Chapter 24 The Engagement Dinner: Under the Mask
Sloane
The dinner finally began to break up shortly after. The heavy, formal atmosphere dissolved as the guests pushed back their chairs and stood up.
Melissa gave me a brief, tight smile that didn't reach her eyes before she drifted off to speak with some cousins, her laughter sounding forced and loud against the high ceilings.
Aunt Claire remained the perfect hostess, gliding from person to person, her hand resting lightly on elbows as she guided people toward the exit.
Waiters moved in like a well-drilled army, clearing away the crystal glasses and silver espresso spoons with practiced silence.
The grand room, which had felt like a battlefield only moments ago, was slowly returning to its cold, museum-like state.
Richard stayed near the head of the table for a moment, looking down at his empty coffee cup as if he were trying to remember something. He looked older than he had at the start of the night, the skin around his eyes tight with a fatigue that no amount of corporate polish could hide.
As the last of the family members filtered out into the hallway, chatting about the wedding and the upcoming merger, the energy in the room flattened.
I spent a bit of time catching up with Uncle Marcus, listening to him describe the technicalities of his trip and the new surveillance protocols he’d been studying. I nodded and asked the right questions, playing the part of the interested niece, but my energy was fading fast. Every time I glanced toward the exit, I felt the weight of the secrets we were carrying.
The conversation was just beginning to loop back to his thoughts on the hotel’s "vulnerabilities" when I felt Cade’s fingers wrap around mine. He gave my hand a firm, grounding squeeze—the silent signal we had agreed on. It was time to go.
"It sounds like a fascinating trip, Marcus," I said, offering a practiced, apologetic smile as I leaned slightly into Cade. "I’d love to hear more about the tactical side of it, but I think the long day is finally catching up with me. We should probably get heading."
"Of course," Marcus replied, his eyes moving from me to Cade with unreadable intensity. "Duty calls. Or in this case, the lack of it. Get some rest, Sloane."
I let Cade lead me away, the physical connection acting like a tether as we moved through the final round of polite goodbyes. We walked through the lobby, nodding to the staff and keeping up the act of the happy, tired couple, right until the valet opened the heavy door of the car and we finally stepped into the safety of the dark backseat.
The car ride away from the hotel was quiet. We were blocks away now, the city lights blurring past the windows. I watched the streetlamps, feeling the heavy silence between me and Cade.
"I'm sorry," I said finally.
Cade looked at me. "For what?"
"For my family. Melissa and Claire... they didn't make it easy. Melissa was trying to trip you up, and Claire wouldn't even let you speak."
Cade let out a dry laugh. "It’s fine, Sloane. I’ve dealt with harder people. Your family might be creative. But the story held. That’s what matters."
I nodded and let the silence fill the car. But my mind was still back at that table.
"Cade? I can't stop thinking about what my uncle Marcus said. About the server access."
Cade’s expression sharpened. "I’ve been thinking about it, too. He said it was flagged last month."
"Exactly," I said, leaning closer. "We didn't start digging until two weeks ago. If they caught someone a month ago, it wasn't us. It means someone else is looking in the same place we are."
"Who do you think it is?" Cade asked. "If it's someone in the family, they wouldn't be flagged as restricted."
"I don't know," I admitted. "But it's not a coincidence. Someone else knew there was something worth finding. And what if that’s why my account got flagged so fast? The security team was already looking for a ghost, and I just walked right into the light."
"So we aren't alone," Cade said.
“Yes”, I confirmed. "Someone out there is looking for the same truth that we are."
The thought was terrifying. I felt a surge of nervous energy and reached into my silk clutch for comfort. I wanted to feel the cool silver of my grandmother’s lipstick case. It was a heavy, antique piece with her initials engraved on the bottom. It was one of the few things I had left of hers that didn't feel like a corporate burden.
I felt my stomach drop.
I reached in, feeling my phone, my keys, and a tube of lip balm. My hand swept the bottom of the bag.
Nothing.
I pulled the bag open, staring into the dark fabric. The silver case was gone.
I remembered taking it out under the table to calm my nerves, rubbing my thumb over the cool metal while Melissa was questioning Cade. I must have set it on the velvet cushion of my chair when Richard returned and the conversation shifted.
"Is everything okay?" Cade asked, noticing me hovering by the door.
"My grandmother’s case," I whispered. "I left it, Cade. I had it out when Richard left the room, and I must have set it on the chair when he came back. I have to go back for it."
"Sloane, we can call the hotel.."
"No," I insisted. "It’s the only thing I have left that feels like her. Melissa will find it, or the cleaning crew will toss it. Please. Turn around."
Cade sighed but told the driver to do a U-turn. A few minutes later, we were back at the Hartford logo.
"I'll be right back," I said. "Stay here. It looks less suspicious if I go alone."
I hurried back into the lobby and up the elevator. The hallway to the Gold Hall was long and quiet. I could see a sliver of light coming from under the heavy doors. I reached for the brass handle, my hand shaking. I just wanted my case.
I could hear Richard’s voice from behind the door. I was curious. I didn’t expect the likes of him to still be hanging around.
I pushed the door open an inch. The room was dim, glowing in amber light. It wasn't empty.
Richard was standing by the window. He looked exhausted. Standing in front of him was the man in the dark suit, the shadow from earlier.
I stayed pressed against the doorframe, my breath catching.
"You didn't have to come to my family dinner," Richard said. His voice was sharp with annoyance. "One of them is already suspicious about everything."
The stranger’s voice was like ice. "This business is delicate, Richard. It wasn't just an issue that could be addressed over the phone. You needed to be there hands-on for the inspection."
I frowned, my mind racing. What business? What inspection? I watched them through the crack in the door, my stomach twisting.
"Fine," Richard snapped. "Did everything go smoothly?"
"Yes," the man replied. He adjusted his cufflink, looking bored. “Everyone selected is well on their way to our benefactors overseas as we speak. As always, your hall provided the kind of discretion required for their transfer.”
The air left my lungs. My knees nearly buckled as the weight of those words hit me. The word transfer echoed in my head, wrong and hollow.
I thought of the locked service elevators. The restricted access. The way Richard had stiffened when the man whispered to him.
This wasn’t logistics.
It was people.
It was happening right here. Somewhere in this very hotel, while I was smiling and eating chocolate and talking about a fake wedding, girls were being moved through the dark corners of the building.
That was the "logistics" Richard had stepped out to attend to. He hadn't been signing paperwork, he had been overseeing a transfer of people.
I didn't wait to hear another word. I backed away, my vision blurring with tears of pure terror. I turned and ran, my heels pounding against the carpet like a drumbeat of panic. I reached the lobby and burst out into the night air, stumbling toward the car.
Cade saw me coming and opened the door before I even reached it. He caught me by the shoulders as I practically fell into the backseat.
"Sloane? What is it? Did you find it?"
I couldn't breathe. I couldn't stop the shaking that had taken over my entire body. I looked at Cade, my face pale and my eyes wide with a fear I couldn't name.
“It wasn’t in the past, Cade,” I whispered. “It’s happening. And it’s happening here.”