"Tell me something, Ms. Sterling."
Victoria stiffened.
"How did you know I didn't belong here?"
She didn't answer.
Damon nodded.
"I thought so."
Then he walked away.
The security officers followed.
Nobody in the lobby knew that the man they had just escorted out owned the company that had purchased the hotel six months earlier.
Nobody knew that the Grand View Imperial's board had been preparing for his surprise visit.
And nobody knew that Damon Washington had deliberately left his expensive watch, designer jacket, and company car behind.
He wanted to see something.
He wanted to know what happened when nobody knew who he was.
Now he had his answer.
And it was much worse than he expected.
The Reservation Nobody Checked
Outside the hotel, Damon stood beneath the enormous stone entrance.
The evening air was cool.
Cars moved through the driveway.
The two security officers remained several feet away.
Neither seemed comfortable.
One of them, a younger man named Marcus Reed, finally spoke.
"Sir, I'm sorry."
Damon looked at him.
"For what?"
"The way this happened."
"You didn't make the decision."
Marcus lowered his eyes.
"No, sir."
The older guard remained silent.
Damon studied both men.
"Did Ms. Sterling tell you I was dangerous?"
"No."
"Did she say I had threatened anyone?"
"No."
"Did she say I had stolen anything?"
"No."
Marcus swallowed.
"She said you didn't appear to be a guest."
Damon nodded.
"Thank you for being honest."
His phone vibrated.
Damon answered.
"Hello?"
It was his chief of staff, Elena Brooks.
"Mr. Washington, where are you?"
"Outside the Grand View."
Silence.
"Why?"
"Because your general manager just had me removed."
Another silence.
"What?"
Damon looked through the glass doors.
Victoria was already speaking with another employee.
"Don't call her yet."
Elena lowered her voice.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
"Do you want me to send the company car?"
"No."
Damon looked at the hotel sign.
"Have the board meeting moved to tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow?"
"Eight o'clock."
"At headquarters?"
"No."
Damon smiled faintly.
"At the Grand View Imperial."
Elena understood immediately.
"Understood."
Damon ended the call.
Marcus watched him.
"Sir?"
Damon turned.
"I appreciate your professionalism."
Marcus nodded.
"Thank you."
Then Damon ordered another rideshare.
As he waited, he noticed a woman standing near the entrance.
She was an elderly hotel guest, perhaps in her seventies. She had been watching everything.
When Damon approached, she spoke.
"I saw what happened."
Damon smiled.
"So did everyone else."
"You handled yourself better than I would have."
He laughed softly.
"I've had practice."
The woman looked toward the lobby.
"They didn't even ask you for identification."
Damon's expression changed.
"No."
"They didn't?"
"No."
She shook her head.
"That's troubling."
"It is."
The woman extended her hand.
"I'm Eleanor."
"Damon."
She smiled.
"Nice to meet you."
The irony was not lost on either of them.
Inside, Victoria was already telling her version of the story.
"He refused to cooperate," she told the assistant manager.
"Was he aggressive?"
"No."
"Did he threaten anyone?"
"No."
"Then why was security involved?"
Victoria stared at her.
"Because people like that test boundaries."
The assistant manager hesitated.
"People like what?"
Victoria realized she had said too much.
She changed the subject.
"Make sure his information is flagged."
"What if the reservation is legitimate?"
"Then we'll deal with it."
"But—"
"That's enough."
Victoria walked away.
She believed the incident was over.
It wasn't.
At 8:00 the next morning, the board of Washington Hospitality Group would arrive.
And Victoria Sterling would discover exactly whose reservation she had questioned.
The Owner Nobody Recognized
At 7:42 the next morning, black vehicles began arriving outside the Grand View Imperial.
One after another.
Executives stepped out.
Lawyers.
Regional directors.
Financial officers.
Senior hospitality consultants.
Then Elena Brooks emerged from the first vehicle.
She walked through the lobby without stopping.
Victoria saw her.
Her face brightened.
"Ms. Brooks!"
Elena didn't smile.
"Where is the boardroom?"
"Second floor."
"Thank you."
Victoria followed.
"Is Mr. Washington coming?"
Elena stopped.
"Yes."
Victoria's smile returned.
"Excellent. I hope he'll appreciate how quickly we handled the situation last night."
Elena looked at her.
"What situation?"
Victoria laughed nervously.
"Oh, you haven't heard?"
"No."
"There was an unauthorized individual in the lobby."
Elena's expression remained blank.
"Unauthorized?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
"A man claiming to have a reservation."
Elena stared at her.
"Claiming?"
"He was dressed extremely casually."
Elena slowly understood.
"Describe him."
Victoria did.
Elena closed her eyes for a moment.
"Black T-shirt?"
"Yes."
"Jeans?"
"Yes."
"Travel bag?"
"Yes."
Victoria nodded.
"Exactly."
Elena looked at her.
"That was Damon Washington."
Victoria's face lost its color.
"What?"
Elena walked past her.
"The owner."
Victoria remained frozen.
"The owner of...?"
"The Washington Hospitality Group."
Victoria stared after her.