Chapter 4

Claudia was lounging on the massive king-sized bed, wearing a plush hotel robe. She was admiring her fresh manicure, looking every bit the pampered billionaire heiress I knew she was.

"Tired, Mrs. Montgomery?" I smirked, walking over and kissing her neck.

"Exhausted," Claudia sighed dramatically, leaning into my touch. "Today was so stressful. Hannah really tried to ruin everything. But you were so brave, Jules. So strong."

I puffed out my chest. "I did what I had to do to protect you. To protect the Kensington name."

Claudia smiled, tracing my jawline with a perfectly manicured finger. "And you'll be rewarded for it, darling. First thing tomorrow, we are going to the dealership. I’m buying you that red Ferrari you’ve been drooling over."

"You spoil me."

A sharp knock on the heavy oak door interrupted us.

"Room service," a muffled voice called out.

"Ah, the caviar is here," I said, rubbing my hands together.

I walked to the door and swung it open, ready to play the part of the wealthy husband.

A waiter stood there holding a silver tray. Standing right behind him was the hotel’s General Manager, flanked by two massive, stone-faced security guards.

I frowned. "Is there a problem?"

"Just a minor administrative issue, sir," the manager said smoothly. He stepped into the room without being invited, holding out a portable card reader. "We need to settle the incidental deposit for the suite. A standard hold of twenty thousand dollars."

"Of course," Claudia scoffed from the bed. She reached into her designer purse, pulled out a heavy, matte-black titanium credit card, and tossed it onto the glass coffee table. "Run it."

The manager picked up the card. He slid it through the machine.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The screen flashed red. DECLINED.

The manager raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, Miss Kensington. It seems the card has been declined."

Claudia rolled her eyes, sitting up. "Don't be ridiculous. It's a black card. There is no limit. Your machine is broken. Run it again."

The manager ran it again.

DECLINED.

"Try another one," I said, feeling a tiny prick of annoyance. "Bank error. You know how these things are."

Claudia dug into her purse, her fingers moving a little faster now. She pulled out a platinum Amex. Then a gold Visa.

The manager swiped them both.

DECLINED. DECLINED.

The smug smile finally slid off Claudia’s face. "That... that's impossible."

"Allow me," I said smoothly. I pulled out my own wallet and handed the manager my premium debit card. It was the account where I kept all my savings—over two hundred thousand dollars. "Put it on this."

The manager swiped my card.

DECLINED. INSUFFICIENT FUNDS.

"What? No. Run it again. I have over two hundred thousand dollars in that account!"

"Apparently not, sir," the manager said.

"This is a mistake! Let me check!" I yanked my phone from my pocket, my hands shaking as I opened my mobile banking app. The screen loaded.

I stared at the numbers.

Available Balance: $0.00

"Zero?" I choked out. "Where is my money?! It's all gone!"

"I don't care about your banking issues," the manager interrupted, snapping his fingers. "What I care about is that you are attempting to defraud a five-star hotel."

"We aren't frauds!" Claudia shrieked, clutching her useless black card. "Do you know who I am?!"

"I know you can't pay your bill," the manager sneered.

The two massive security guards stepped forward.

"Hey! Get your hands off me!" I yelled as a guard grabbed my arm, nearly lifting me off the carpet.

"Take off the robes," the manager ordered. "They belong to the hotel. Put your clothes back on. You have exactly two minutes to vacate my penthouse before I call the police."

It was a blur of absolute, suffocating humiliation.

Stripped of the plush silk robes, I was forced back into my rumpled, sweat-stained wedding suit.

Claudia, sobbing hysterically, had to squeeze back into the torn wedding dress she had worn at the church.

The guards marched us out of the suite, shoved us into the elevator, and paraded us straight through the crowded, glittering lobby of the Grand Plaza.

Wealthy guests stopped and stared. I saw them pointing. I heard them whispering behind their hands as we were escorted out like common thieves.

The glass doors slid open.

The guards shoved us forward. I stumbled, my knees hitting the wet pavement hard.

It was pouring rain.

The doors locked behind us.

"What the hell is going on, Claudia?!" I roared over the sound of the thunder, my anger boiling over. "Why are your cards declining? Why is my account empty?!"

"I—I don't know!" Claudia sobbed, shivering violently in the rain, crossing her arms over her chest. "It has to be a bank error! I'll call Paul! I'll fix it, Jules, I swear!"

Before I could scream at her again, a pair of blinding headlights cut through the rain.

A sleek, armored black Maybach glided silently to the curb, stopping inches from my knees.

The tinted window rolled down.

A man in a sharp black suit stepped out, holding a large black umbrella. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a thick, gold-embossed black envelope.

He dropped it onto the wet pavement right at my feet.

"What is this?" I stammered, my hands trembling as I picked it up.

"An invitation," the man said. "To the inauguration gala of the new CEO of the Kensington Empire."

I stared at the gold crest on the envelope. My mind spun. "The new CEO?"

"If you want to know why your money is gone," the man said coldly, stepping back into the Maybach, "you are required to attend."