Chapter 5 - The First Domino Falls
The morning in Miami was not as bright as the day before.
Luca woke up to a room that felt uncomfortably quiet.
The air conditioning had been turned off.
His phone was blowing up with notifications,
but none of them were good.
Insufficient Funds.
Account Locked.
Your Employment Has Been Terminated.
He sat up,
his head throbbing from the champagne.
“It’s just a glitch,”
he muttered to himself,
rubbing his eyes.
“Jessi’s just throwing a tantrum.
She’ll calm down.”
He reached for the bedside phone to order coffee,
but there was no dial tone.
A moment later,
there was a sharp knock at the door.
It wasn't the maid.
It was two large men in suits,
accompanied by the hotel manager.
“Mr.
Vance,”
the manager said,
his voice like ice.
“There seems to be an issue with your payment method.
The credit card on file has been revoked,
and the secondary authorization was declined.”
“I’ll fix it,”
Luca said,
trying to channel his usual bravado.
“My wife probably just moved some funds around.
She’s...
it’s a business thing.”
“We’ve already contacted the company listed on your reservation,”
the manager replied.
“They informed us that you are no longer an authorized representative and that they will not be covering any expenses incurred after midnight.”
Luca felt a cold sinkhole open in his stomach.
“What?”
“You have thirty minutes to vacate the suite,”
the manager continued.
“We have already taken the liberty of locking the mini-bar.
Any items remaining in the room after thirty minutes will be held until the balance of twelve thousand dollars is settled.”
“Twelve thousand?”
Luca gasped.
“The dinner,”
the manager reminded him.
“The spa treatments your mother and sister ordered this morning.
The penthouse upgrade.”
Luca scrambled for his phone,
his fingers trembling as he dialed Jessi’s number.
Voice mail.
He dialed again.
Voice mail.
He tried Evelyn.
Blocked.
He turned to see Wendy and Stephanie standing in the doorway of their connecting room,
looking pale and disheveled.
“Luca,
the TV isn't working,”
Stephanie whined.
“And my card wouldn't let me buy that bag this morning.”
“Shut up,
Steph!”
Luca snapped,
his facade finally cracking.
“We have to go.
Now.”
They packed in a frenzy,
shoving clothes into suitcases.
They fled down the service elevator to avoid the lobby,
but the humiliation was only beginning.
When they reached the valet,
their rental car was gone.
“The rental agency picked it up an hour ago,”
the valet told them,
smirking.
“Reported as a breach of contract.”
They were standing on the sidewalk of Miami Beach,
surrounded by expensive luggage they couldn't afford to tip anyone to carry,
with no way to get to the airport.
“Call her,
Luca!”
Wendy hissed,
clutching her silk robe.
“Call that girl and tell her to stop this nonsense immediately!
How dare she treat us like this?”
“I can't!”
Luca yelled,
turning on his mother.
“She isn't answering!
She’s gone dark!”
He looked up at the sun,
which was now hidden behind a thick bank of gray clouds.
He thought of the mansion in Boulder.
That was his only leverage.
He still had the house.
He still had the keys.
“We’re going back,”
Luca said,
his voice low and desperate.
“We’ll find a way to the airport.
We’ll get home.
Once we’re inside the gates,
she can't touch us.
It’s our house.
I’ll change the codes again.
I’ll sue her for emotional distress.”
He didn't realize that as he spoke,
three thousand miles away,
a locksmith was removing the very keypad he was banking on.
He didn't know that a new deed had been filed at the county clerk’s office.
He didn't know that Jessi was currently sitting in a warm kitchen,
feeding her daughter,
watching the sunset over a mountain range he would never see from that balcony again.
The first domino had fallen.
The rest were lined up,
May you like
waiting for the wind to change.
And the wind was blowing very,
