Maya smiled for the first time that day. Not because she was happy — because the facts had finally arrived. She typed back with steady thumbs.

Everything as planned. And upgrade the Mercer family to the Presidential Villa.

The guard’s radio crackled. He touched his earpiece, and his posture changed as he listened. Then he looked at her with new uncertainty. “Ms. Arden?”

Maya handed him her driver’s license. He read it, and the color drained from his face. “Ma’am,” he said softly. “This entire resort is registered under your name.”

Maya looked down the driveway where the van had disappeared. Ryan and his family believed they’d thrown her out. They’d only managed to throw themselves deeper into her jurisdiction.

The guard straightened as if the pavement beneath him had become a courtroom. “Would you like me to escort you inside, Ms. Arden?”