Olivia felt the faintest shift in the air the moment those words left the speaker.
“Are you here for the project follow-up meeting?”
For a split second, the elegant lobby, the polished marble floors, the artificial waterfall—all of it seemed to fade into the background.
“Yes,” Olivia replied calmly, her voice steady and clear. “I just arrived. But there appears to be a small issue with my check-in.”
There was a brief pause on the line.
“I see,” the voice said, now sharper, more attentive. “Please stay where you are. I’ll be there in less than two minutes.”
Olivia smiled slightly.
“Thank you, Daniel.”
She ended the call.
Ramona’s eyes narrowed just enough to betray the tension she was trying so hard to hide.
“Who exactly did you just call?” she asked, her tone still sweet but now carrying an edge.
Olivia slipped her phone back into her bag.
“Management,” she said simply.
Tomás finally turned his attention away from the ceiling.
“What’s going on?” he asked, frowning slightly.
“Nothing,” Olivia replied gently. “Just fixing a misunderstanding.”
But inside, she could feel her heartbeat steady—not racing, not anxious. Controlled.
Because this moment… this exact moment… she had imagined it before.
—
Four months earlier, when Ramona had first announced the trip, Olivia had noticed something strange.
Not just the avoidance. Not just the vague answers.
But the hotel itself.
Coral B Resort.
The name had struck something in her memory.
At first, she couldn’t place it. But that night, after Tomás had fallen asleep, she opened her laptop and searched for it.
And when the homepage loaded… she froze.
Because she recognized it immediately.
Not as a guest.
But as a project.
