Chapter 7 - Eight in the Morning
"Tell me," Elise said.
Sébastien slid the phone into his pocket.
"Unlock the hotel first."
"No."
"Then we have nothing to discuss."
"We stopped being cousins the moment I saw my forged signature."
His eyes hardened.
"You left."
The words surprised her.
"What?"
"After your father died, you left for Paris. Then New York. Then Singapore. You showed up for board calls and annual photographs while I kept this place alive."
"By mortgaging land you didn't own?"
"By doing what was necessary."
Elise stepped closer.
"Necessary for whom?"
He did not answer.
At that moment, Antoine returned with a printed banking notice.
"The south bluff loan closes at eight. If final documents are accepted, the lender gets a first-position lien."
"How much?"
"Twelve million."
Mireille whispered, "For what?"
Antoine scrolled.
"The money doesn't stay with the hotel. It moves immediately to four consulting companies."
Elise looked at Sébastien.
"Your four vendors."
"Not mine."
"Then whose?"
A phone rang.
Victoire looked down at hers and declined the call.
Elise noticed.
"Who was that?"
"My mother."
"At nearly midnight?"
"She worries."
The phone rang again.
This time the screen was visible.
MARC DUMAS - PRIVATE BANKING.
Antoine's face changed.
"That's the lender."
Victoire turned to leave.
The locked lobby doors refused to open.
Elise walked toward her.
"You've never been in B17?"
"No."
"Then why is the bank handling Blue Wing calling you?"
Victoire's mouth opened.
No sound came out.
Sébastien moved between them.
"Enough."
Elise ignored him.
"Answer it."
Victoire pressed decline again.
Then a text appeared.
NEED CONFIRMATION THAT ELISE MOREL IS OUT OF THE PROPERTY BEFORE 01:00.
Everyone saw it.
Victoire went white.
Elise read the message twice.
Then she looked up.
"You weren't trying to remove a difficult guest."
May you like
Her voice went cold.
"You knew exactly who I was when you ordered security to throw me out."
