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Chapter 548
Chapter 548:
“Prep the Gulfstream G650 immediately,” Crawford said, his voice clipped and precise. “File a direct flight plan to San Francisco. Then contact my real estate team — I want the best boutique inn in Carmel bought out for the next month. Clear every guest out before she arrives p>
After a six-hour flight and a grueling two-hour drive down the winding Pacific Coast Highway, June finally arrived in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
It was past eight o’clock at night.
She had imagined warm California air and the last embers of a golden coastal sunset. Instead, she was met by a rare and brutal Pacific cold front. Freezing, torrential rain lashed the cobblestone streets, driving in sideways off the water.
June hauled her silver Rimowa over the uneven stones, moving through a part of town with no streetlights. The icy rain soaked through her trench coat within minutes, chilling her straight to the bone. Her teeth chattered without stopping.
By the time she found the Cliffside Breeze — the high-end boutique inn she had booked online — she was running on nothing.
It was a beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival building. But as she pushed through the heavy wooden doors, she noticed something unsettling. The lobby was completely empty. For a Friday night, the silence was unnatural, almost theatrical.
The inn’s owner emerged from a back office at the sound of the door. She took in June’s dripping, exhausted state and held her expression in perfect professional composure, though her eyes carried a flicker of sharp, focused attention.
“Good evening,” the owner said smoothly. “You must be Ms. Erickson. We’ve been expecting you.” She gave a quiet nod, and a porter materialized from somewhere to take June’s soaking suitcase without being asked.
June shivered, pulling her wet coat tighter. She reached for her credit card.
𝘙𝗲a𝘥 𝘧𝗿𝘦𝘦 𝗇o𝘷𝘦𝗅𝗌 𝗼𝘯
“Why is it so empty?” she asked, her voice trembling from the cold.
The owner’s smile held without effort. She gestured toward the storm beyond the windows. “A series of last-minute cancellations due to the weather advisory, I’m afraid. It seems you’re our only guest brave enough to make the journey tonight p>
She made no move to take the credit card. Instead, she placed a heavy brass key on the counter.
“Given the circumstances, we’ve taken the liberty of upgrading you to our presidential ocean-view suite. We hope it makes your stay more comfortable.” The offer was delivered with the seamless efficiency of a five-star property — warm, final, and leaving no room for argument.
June was too depleted to question any of it. Her head had begun to pound. She thanked the woman and dragged herself up the stairs.
When she unlocked the suite, a wave of heat rolled over her face. The room had been pre-warmed, a fire already roaring in the stone fireplace and filling the space with the deep, comforting smell of burning pine.
She peeled off her soaked clothes and stood under a scalding shower until the shivering slowed.
But the damage was already done. Weeks of compounding emotional trauma, layered beneath the exhaustion of the flight and the punishment of the freezing rain, had finally broken through her immune system’s last defenses.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, the room tilted violently around her.