Chapter 2 - SOMEONE WAS ALREADY INSIDE
Marcus Reed ran.
I had never seen a man in a suit move that quickly.
He disappeared through the service doors while one of the security officers followed him.
The second officer stayed beside Preston.
My brother immediately protested.
“This is ridiculous.”
The officer said nothing.
My mother grabbed my arm.
“Evelyn.”
I pulled away.
“Don’t touch me.”
Her face hardened.
“Think carefully about what you’re doing.”
I stared at her.
“My daughter needs a hospital.”
“And she’s going to one.”
“Because her uncle hit her.”
“Preston made a mistake.”
“A mistake?”
I pointed at the bloodstained menu board.
“That is not a mistake.”
“You’re emotional.”
I almost laughed.
Of course.
The favorite word.
Emotional.
Whenever a woman in my family noticed something ugly, she became emotional.
Whenever Preston became violent, he became stressed.
Whenever my father threatened someone, he became protective.
Whenever my mother covered for them, she became practical.
But when I objected?
Emotional.
I leaned toward her.
“Your granddaughter is on a stretcher.”
My mother lowered her voice.
“And your brother’s entire future could be destroyed if you keep escalating this.”
I stared at her.
There it was.
Not Sophie.
Not her injury.
Preston.
Always Preston.
“What about Sophie’s future?”
“She’ll recover.”
“You don’t know that.”
“She’s conscious.”
“Barely.”
My mother looked around.
People were recording us.
Her voice dropped even further.
“Do you want your daughter remembered as the child who destroyed her uncle’s marriage?”
I couldn’t believe her.
“Preston did that himself.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“You have always wanted to punish him.”
“For what?”
“For being successful.”
There it was again.
The old script.
I looked at my mother and realized she genuinely believed it.
Not because it was true.
Because believing it had protected her from thirty years of admitting what she had raised.
I turned away.
The paramedics began rolling Sophie toward the ballroom doors.
I followed.
My father blocked my path.
“Move.”
“Evelyn.”
“Move.”
“We need to talk before you leave.”
“No.”
“This affects all of us.”
“My daughter’s injury affects her.”
“You are still part of this family.”
I stared at him.
“Not after tonight.”
His face changed.
My father wasn’t accustomed to threats he couldn’t control.
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do.”
“Your daughter needs stability.”
“She needs protection.”
“From her own family?”
I looked toward Preston.
“Yes.”
That answer hit him.
I walked around my father.
One of the police officers approached me.
“Ma’am?”
“Yes?”
“I’m Officer Ramirez.”
He looked toward Sophie.
“I need to ask you a few questions, but we can do it at the hospital.”
“Thank you.”
“Did you witness the injury?”
“Yes.”
“Did you see who caused it?”
I looked directly at Preston.
“My brother.”
Preston immediately stepped forward.
“Officer, I want my attorney present before she starts making accusations.”
Ramirez looked at him.
“She’s giving a witness statement.”
“She’s biased.”
“So are you.”
A few guests reacted.
Preston’s face darkened.
Ramirez turned back to me.
“Go with your daughter.”
“I will.”
“We’ll follow.”
I took two steps.
Then the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Several guests gasped.
The chandeliers dimmed.
Then brightened again.
Preston looked toward the ceiling.
The expression on his face lasted only a moment.
But I recognized it.
Expectation.
He had been waiting for something.
A second later, the ballroom doors burst open.
Marcus returned.
He wasn’t alone.
Two security officers were dragging a man between them.
The man wore a black catering jacket.
His white shirt was untucked.
One sleeve was torn.
And blood ran from a scrape near his eyebrow.
Marcus pushed him forward.
“Do you know him?”
Preston didn’t answer.
The man looked at Preston.
That was enough.
Marcus noticed.
“So you do.”
Preston shook his head.
“No.”
The man laughed bitterly.
“Seriously?”
Preston’s face went rigid.
“Shut up.”
The ballroom erupted.
Marcus stepped between them.
“What’s your name?”
The man hesitated.
“Daniel Cross.”
I remembered the name from Preston’s message.
Daniel.
Marcus looked toward me.
“This is the man we found inside the surveillance room.”
My stomach dropped.
Officer Ramirez stepped forward.
“What was he doing?”
Marcus’s jaw tightened.
“Trying to delete tonight’s ballroom recordings.”
Guests began talking loudly.
My mother went pale.
My father didn’t move.
Preston immediately pointed at Daniel.
“I have no idea who that man is.”
Daniel stared at him.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
“Don’t speak to me.”
“You texted me!”
Preston lunged.
The security officer caught him.
“Mr. Whitmore!”
Daniel laughed again.
“Yeah.”
He looked around the ballroom.
“Perfect Preston.”
My father stepped forward.
“Who are you?”
Daniel looked at him.
“You really don’t know?”
“No.”
Daniel’s smile vanished.
“I’ve worked for your son for three years.”
My father turned toward Preston.
My brother shook his head.
“He’s lying.”
Daniel reached into his pocket.
The officer stopped him.
“Slowly.”
“My phone.”
The officer removed it.
Daniel nodded toward Preston.
“Check the messages.”
Preston’s face lost its color.
My mother whispered his name.
“Preston?”
He ignored her.
Officer Ramirez took Daniel’s phone.
“Unlock it.”
Daniel did.
Ramirez scrolled.
Then he looked at Preston.
“What does ‘Get to the server room’ mean?”
Preston said nothing.
My father moved quickly.
“My son will not answer another question without counsel.”
Ramirez nodded.
“That’s his right.”
Then he looked at Daniel.
“But Mr. Cross appears interested in talking.”
Daniel smiled without humor.
“Oh, I’m very interested.”
Preston stared at him.
“Think carefully.”
Daniel’s smile disappeared.
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s advice.”
“You gave me plenty of advice.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Hide this.”
“Move that.”
“Delete this.”
“Fix this.”
“Make people disappear.”
A murmur moved through the ballroom.
My father’s face tightened.
“Enough.”
Daniel turned toward him.
“No.”
He pointed toward Sophie’s stretcher.
“That was enough.”
My daughter looked frightened.
I stepped between her and the confrontation.
“Take her out.”
I said it to the paramedics.
“Please.”
They began moving.
But Daniel called after me.
“Evelyn.”
I stopped.
I had never met him.
Yet he knew my name.
I turned.
Daniel’s expression changed.
For the first time, he looked ashamed.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
He looked at Sophie.
Then back at me.
“I should have stopped him earlier.”
My stomach tightened.
“Stopped what?”
Preston shouted.
“Don’t answer that!”
Daniel ignored him.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“What wasn’t?”
“The phone.”
My skin went cold.
“You knew?”
Daniel looked down.
“Yes.”
“Did Preston put it in Sophie’s bag?”
Daniel hesitated.
Preston stared at him with murder in his eyes.
Finally Daniel spoke.
“No.”
Everything inside me stopped.
“What?”
Daniel looked toward Preston.
“He didn’t put the phone in the bag.”
My brother’s expression changed.
Relief.
Only for a second.
Then Daniel finished.
“I did.”
The ballroom exploded with voices.
I stared at him.
“You?”
Daniel nodded.
“Preston told me to.”
I could barely breathe.
“Why?”
Daniel looked toward my brother.
“That’s the part he never told you.”
Preston shouted again.
“Shut your mouth!”
Daniel raised his voice.
“He didn’t frame Sophie because of a phone.”
My heart pounded.
“Then why?”
Daniel looked directly at me.
“Because Preston needed you out of this hotel before midnight.”
I stared at him.
“Why?”
Daniel swallowed.
Then he said the words that changed everything.
“Because at midnight, your father was supposed to sign something.”
My father went completely still.
May you like
And for the first time that night...
He looked more frightened than Preston.
