CHAPTER 1 — The First Lockout
CHAPTER 1 — The First Lockout
Marcus didn’t understand at first.
When he returned to the hotel that night, he walked in like he always had—confident, untouchable, entitled.
But the doors didn’t open for him.
The system beeped once.
Then red light.
ACCESS DENIED
He frowned. “Technical issue,” he muttered.
Behind him, his mistress—still wearing Isabella’s silk robe—laughed nervously.
Inside, chaos had already begun.
The general manager met him in the lobby, pale-faced, trembling.
“Sir… I need to ask you to step outside.”
Marcus froze. “Do you know who I am?”
The manager swallowed hard.
“Yes. And I’ve just been informed… you are no longer authorized anywhere in this property.”
Marcus laughed.
A sharp, arrogant sound.
Until security stepped forward.
Not hotel security.
Corporate security.
Men in black suits holding digital revocation orders with Isabella’s family seal stamped across every page.
May you like
That was the first time Marcus felt something unfamiliar crawl into his chest.
Uncertainty.
