Chapter 28: And Then, It Begins
At the lobby, Anita saw her dear husband devouring the distance like a man marching to war – shoulders squared, jaw clenched, fire dancing in his eyes.
She didn’t stop him. Didn’t hide from him either. But he was so preoccupied, so tunnel-visioned on whatever performance he was about to give upstairs, that he failed to notice her standing right there – calm, poised, a storm in silk heels.
Let him keep charging into battle without realizing the war had already shifted.
Instead of leaving, Anita turned on her heel and walked over to the concierge desk with quiet purpose. The receptionist, a young woman barely out of college, straightened nervously the second she met Anita’s gaze.
"I’d like to lay a formal complaint," Anita said smoothly, her voice dipped in grace and iron. "About your VIP policies. And your failure to vet your guest lists properly."
The girl blinked. "Ma’am, I–I’m so sorry. Can I ask what happened?"
Anita smiled politely, but her eyes didn’t. "When I dine in the VIP, it comes with the reservation of the floor. If I wanted uninvited guests, I’d dine elsewhere."
Her voice was calm, even pleasant but each word landed like a blade.
The girl paled. They had let Mrs. Eleanor in because she was Anita’s mother-in-law. Everyone knew Anita was fond of Eleanor and Charlotte. And something like this used to happen in the past. But now... it seemed they’d misunderstood the nature of that fondness.