Chapter 3 - THE LIST
Daniel took Noah into a private conference room behind the ballroom while security moved guests away from the head table.
Vivian pounded once on the locked door.
"Daniel! Open this door."
He didn't.
Noah sat stiffly in a chair, still wearing his white service jacket. "I should go."
"Not until you tell me what you meant."
Noah rubbed his cheek. "I work for Halston Events. We handle a lot of private parties. Ms. Cross has used us before."
"How many times?"
"Enough that there are notes."
Daniel frowned. "What kind of notes?"
Noah pulled out his phone. His hands shook as he opened an employee group chat and scrolled.
Photos. Names. Dates.
A bartender with a split lip.
A caterer standing beside a ruined cake while Vivian called her incompetent in a voice memo.
A valet whose termination message read: CLIENT REQUEST - DO NOT REHIRE.
Then Noah opened a spreadsheet.
"We call it the Cross List," he said.
Daniel felt something cold move through his chest.
The list contained thirty-one names.
Beside each one was a complaint, a payout, or the word NDA.
"Why would your company protect her?"
Noah laughed without humor. "Because wealthy clients don't get fired. Staff do."
A new message appeared in the group chat.
EVERYONE DELETE PHOTOS. NOW.
Another followed.
LEGAL IS INVOLVED.
Daniel read them twice.
"Who sent that?"
"Marissa Vale. Event director. The woman in the hallway."
Daniel called his head of security, Marcus Reed.
"Find Marissa. Bring her here. And preserve every camera feed from this building."
There was a pause.
"Daniel," Marcus said, "we already have a problem."
"What problem?"
"Someone just accessed the security office."
"Who?"
"We don't know."
Daniel's jaw tightened.
May you like
Marcus lowered his voice.
"But the ballroom footage from the last twenty minutes has been deleted."
