A printed incident note lay on the desk. Ryan’s text had been saved. The reservation file showed the Mercers had been upgraded through an account Ryan had no authority to touch.

Maya looked at herself in the mirror and saw no trace of the woman Linda expected to see. The woman in the mirror was calm.

That was worse.

At seven, she entered the executive boardroom. The investors rose. The chef paused near the service entrance. Helen gave her a small nod from beside the glass wall.

Below them, on the ocean terrace, the Mercer family had gathered beside the infinity pool. Linda wore a wide sunhat and stood as though the entire coast had been designed to flatter her.

Ashley angled her face toward the photographer. Ryan laughed at something his mother said.