STANDARD LEVEL ACCESS ONLY

She tried again, harder this time, like irritation might convince the system to change its mind.

Aunt Marcy held up her own key. “That can’t be right. We were upgraded.”

The bellman checked his device and gave the polished smile of a man who had already seen enough rich-family nonsense for one day.

“Ma’am,” he said, “your room category is standard. Garden view.”

Marcy’s face tightened instantly.

“No, that’s wrong. We have suites.”

The bellman didn’t flinch. “Suites are available at an additional rate.”

Lila’s head snapped toward me just as I walked over, calm and unhurried.

My mother turned too, already irritated. “Kate, something’s wrong.”

“Is there?” I asked.

Lila’s voice sharpened. “You’re not funny. Fix it.”

Marcy turned to the bellman. “Call your manager.”

He nodded with visible relief and stepped away.

A few minutes later, a woman in a navy blazer approached with the kind of composed confidence that only comes from actual decision-making power. Her name tag read:

DANIELLE PRICE — REGIONAL MANAGER

“Good afternoon,” Danielle said smoothly. “I understand there’s a concern regarding room categories and resort credits.”

Marcy launched into a dramatic explanation before anyone else could speak.

“Yes, there’s obviously been a mistake. This is a family memorial trip. We were upgraded. We have ten people. This is incredibly inappropriate.”

Danielle glanced at her tablet, then lifted her eyes to me.

“Ms. Summers?”

“Yes.”

Her tone softened slightly. “You’re the primary contract holder for this reservation. The changes were made under your authorization approximately twenty minutes ago.”

Lila spun toward me. “What changes?”

My mother’s face changed too—less anger now, more confusion. “Kate… what did you do?”

I kept my voice level.

“I corrected the reservation to what I originally purchased.”

Marcy let out a sound somewhere between disbelief and offense. “But we upgraded!”

“You requested upgrades,” I replied. “You didn’t pay for them.”

Lila scoffed. “It was a perk. The resort offered it.”

Danielle stepped in before I had to.

“To clarify,” she said, “the upgrade requests were entered under a guest profile associated with the reservation, but the payment method on file did not authorize the additional charges. The suite placements were temporary holds. Those holds have now been released.”

Lila stared at her. “So our suites are gone?”

“Yes,” Danielle said simply. “And the premium dining and activity credits attached to the upgraded package have also been removed per Ms. Summers’ request.”

Aunt Marcy’s voice rose instantly. “You can’t do that! This is a family trip!”

Danielle’s expression didn’t shift even slightly.