Jake stood several feet away, clearly unsettled.
Ryan was at a computer.
“Worse than the complaint file suggested.”
Sarah exhaled.
“Do you want me to move the announcement?”
“Yes.”
“Now?”
“Now.”
“The planned release is in forty-four minutes.”
“Release it.”
“Under Washington Hospitality or the acquisition SPV?”
“Full company name.”
Sarah’s keyboard clicked.
“Anything else?”
“Tell legal to preserve every Grand View lobby camera from seven thirty onward.”
“Done.”
“Preserve reservation records, staff radio logs, front-desk notes, security reports.”
“Okay.”
“Notify Jennifer. I want Victoria Sterling’s administrative authority frozen pending review.”
Sarah paused.
“Not termination?”
“Not from the sidewalk.”
Damon’s jaw tightened.
“I’m angry. That is exactly why I’m not making the final employment decision right now.”
“Understood.”
“Ryan Chen attempted to intervene. Jake Morrison questioned the removal. Make sure nobody retaliates against them.”
“Noted.”
“Also pull every complaint involving guest treatment, selective access, security escalation, race, ethnicity, dress, perceived wealth, or anything categorized as ‘service incompatibility.’”
Sarah was silent for a moment.
“That could be a lot.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
The call ended.
Damon stared at his phone.
He almost called the press team.
Stopped.
Instead, he called Dr. Angela Washington.
No relation.
His therapist for four years.
She answered through the secure service with the calm annoyance of someone whose client usually respected scheduling boundaries.
“Damon?”
“I know.”
“Is somebody dead?”
“No.”
“Then this had better be interesting.”
He laughed once.
It came out rough.
“I did the Grand View assessment.”
“And?”
“They threw me out.”
Silence.
Then:
“How are you?”
“Angry.”
“That’s not the whole answer.”
Damon looked at the marble lobby.
“Humiliated.”
There.
He hated saying it.
Angela did not reassure him too quickly.
“That makes sense.”
“I knew exactly what I was walking into.”
“You suspected.”
“I chose casual clothes.”
“You chose your clothes. You did not choose her behavior.”
“I wanted evidence.”
“And now you have it.”
Damon watched Victoria laughing with a guest.
“I thought I’d feel triumphant.”
Angela’s voice softened.
“You’re still standing outside the place where it happened.”
That sentence landed.
“Call me tomorrow.”
“I have meetings.”
“Damon.”
“I’ll call.”
“Good.”
The line ended.
His phone buzzed.
Sarah.
ANNOUNCEMENT LIVE.
Another buzz.
Jennifer Martinez.
AUTHORITY FREEZE SENT TO PROPERTY AND CORPORATE SYSTEMS. FORMAL INVESTIGATION OPEN.
Then notifications began arriving.
Business networks.
Hospitality trade publications.
Financial news alerts.
WASHINGTON HOSPITALITY GROUP ACQUIRES METROPOLITAN HOTEL HOLDINGS IN $4.2 BILLION TRANSACTION.
Inside the lobby, phones began vibrating.
Damon could almost see the information travel physically through the room.
One guest glanced at his phone.
Then at Damon through the glass.
Back to his phone.
His eyebrows rose.
The tech entrepreneur near the bar stood abruptly.