Chapter 6 - FAMILY BLEEDING
The woman stepped out of the elevator, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.
Helena Vance—Ethan’s estranged stepmother and the senior vice-president of the Vance Hospitality board—carried herself with cold, ruthless sophistication. Yet beneath her immaculate makeup, a deep, volatile tension flickered in her eyes.
"Ethan," Helena said, her voice smooth, controlled, but laced with a sharp underlying edge. "What a surprise. We weren't expecting you in Colorado until late tomorrow."
"Clearly," Ethan replied, his dark eyes locking onto the document briefcase in her hand. "Which is why my reservation was scrubbed from the main system three hours ago. You didn't want the hotel owner in the building tonight."
Helena’s eyes drifted down to the sleeping six-year-old girl held securely in Ethan’s arm, then to the worn, button-eyed stuffed rabbit clutched in Lily’s small hand. A subtle, painful flicker of memory crossed Helena’s hardened face, but she instantly suppressed it.
"This is a board matter, Ethan," Helena said coldly, taking two steps toward him. "The Colorado Springs property is undergoing an emergency audit tonight. You shouldn't have brought Sarah’s child here. She ought to be at home, in bed."
At the mention of her mother’s name, Lily’s long eyelashes fluttered open again. She rubbed her face against Ethan’s neck, her groggy eyes drifting over to Helena.
"Daddy..." Lily whimpered softly, pulling her stuffed rabbit closer to her chest. "Is that the lady who took Mommy’s pictures away from the house?"
The lobby went dead silent.
Claire and Lupita held their breath behind the reception counter. Mercer looked down at the floor, unable to meet anyone's gaze.
Ethan’s jaw clenched so hard the muscles along his throat turned to stone. He lowered his face to Lily’s ear, his voice dropping into an incredibly tender, protective whisper.
"Go back to sleep, baby," Ethan whispered softly. "Daddy has everything under control."
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He looked up at Helena, his eyes burning with an intense, quiet rage that made the security guard beside her instinctively shift his foot into a defensive stance.
"You spent six months trying to erase Sarah from this company after she passed," Ethan said, his deep voice vibrating through the crystal chandeliers above. "And tonight, you tried to lock her daughter out of the room Sarah designed herself."
