The Grand Atrium was a blinding sea of camera flashes and glaring studio lights. The cavernous hall, usually reserved for global summits and charity galas, was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with journalists, bloggers, and corporate vultures.

At the center of the chaos stood Serena Vance.

She grippe

The heavy oak doors of the press hall shuddered against the walls, the violent echo silencing the room instantly. The collective gasp of fifty seasoned journalists sucked the air from the cavernous space. Camera shutters ceased. Whispers died in throats.

Down the center aisle walked Clara Vance, h

Total bedlam consumed the press hall.

Journalists were shouting over one another, shoving microphones toward the stage, their questions blurring into a chaotic roar. Camera operators angled for the perfect shot of Serena Vance—the former darling of the hospitality world—crumpled on the floor, weep