But this isn’t about pride.
This is strategy.
I’ve been betrayed too many times by people I loved, people I trusted, people who smiled in my face while pushing me out the door behind my back. I lost my place beside Adrian because I was scared, scared of whispers, of judgment, of being unwanted.
Not this time.
This hotel is mine. My investment. My future. And my son may not be growing up in a palace, but I’ll make damn sure he has a life filled with security, dignity, and love.
My phone rings, jolting me out of my thoughts.
Mom.
I sit up and answer.
“Hey, Mom.”
Her voice sounds tired. Worried. She tells me Dad is fine, but then she sighs and brings up Jacob. My little brother. She says he’s been acting out, skipping classes, and someone told her he’s hanging around the wrong crowd.
