Trina heard the order. Her knees gave out, and she collapsed onto the thick carpet of the hallway.
"No, please!" Trina cried, reaching out to grab Cari's leg.
The two security guards moved instantly. They grabbed Trina by the arms and dragged her to the side of the hallway, pinning her against the wall.
Cari brushed her pant leg in disgust.
She turned her attention back to Hamlin and Cody, who were still frozen in place.
Harper Zamora's face cycled through shades of pale white and angry red.
She could not process that the dirt beneath her shoes had just become the owner of the building.
Harper lifted her chin, trying to hold onto her pride as the real daughter. She let out a cold huff, turned around, and signaled her followers to leave.
"Stop," Cari said.
The word was quiet, but it carried a heavy, crushing weight.
The two security guards immediately released Trina and stepped sideways, forming a solid wall that blocked Harper's exit.
Cari turned to Palmer, who was still sweating nervously.
"Go get the bill for their VIP room," Cari ordered.
Palmer wiped his forehead with his sleeve and ran to the nearest terminal.
He came back a minute later, his hands shaking as he held a long, printed receipt.
"The total comes to... eighteen dollars, Boss," Palmer said respectfully.
Eighteen dollars. In Cari's original world, that was one hundred and eighty thousand dollars. In this world, it was a fortune that could bankrupt a normal family.
Cari took the receipt.
She walked over to Hamlin and slapped the paper hard against his chest.
"Pay your bill," Cari demanded.
Hamlin looked down at the massive number on the paper. His whole body began to shake.
If he emptied every bank account he had, he wouldn't even have a single dollar.
"I... I didn't organize this!" Hamlin stammered, pointing a shaking finger at Cody. "Cody wanted to come here! He should pay!"
Cody's face twisted in rage.
"You broke parasite!" Cody screamed at Hamlin. "You booked this room to show off for Harper!"
The two of them started pushing each other in the hallway, their expensive suits wrinkling as they fought to escape the debt.
The other rich kids quickly backed away, holding their hands up.
"We just came to eat," one of them said quickly. "We aren't paying a single cent."
The tight circle of wealthy friends crumbled into a pathetic, screaming mess over eighteen dollars.
Hamlin realized he was trapped. He turned to Harper, looking at her with desperate, pleading eyes.
"Harper, please," Hamlin begged. "Help me cover this."
Harper took a step back, looking at Hamlin like he was a piece of trash on the floor.
"I don't spend my money on useless garbage," Harper said coldly.
Hamlin fell to his knees. He had lost Cari, and now he had lost his only ticket into the upper class.
Cari watched the dogs bite each other.
She pulled her phone from her pocket and opened the camera app. She hit record.
She filmed their screaming, their pushing, and their pathetic begging.
Cody saw the red recording light. He lunged forward to grab the phone.
A security guard kicked Cody hard in the stomach, sending him crashing to the floor.
Cari stopped recording and put the phone away.
"Mr. Palmer," Cari said, her voice completely flat. "This hotel does not tolerate dine-and-dash criminals. Call the NYPD."
Palmer immediately dialed the police.
Within minutes, the loud wail of police sirens filled the street outside.
Several heavily armed NYPD officers marched down the hallway.
They grabbed Hamlin and Cody, pulling their arms behind their backs and snapping cold metal handcuffs onto their wrists.
Cari stood under the bright hallway lights, watching the police drag Hamlin away.
The last bit of anger left in the original owner's body finally faded away.
