The Carlisle belonged to him.

It was one of seven flagship properties in the hospitality group he had built from nothing over eleven years — before Elowen got sick, before Junie learned to ask why Mommy couldn’t come back down from the sky.

He never announced visits to his own hotels.

He dressed plainly, arrived alone, and watched.

Reports showed you numbers, he liked to say.

The way the staff treated a stranger showed you their character.