.”
Mara’s expression changed.
Nathan looked at her.
“You know that name.”
Mara said nothing.
Nathan laughed bitterly.
“Of course you do.”
Charlotte’s patience ended.
“Take me there.”
Nathan shook his head.
“No.”
“Take me there or resign now.”
Nathan’s face tightened.
“I’m trying to keep you alive.”
Charlotte stared at him.
Nathan stepped closer.
“You think I’m stealing from you.”
“I think you’re lying to me.”
“I am.”
The answer surprised her.
Nathan continued.
“I have lied to you every day since your father died.”
Charlotte’s pulse increased.
“Why?”
May you like
Nathan’s next words changed everything.
“Because William Vale made me promise I would.”
