Chapter 1 - TABLE SEVEN WAS NEVER ABOUT THE AFFAIR
Arturo recovered first.
He always did.
“Mariana, sit down.”
She almost smiled.
He was still giving orders.
Camila stared at the white linen tablecloth.
Mariana pulled out the third chair.
“I’ll stand.”
Arturo lowered his voice.
“Don’t make a spectacle of yourself.”
A waiter approached with a silver tray.
On it sat one envelope.
Arturo frowned.
“What is that?”
Mariana nodded toward it.
“Your hotel bill.”
He laughed.
Then opened it.
The color left his face.
The total was not the problem.
Below the charges was a notice.
PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION DECLINED — CORPORATE PRIVILEGES SUSPENDED.
Arturo looked at Mariana.
“You canceled my card?”
“No.”
“Then who did?”
“Your company.”
Camila finally looked up.
Arturo’s employer had frozen his executive account twenty minutes earlier after receiving a compliance report from Mariana’s attorney.
Arturo pushed back his chair.
“You contacted my board?”
“I sent documents to people entitled to see them.”
“What documents?”
Octavio appeared behind her.
“Perhaps start with the invoices from Velasco Hospitality Consulting.”
Arturo stopped moving.
Camila whispered, “What’s Velasco?”
Mariana watched him.
That was the first useful reaction of the evening.
Not anger.
Fear.
Arturo stood.
“We’re leaving.”
Sergio Molina, the hotel manager, stepped into his path.
“Mr. Ledesma, your room is currently sealed.”
Arturo stared.
“You can’t seal my room.”
Sergio looked toward Mariana.
She said nothing.
Arturo understood.
“What did you find?”
Octavio placed a photograph on the table.
It showed a leather document case inside the presidential suite.
The initials on the case were not Arturo’s.
They belonged to Héctor Salgado, chief financial officer of Arturo’s company.
Héctor had reported that case stolen six months earlier.
Camila slowly stood.
“Arturo… why was that in our room?”
Arturo looked at her.
Then at Mariana.
Then toward the exit.
May you like
And ran.
