Chapter 3

"Thank you for the offer, Mark," Sarah said, her voice steady. "But I'm not looking for a job."

Mark raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So what are you doing in that fetching uniform? Charity work?"

Chloe snorted.

"I'm married," Sarah stated simply.

A flicker of surprise crossed Mark' s face, quickly replaced by amusement.

"Married?" he echoed. "To whom? The night manager of this hotel?"

Chloe joined in. "Did you finally find someone desperate enough, Sarah? Or perhaps someone equally... troubled?"

Their laughter was sharp, cruel.

Sarah ignored their taunts.

She reached for the delicate chain around her neck, hidden beneath her jacket.

She pulled out the platinum locket.

It was a unique piece, custom-designed by Julian. Small, elegant, but with a weight that spoke of its quality.

Embossed on its surface was a miniature version of his family' s insignia – discreet, almost invisible to the untrained eye, but instantly recognizable in the circles Mark so desperately wanted to join.

"My husband is Julian Vance," Sarah said, her voice clear and calm.

She held up the locket slightly.

For a second, there was silence.

Mark stared at the locket, then at her face.

Then he burst out laughing.

A loud, derisive laugh that drew even more attention.

Chloe quickly followed, her laughter high-pitched and mocking.

"Julian Vance?" Mark choked out between laughs. "You? Married to Julian Vance? Sarah, you really have lost it."

"She's delusional!" Chloe shrieked, clutching Mark's arm as if for support from the sheer absurdity of it. "She's trying to use Mr. Vance's name!"

Mark' s amusement turned nasty. "You think dropping a name like Julian Vance will impress me? Or scare me? He' s a man I respect, someone I' m hoping to partner with. And you' re here, claiming to be his wife?"

He scoffed. "You' re pathetic, Sarah. Are you trying to win me back by pretending you' ve landed someone important? Or are you trying to sabotage my evening, my career, by associating me with your crazy fantasies?"

The onlookers were now openly staring, whispering.

"She said Julian Vance!"

"Is she insane?"

"Mark Olsen looks furious."

Sarah didn't flinch. "It's the truth."

"The truth?" Mark' s face contorted with rage. "You' re a liar and a fantasist! Just like you were five years ago!"

He lunged forward.

Before Sarah could react, his hand shot out and grabbed her arm, his fingers digging into her flesh like talons.

"You think you can come here and spread your lies?" he snarled, his face inches from hers.

His other hand snatched at the locket.

"Let me see this 'proof'!"

Sarah gasped as he yanked the chain. Pain seared her neck.

"Mark, stop it!"

"This is a cheap fake!" he spat, twisting the locket in his fingers. "You probably stole it!"

His grip on her arm tightened, bruising.

"You're going to ruin everything for me with your delusions!"

Chloe egged him on. "She's trying to cause a scene, Mark! Get rid of her!"

Enraged by her calm defiance, by what he saw as her blatant, insane lie, Mark' s control snapped.

He shoved her hard.

Sarah stumbled back, hitting a serving trolley laden with glasses.

It crashed to the floor with a deafening shatter.

Silence.

Then, chaos.

"What's going on here?" a security guard shouted, pushing through the crowd.

Mark, his face flushed, pointed at Sarah. "This woman! She' s harassing me! She' s delusional, claiming to know Julian Vance! She needs to be removed!"

Chloe added, "She assaulted Mark! We saw it!"

Sarah, breathless, tried to straighten up. Her neck throbbed where he' d pulled the locket. It was still there, thankfully.

Mark grabbed her arm again, rougher this time.

"You're not going anywhere," he hissed, his eyes blazing. "We're not done with you. You're going to learn a lesson about spreading lies."

He started dragging her towards a service corridor, Chloe following closely, a venomous look on her face.

"Let go of me!" Sarah protested, but his grip was iron.

"We'll just keep you somewhere quiet until after the gala," Mark said, a cruel twist to his lips. "Then we'll decide what to do with you and your little stories."

He shoved her through a heavy door into a dimly lit, cluttered back room.

A storage area, smelling of stale food and cleaning chemicals.

The door slammed shut behind them, plunging Sarah into near darkness.

She heard a key turn in the lock.

Trapped.