The words were simple, but the effect on the people around us was immediate.
Bianca’s face lost color.
Daniel turned toward her.
“Why would she need an invitation?”
Bianca opened her mouth, then closed it.
I watched her carefully. Her confidence had not disappeared entirely. Beneath the panic, there was still a stubborn certainty, as though she believed she possessed a fact more powerful than anything Daniel could say.
“She isn’t the woman listed in the family suite,” Bianca said at last.
Daniel stared at her.
“What family suite?”
“The one upstairs.”
His confusion looked genuine.
That mattered.
Before anyone could continue, Daniel’s phone buzzed. He glanced down, and the blood seemed to drain from his face.
“Excuse me.”
He turned away and answered.
“Yes?”
He listened for several seconds.
“No, that can’t be right. The facility renewal was approved last week.”
Another pause.
“What compliance review?”
