Filed to story: Watch Out, I’m The Lady Boss (Eleanor & Sebastian) Book PDF Free
Bruce didn’t look at us.
He looked at the couple.
Then he said, “I’m afraid I can’t authorize that.”
“You’re kidding,” Yvaine muttered.
“They’re accusing my son of theft!” the man said.
“One damn headset and they’re screaming twelve grand. It’s a shakedown! Bruce, throw them out.”
I didn’t look away.
“We never said your son stole anything. But if that’s where your brain went, that’s not on me.”
Yvaine folded her arms.
“Mine had cartoon prints all over it. Maybe the kid liked it and grabbed it. If you hand them over now, I won’t call the police.”
I turned back to Bruce.
“This isn’t complicated. Just check the footage.”
He didn’t budge.
“I have to protect the guests” privacy.”
“Guests or your friends?” I asked.
“You’ve been swapping glances with them since we got here.”
Bruce cleared his throat.
“Mr. Happy is a VIP. I would be remiss in my duties if I allowed a misunderstanding to upset such a valuable client.”
Happy-seriously? Didn’t he find that ironic?-smirked.
“I’ve seen this scam before. Create drama, pretend some flashy thing’s missing, demand money. You think I’m falling for that?”
I narrowed my eyes.
“We don’t want your money. We just want the damn headset.”
Bruce’s lips pinched.
“If you keep disturbing other guests, I’ll have to call security.”
“Please do,” I said.
“I’d love to see you explain why you refused to check footage when a guest reported stolen property.”
The kid snickered behind his mother’s legs.
Then I noticed the bulge in his fist.
His palm was clenched around something white and round, with a glossy case and cartoon stickers-the exact ones I’d helped Yvaine apply this morning.
Talk about getting caught red-handed.
“Don’t bother with the cameras,” I said.
“He’s holding “
Yvaine stepped forward.
“Give me what’s in your hand. Now.”
The mother shrieked and slapped her forearm hard enough to leave a red mark.
“You psycho! He’s a child! You can’t just grab him like that!”
The boy wailed, loud, red-faced, crocodile tears.
The manager turned to us.
“You’re disrupting business. If this continues, we will call the police.”
He said that to us, not the couple or the thief.
I clenched my jaw.
“Go ahead. Please. Call them.”
The doors at the front of the restaurant swung open.
A man walked in. (1
Black windbreaker, gray joggers, trainers.
The tension in my shoulders dropped on instinct.
Sebastian’s eyes flicked over me once, checking.
I gave a small nod, telling him I was fine.
He turned to the manager.
“If I hadn’t shown up, I wouldn’t have known my hotel’s being run by someone like this.” 1
Bruce Zed went pale under his tan.
He stammered, tried to smile.
“Sir, I-I didn’t realize-
Another man jogged in from the back, out of breath.
“Mr. Laurent! Apologies! I was in a meeting.”He skidded to a stop next to Sebastian, hand out, back slightly bent, smile too eager.
“I’m Carter Kairo, general manager.”
Sebastian didn’t take his hand.
Carter held the pose for a beat, then dropped his arm and cleared his throat.
“We’ll handle this right away.”
Sebastian was still staring down Bruce.
“You’ve got one hour. I want to know exactly what ties he’s got to this family. Then fire him.”
Carter nodded like his head was about to fall off.
“Yes, sir. Of course, sir. I’ll look into it personally.”
Bruce staggered back a step and caught himself on a table.
The brat’s dad cleared his throat.
“We didn’t mean any trouble. This girl here-“
Sebastian cut him off.
“That girl is my wife.”
Silence,
Sebastian turned back to Carter.
“If she ever has a single problem here again, you’re out.”
“Of course. Yes. Absolutely, I understand.”
The boy cowered behind his mum’s legs, suddenly nerves.
Sebastian held out a hand.
The simple gesture made the boy flinch.
He handed over the case without a word.
Sebastian picked it up and passed it to Yyaine.
She took it and slid it into her bag.
“You good?” Sebastian asked her.
Yvaine nodded.
He turned back to me, held out his hand.
I took it.
We walked out together, not looking back.
The second we were past the revolving door, Cassian came up, wagging an invisible tail and beaming at Yvaine.
I asked Sebastian, “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you.” Then he added in a lower voice, “The bed feels empty without you in it.”
“Oh.” My heart fluttered a little.
“Okay, so, where you headed now?”He looked at me like I was about to abandon him.