Chapter 1

I went undercover as a trainee in my own hotel, a secret pact with my fiancé, Greyson, the hotel's General Manager. We were supposed to be building an empire together. But our future ended the moment he chose another woman over me.

He let a manipulative socialite named Imogen terrorize our staff. She deliberately scalded my hand with hot coffee, and when I stood up to her, Greyson publicly humiliated me.

On a speakerphone call with the city's mayor, he demanded I apologize.

"Apologize to Ms. Short," his voice boomed for the entire staff to hear. "This kind of disrespect is unacceptable."

My fiancé, the man I loved, had just ordered me to kneel before the woman who assaulted me.

So I dropped my disguise.

I revealed my true identity as the heiress to the Kerr hotel empire and said, "Greyson Holden, you're fired. Get out of my hotel."

Chapter 1

The secret agreement I had with Greyson-my fiancé, the ambitious General Manager of the Kerr Grand Hotel-was simple. I, Ella Kerr, heiress to the hotel empire, would go undercover as "Ella Casey," a concierge trainee. I would learn the business from the ground up, understand the real workings, the real people. It was supposed to be our pact, a year of shared sacrifice for a lifetime of shared success.

That pact, like so much else, was now ashes.

It ended the moment I realized Greyson valued his image, his career, and his twisted sense of obligation to a manipulative socialite more than he valued my dignity, my well-being, or the integrity of the empire we were supposedly building together.

My first day as Ella Casey was a blur of nervous smiles and hurried instructions. The concierge desk was a hive of activity, a constant symphony of requests, complaints, and rapid-fire solutions. I was just another face in a sea of crisp uniforms, my family name stripped away, my wealth a carefully guarded secret.

"Ella Casey, at your service," I'd practiced in the mirror, my voice carefully devoid of the authority it usually carried.

My purpose was clear, etched into my mind by years of listening to my grandfather, Barron Kerr. "To truly lead, Ella," he'd said, his voice raspy with age but sharp with wisdom, "you must first learn to serve. You must understand the heartbeat of this place, the people who make it pulse."

Greyson had loved the idea. "It's brilliant, Ella," he'd whispered, his eyes gleaming with a kind of shared ambition that felt so real then. "A year, just one year, and you'll have the kind of insight no one else at your level ever gets. We'll be unstoppable." He' d wrapped his arms around me, his breath warm on my neck, making me believe in us.

It felt like forever ago, that feeling. That trust.

Then the quiet hum of the lobby was shattered. A sharp, piercing sound, like glass cracking under immense pressure, sliced through the air. Everyone froze, their heads swiveling towards the main entrance.

A woman stood there, bathed in the afternoon light filtering through the grand archways. Her hair, a perfectly sculpted blonde bob, gleamed like polished gold. Her dress was an impossibly tight, shimmering sheath of sapphire silk, clinging to every curve. Her face, though, was a mask of disdain, her lips a thin, crimson line, her eyes narrowed like a cat watching cornered prey.

Imogen Short.

She moved with an almost predatory grace, her heels clicking loudly on the marble floor. Each step was a statement, each glance a challenge. She reached the main reception desk, her eyes scanning the young woman behind it, then flicked dismissively around the opulent lobby.

"You," she snapped, her voice like a whip, surprisingly loud in the suddenly silent space. "Where's Greyson? I need him."

The young receptionist, bless her heart, tried to maintain her composure. "Ms. Short, Mr. Holden is in a meeting. Do you have an appointment?"

Imogen let out a laugh that was more a sneer. "An appointment? Darling, I am the appointment. Tell him Imogen is here and she expects him, now." She tapped a perfectly manicured finger on the desk, the sound echoing like a drumbeat.

The receptionist, clearly unnerved, stammered, "I... I can try to reach him, Ms. Short, but he specified no interruptions during his current negotiation."

Imogen's eyes darkened. "Negotiation? Is that what he calls avoiding his responsibilities to me? Do you know who I am? Do you know what I mean to Greyson?" Her voice rose, dripping with a venomous entitlement. "Greyson owes me. And he knows it."

My gut tightened. Greyson had vaguely mentioned Imogen, a childhood friend of his late sister, someone he felt a profound obligation to. He' d painted her as fragile, misunderstood, a victim of circumstance. My grandfather had warned me about people like her, the ones who weaponized tragedy.

I watched, my hands clasped tightly behind my back, forcing myself to remain still. My training demanded it. My identity demanded it. But inside, a slow, cold anger began to brew. This wasn't how we treated guests. This wasn't how we treated staff.

"Ma'am, with all due respect," the receptionist tried again, her voice trembling slightly, "we have hotel policies. Mr. Holden is in a crucial meeting with the city mayor regarding the new expansion project. He simply cannot be disturbed."

Imogen slammed her palm flat on the marble counter. The sound cracked through the air. "Policies? Your 'policies' don't apply to me. I need a suite. The penthouse. And I need it arranged for immediate occupancy. My usual suite, the one with the panoramic views. You know the one."

"Ms. Short, the penthouse is currently occupied," the receptionist explained, her voice barely a whisper now. "We have a wonderful executive suite, though, with similar amenities..."

"Don't you dare patronize me!" Imogen shrieked, leaning over the desk, her face contorted in fury. Her voice pierced through the lavish lobby, drawing stares and whispers from nearby guests. "I want my penthouse. Or do I need to remind Greyson exactly who secured that multi-million dollar contract for him last year? Do I need to remind him what happened to his sister? He wouldn't dare cross me!"

That last line hung in the air, a chilling threat wrapped in a thin veil of entitlement. The receptionist visibly flinched, her eyes wide with fear. My muscles tensed, my body screaming to intervene, to remind this woman of decorum, of respect, of basic human decency. But I was Ella Casey, the trainee. I had to hold back. My grandfather's words echoed: Observe, Ella. Learn.

"What are you looking at, you little busybody?" Imogen's gaze snapped from the terrified receptionist to me. Her eyes, cold and sharp, raked over my simple concierge uniform. "Do you have nothing better to do than gawk? Or are you just another useless piece of furniture this hotel hires?"

My jaw clenched. I met her gaze, my expression carefully neutral. "I'm a concierge trainee, ma'am. My job is to assist guests."

"Assist? You think you can assist me?" She let out another derisive laugh, a grating sound that made my teeth ache. "You look like you just graduated from high school. Go fetch me a coffee. A triple-shot, extra-hot, non-fat, no-foam latte. And make it quick. My patience is wearing thin." She pointed a long, bony finger at me, her red nail gleaming. "And don't you dare mess it up. I'll know."

My hands balled into fists behind my back. My heart hammered against my ribs, a wild bird trapped in a cage. Fetch me a coffee. I, Ella Kerr, heiress to the Kerr empire, being ordered around by this parasite. It was an insult, a blatant act of disrespect. But I was Ella Casey. I had a role to play.

"Certainly, ma'am," I said, my voice commendably steady, considering the hurricane raging inside me. I forced a small, polite smile onto my face, the kind we were taught in training. "I'll be right back with that for you."

Her eyes narrowed, as if my politeness was an affront. "Oh, you think you're clever, don't you? So calm, so composed. Let's see how long that lasts." She gestured vaguely at my uniform. "Honestly, Greyson needs to raise his standards. What kind of riff-raff is he hiring these days? Anyone with a pulse and a pretty face? Pathetic."

"Ms. Short, please," a new voice cut in, strained and apologetic. Mr. Davies, the Head Concierge, rushed forward, his face pale with anxiety. He shot me a desperate, pleading look. "Ella is new. We're still training her. I apologize for any inconvenience, ma'am. I'll personally ensure your coffee is made to your exact specifications."

Imogen folded her arms, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips. "Too late, Davies. The little trainee already volunteered. And I want to see if Greyson's new hires can even follow basic instructions." She leaned in conspiratorially, though her voice carried clearly across the quiet lobby. "Unless, of course, you'd prefer to tell Greyson that his special guest was made to wait, and that his staff is incompetent."

Mr. Davies looked like he was about to spontaneously combust. He wrung his hands, his eyes darting between Imogen and me. "No, no, Ms. Short, of course not. Ella, please, just... just get the coffee." His voice was barely a whisper, filled with a desperate urgency.

I nodded, my jaw still tight. This woman was a viper, poisoning the atmosphere, making everyone around her miserable. And Greyson, my fiancé, was enabling it. He had described her as fragile, needing protection. He had never mentioned the sharp teeth, the venomous tongue.

He had lied. Or, at the very least, he had sugarcoated a very bitter truth. What exactly was his relationship with this woman? And more importantly, why was he allowing her to terrorize his staff, to trample on the very values this hotel was built upon? My grandfather's hotel. My hotel.

A cold certainty settled in my stomach. This was more than just a passing annoyance. This was a deeper rot, and I was going to find its source. I would play the trainee, fetch the coffee, endure the humiliation. But I would do it with eyes wide open, watching every move, noting every weakness. Greyson had made a pact with me. It was clear now that he had another, more insidious one with Imogen. And I would expose it.