# Chapter 5: Ashes of the Past
The hospital room smelled of bleach and sterile cotton.
Evelyn stared at the rhythmic green line on the fetal monitor.
The steady heartbeat filled the quiet room.
Adrian sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair beside her bed.
He had not let go of her hand for three hours.
“The doctor said the bleeding was caused by severe stress,” Adrian murmured.
He brought her knuckles to his lips.
“You need bed rest.”
“I need answers,” Evelyn corrected him.
She looked at the ceiling.
“If my mother was murdered to cover up a crime at the Vale Resort, I need to know why.”
Adrian sighed.
“My father’s private investigators spent years looking into it.”
He looked defeated.
“They found nothing.”
“They were looking at it from the perspective of a billionaire,” Evelyn said.
She turned her head to look at him.
“They weren’t looking at it from the perspective of the staff.”
Adrian frowned.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Hotel staff are invisible, Adrian,” she explained.
“We hear everything.”
“We see everything.”
“People in expensive suits don’t lower their voices when a waitress walks by.”
Evelyn squeezed his hand.
“Before my mother died, she gave me a shoebox full of old pay stubs and employee handbooks.”
Adrian’s eyes widened.
“Where is that box?” he asked.
“It is in my apartment,” Evelyn said.
“The one I rented after I left you.”
Adrian stood up immediately.
“I will send a security team to get it right now,” he said.
He reached for his phone.
Before he could dial, a heavy knock sounded at the hospital room door.
The door swung open.
Charles Vale stood in the doorway.
Two large men in dark suits flanked him.
“Hello, Evelyn,” Charles said smoothly.
Adrian stepped in front of the bed, shielding her from view.
“Get out,” Adrian growled.
Charles smiled thinly.
“I only came to offer my condolences,” Charles said.
“For what?” Adrian snapped.
May you like
Charles tilted his head.
“For the fire that just burned Evelyn’s apartment building to the ground.”
