Axel looked down at Nia.
"Are you hurt?" Axel asked. His voice was low and carefully controlled.
Nia shook her head. She took a polite but firm step back. She maintained her personal space.
"I'm fine," Nia said. "Thank you for the intervention." Her tone was strictly professional.
Axel's jaw tightened slightly. A sharp pang of disappointment hit his chest at her deliberate distance. He gave a curt nod.
Before Axel could speak again, the sharp clacking of heels echoed through the garage.
Cortney stormed out of the VIP elevator. Her eyes scanned the concrete pillars frantically.
Cortney spotted Axel. She immediately put on a sickeningly sweet smile.
"Axel!" Cortney called out, her voice dripping with a cloying, artificial sweetness. "My dear half-brother. I didn't expect to see you slumming it down here. What are you doing in the garage?"
Axel did not even look at Cortney. His jaw clenched in visible disgust. He kept his eyes on Nia.
Cortney's smile faltered. Her gaze shifted. It finally landed on Nia.
Cortney's face twisted into an ugly sneer.
"You," Cortney spat. "Are you stalking Coby? You pathetic, obsessed stalker."
Nia rolled her eyes. She lifted her clipboard.
"I am here for a commercial delivery," Nia stated.
Nia turned away. She walked toward the service elevator. She had no interest in this toxic environment.
Cortney's face flushed red. Enraged by being ignored, she followed Nia closely.
"You don't walk away from me!" Cortney shouted.
Axel signaled Andrae with a single, sharp look. Andrae nodded. He discreetly followed the two women to ensure Nia's safety.
Nia stepped out of the service hallway. She entered the opulent main lobby of The Plaza Hotel. The crystal chandeliers cast a warm, golden glow over the marble floor.
Cortney trailed right behind her.
"Security!" Cortney demanded loudly. "Throw this trash out of the hotel!"
Geraldine Sinclair stood near the concierge desk. She held a glass of champagne, schmoozing with three older socialites.
Geraldine heard the commotion. She turned her head. Her eyes locked onto Nia.
Geraldine's expression shifted instantly. The cold calculation vanished. A mask of fake, tragic maternal concern fell over her features.
Geraldine rushed over. She reached out to grab Nia's hands.
"Nia! My poor, misguided stepdaughter," Geraldine cried out.
Nia violently snatched her hands away. She stepped back as if burned by fire.
The surrounding hotel guests stopped talking. The socialites turned their heads. The lobby fell into a hushed silence to watch the drama.
Geraldine forced a single tear to fall.
"How could you abandon the family during our bankruptcy?" Geraldine lamented loudly. "We needed you."
Nia let out a cold, sharp laugh. The sound cut through the lobby's silence like a blade.
Nia raised her voice. She ensured every socialite in a twenty-foot radius could hear her perfectly.
"I didn't abandon the family," Nia said clearly. "I left because you stole my father's assets."
Geraldine's fake tears stopped instantly. Her face flushed a deep, angry red.
"You drained the trust fund into your Cayman Islands offshore account," Nia stated. "Account ending in 4409."
The socialites gasped. They began whispering furiously. Several pulled out their phones to text the gossip.
Geraldine glared at Nia. The maternal mask slipped completely. Pure, unadulterated hatred burned in her eyes.
