Chapter 77
Chapter 77:
Cole stood frozen in the center of the lobby, watching the metal doors slide shut on her cold, expressionless face — alone with a rage he could no longer contain.
The lobby fell into a dead silence.
Alycia scrambled up from the floor, her face flushed with humiliation. She limped toward Cole, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Cole! Why did you push me?” she cried, reaching for his hand. “My ankle is killing me. You need to take me to the clinic p>
W𝘦e𝗸ly 𝘳𝗲𝘭𝗲𝖺s𝘦ѕ 𝘰𝘯
Cole turned his head slowly to look at her. His eyes were completely devoid of warmth — no guilt, no remorse, only disgust.
“Take her away,” he barked at the two resort security guards standing nearby.
Alycia gasped. “What? Cole, no p>
“If you keep faking that injury,” Cole said, his voice like crushed ice, “I will have a doctor put a real cast on your leg. Get out of my sight p>
Alycia’s mouth fell open. The illusion of her power over him shattered in an instant. The guards stepped forward, grabbed her by the arms, and pulled her toward the exit.
Cole did not watch her leave. He turned and walked straight to the front desk.
The manager was trembling behind the computer.
Cole slammed his black Centurion card onto the marble counter. It landed with a sharp crack.
“I want the master keycard to the east wing penthouse,” he said. “Now p>
The manager swallowed hard. “Sir, I cannot do that. It violates guest privacy policies. Dr. Erickson is registered in that room p>
Cole did not argue. He pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and put it on speaker.
“Your manager at Emerald Cove is refusing to give me a key to my wife’s room,” Cole said to the CEO of the resort’s parent company. “Fix it, or I pull my investment fund out of your hotel group tomorrow morning p>
Ten seconds later, the manager’s desk phone rang.
He picked it up, turned pale, and hung up. With shaking hands, he retrieved a black plastic card from a locked drawer and placed it on the counter.
Cole snatched the card, walked to the elevator, and pressed the button for the top floor.
Inside the penthouse suite, June had already locked the heavy wooden door.
She walked into the bathroom, carefully unbuttoned Silas’s large shirt, and let it drop to the floor. Standing in front of the mirror in only her underwear, she reached for the tube of burn cream on the counter. The blistered skin along the edges of her shoulder needed another application.
Beep. Click.
The sound of the electronic door lock disengaging echoed through the quiet suite.
June froze.
She spun around just as the bathroom door was pushed open.
Cole stood in the doorway, looking like a demon stepping out of the shadows. He moved inside and slammed the door behind him, turning the lock.
June snatched a thin white towel from the rack and clutched it against her chest, holding it carefully to avoid pressing against the raw burns on her back.
“How did you get in here?” she demanded, her voice shaking with anger. “Get out. This is my room p>