He picked up on the second ring.
“Hey, sweetheart. Everything okay?”
I closed my eyes for a second.
“You’re lying!”
“Dad… I need your help.”
There was a pause on the other end.
“What happened, Tina?”
“I think you were right about David. I shouldn’t have let him back in.”
Then I told him everything.
About Chloe, Sandra, and the folder with the documents.
When I finished, there was silence.
Then my dad exhaled slowly. “Bring that folder to me tomorrow. I’ve got a friend who runs a private investigation firm. I’ll have him look into this tonight.”
“Dad… I need your help.”
“What do I do until then?”
“You act like everything’s normal,” my dad said. “Don’t sign anything or confront him. If he’s planning something, we need proof.”
“Okay.”
“And Tina?” he said.
“Yeah?”
“You’re not alone in this.”
That helped more than I expected.
***
When I went back inside, Sandra was gone. The conference room was empty.
“You’re not alone in this.”
Before heading back upstairs, I stopped by the hotel bar.
“Bottle of champagne,” I told the bartender. “And a charcuterie platter.”
If David was watching me closely, I needed to look normal, happy even.
By the time I got back to the room, I had my expression under control.
David was sitting on the edge of the bed when I walked in.
“There you are. I was wondering where you went.”
