Chapter 59
2096words
Zurich | Hotel Belvedere | Reception Desk
Early Morning (CET)
The lobby smelled faintly of cedar and something citrusy—clean, crisp, expensive. A fireplace crackled softly to the left, and a large glass sculpture hovered behind the front desk like it belonged in a museum instead of a hotel.
Kristina didn’t care about any of it—just wanted a room. A bed. Maybe four hours of sleep without her boots on.
Eli stood at the reception desk, passport in one hand, the other braced on the polished marble counter. His jaw tensed as the receptionist scanned their information again.
“Excuse me,” Eli said, trying to keep his voice level. “There’s supposed to be two rooms. Under Sinclair Dominion, or possibly under Kristina Alonzo and Eli Voss. Can you check again?”
The receptionist smiled, polite and a little apologetic. Her English was decent but laced with a faint Swiss-German accent. “I am very sorry, sir, but ze booking only lists one room. Deluxe suite, city view. For two guests.”
Eli exhaled slowly. “That’s a mistake. We always book separate rooms.”
Kristina remained quiet, her eyes drifting toward the wide staircase behind them. She wasn’t surprised. Not really. If anyone was going to orchestrate this, it would be Lucian. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or roll her eyes.
The receptionist tapped a few keys. “It says here it was confirmed this way three days ago. I’m afraid… zis is what we have.”
“Okay,” Eli said, more to himself than anyone else. “Okay. Then… book another room. Same floor if possible.”
The woman’s smile didn’t falter. “I am sorry again, sir—but we are fully booked.”
Eli’s brows pulled together. “What? This time of year?”
“Ya — January is always quite busy, ja. Many come through for ski and the Davos summit, you know?”
She tilted her head slightly. “But just now — maybe ten minutes ago — someone took the last three rooms. A whole block. No reason, they just… booked it.”
Her tone remained cheerful, as if it were only an amusing coincidence.
Eli stared at her. “So… someone booked every available room just before we arrived?”
“Yes. Just a few minutes ago.”
Kristina’s eyes flicked toward Eli. Her exhaustion sharpened into quiet confirmation.
Of course.
This wasn’t a mistake.
This had Lucian written all over it.
Eli straightened. “Can we reach out to that guest? Maybe ask if they’d be willing to release just one room—we’ll pay full price. More than full, even.”
He wasn’t just annoyed now. He was thinking—tracking—and not just about the room.
I mean it. Keep her close.
Lucian’s voice echoed uninvited in the back of his mind, low and deliberate.
No. Definitely not random.
Kristina’s eyes flicked toward him again, and he could tell—she was thinking it too.
The receptionist shook her head. “I am very sorry. We do not give out information about other guests. And we also do not cancel confirmed bookings without zeir permission. Refunds only apply when ze issue is on our end, which I don’t believe it is.”
Eli’s hand curled against the counter. “This is so frustrating.”
She meant it. And not just about the room.
This whole trip had been strung with quiet tension—an unspoken thread of things neither of them had dared to pull on too hard. Now this. One room. One long night. One hundred ways this could go wrong.
Eli turned to her. “Kristina—”
“It’s fine,” she said quietly. “Let’s just go. We need to rest.”
She didn’t want to argue. Not here. Not like this. The real issue wasn’t the bed—or beds. It was what they hadn’t said back on the plane. The things still circling between them like smoke that hadn’t cleared.
The receptionist beamed and handed over the room key. “Suite 1107. Elevators are to your right.”
Kristina took the key card before Eli could. Her fingers brushed his briefly—just enough to feel the tension still held tight in his hands.
She didn’t say anything. Not yet.
But as they walked toward the elevator, Kristina no longer wondered—she knew Lucian had planned this. The real question was why.
And from the way Eli’s silence deepened beside her, she wasn’t the only one thinking it.
Zurich | Hotel Belvedere | Elevator
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime.
Kristina stepped in first, the silence between her and Eli stretching like a taut wire. Neither of them touched the panel. The elevator had already been summoned to the eleventh floor.
Of course it had.
Lucian’s fingerprints were all over this.
Eli entered behind her, quiet. The doors closed with a hush.
They stood side by side, not touching, not speaking. The only sound was the soft hum of ascent and the faint buzz of tired thoughts neither of them wanted to voice.
Kristina stared straight ahead, arms folded. “Do you think this was a mistake?”
Eli’s jaw shifted. “No.”
“Yeah.” Her voice was flat. “Me neither.”
Another pause. This one heavier.
Kristina didn’t look at him when she added, “Feels like someone planned this.”
Eli exhaled slowly, keeping his eyes on the display.
Lucian’s voice lingered—unshaken and intentional.
“It’s not the first time he’s done something like this,” Eli said carefully.
Kristina glanced at him, brow faintly raised. “So you think it was Lucian?”
“I think it wasn’t an accident.”
That wasn’t a yes.
But it wasn’t a no either.
Kristina looked away, lips pressing into a thin line. “Guess it doesn’t matter now.”
“It might,” Eli said, then paused. “Just not yet.”
The elevator dinged.
Floor eleven.
Kristina stepped out first, walking ahead. Eli followed, just a step behind—close enough to feel the same gravity but far enough not to push it.
They reached the door to Suite 1107.
Kristina slid the card through the slot. The lock clicked open.
She didn’t move right away.
“…You okay sharing a room?” she asked quietly. Not passive. Not flirty. Just honest.
Eli met her gaze. “Only if you are.”
Kristina held the key card a second longer—then finally pushed the door open.
Warm light spilled into the hallway. But they hesitated at the threshold—not because of the room, but what it implied.
Zurich | Hotel Belvedere | Suite 1107
Kristina sat on the edge of the bed, boots off, coat folded neatly on a chair. The suite was beautiful—wood accents, warm lighting, floor-to-ceiling windows with a faint view of Zurich’s old city beyond. But none of that mattered.
She had her phone to her ear.
Lucian picked up on the second ring.
“We’re in the suite now,” she said softly.
A pause. Then Lucian’s voice, smooth but unreadable: “Good.”
Kristina glanced toward the closed bathroom door, then back down at her lap. “Was it you?”
He didn’t answer.
Kristina sighed. “That’s what I thought.”
A quiet beat passed between them.
“Eli might want to talk to you,” she said, and before Lucian could respond, she extended the phone toward Eli without looking.
He took it, his fingers brushing hers. Kristina rose and walked to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her with a soft click.
Eli pressed the phone to his ear. “Why did you do it?”
A pause. Then: “Why did I do what?”
“Come on, Lucian,” Eli said. “I know you.”
Lucian exhaled, a low breath on the other end. “You’ll know when it happens.”
Eli leaned back in the chair near the window, staring at the fogged glass. “Then don’t blame me if I can’t get a hold of myself.”
His tone was half-joke, half-warning.
Lucian didn’t flinch. “I won’t. She’ll need you. And you’ll know what to do.”
“Lucian…” Eli shifted. That hadn’t been a bluff. Not entirely. “I didn’t mean—”
Lucian cut in. “By the way—I emailed the Kesslers. You’ll meet them tomorrow, same time. Gives you more time to rest today. Especially Kristina.”
“What ar—”
The line went dead.
Eli stared at the phone in his hand.
A few minutes had passed when the bathroom door opened.
Kristina stepped out, hair damp, wearing an oversized navy shirt and socks. She looked tired. Still beautiful. Still quiet.
Eli blinked once, pulled himself together. “Lucian postponed the meeting with the Kesslers.”
She looked up. “Why?”
“Said we could use the extra rest.”
Kristina shook her head, a dry little sound escaping her lips. “That man is unbelievable.”
Eli managed the ghost of a smile, then disappeared into the bathroom.
The door clicked shut.
Kristina sat on the bed again, drew the covers over her lap but didn’t lie down. She leaned against the headboard, phone already in her hand.
She dialed again.
Lucian answered immediately. “Yes?”
“How are things there?” she asked softly.
“We just finished meeting with the board,” Lucian said. “Finalizing everything after Miller’s dismissal.”
Kristina didn’t respond right away.
Then, low: “Lucian…”
He didn’t hesitate. “I love you, Kristina.”
She closed her eyes. “Then why are you doing this?”
“Just trust me,” he said.
Her breath caught in her throat, but she forced it out. “Okay.”
“You get some rest. Sweet dreams.”
The line went silent.
Kristina set the phone down on the nightstand. She didn’t move for a long moment.
A low rumble rolled outside. Soft, distant. The first growl of thunder.
Rain began to tap at the windows.
Rain tapped the windows like static—until the sky split open. A jagged flash tore through the dark. Then came the thunder—loud, violent, shaking the glass.
Kristina screamed.
The sound was raw—sharp and high and terrified. Not startled. Not shaken. Terrified.
Eli was still in the bathroom when he heard it.
He threw the door open, heart slamming.
“Kristina!”
She was by the windows—fumbling at the heavy curtains, trying to drag them closed with trembling hands. Another flash lit up the room, followed by a crack of thunder that rattled the glass.
Kristina cried out again, hands flying to her ears as if to shut the storm out.
Eli didn’t hesitate. He crossed the room in seconds and caught her hands gently but firmly, pulling her away from the window.
“Hey—hey, I got you,” he said, voice low, urgent.
She didn’t respond. Just curled inward, head ducked, eyes squeezed shut.
Eli scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed.
She curled instinctively, crouching on her side, face pressed into his bare chest the moment he slid in beside her. Her hands still covered her ears. Her whole body shook with each thunderclap, flinching like each one landed inside her instead of outside.
Eli wrapped himself around her—arms closing protectively, one leg curled over hers. His hand splayed across her back. He pulled her closer, closer, until he could feel her breath hitched against his ribs.
His voice dropped to a whisper. “Krissy…”
But she didn’t respond.
The room lit again. Thunder crashed so loud the walls vibrated.
“Krissy, give me a minute, okay?” he whispered. “I’ll be back. I just need—”
“No,” she gasped, voice broken. “Don’t leave. Please.”
Another lightning strike. Another crash.
Eli closed his eyes.
He had no choice.
“I’m sorry I’m like this,” Kristina whispered. “I didn’t mean it…”
He held her tighter, arms cinching around her protectively. He pressed his cheek against her damp hair and exhaled.
She’ll need you. And you’ll know what to do.
Lucian’s voice echoed in his mind, too loud now to ignore.
Kristina flinched again as thunder boomed.
Just trust me.
Lucian’s words again—a promise she hadn’t understood.
Not until now.
Eli kept his arms wrapped tightly around her, letting her press into him like she was trying to disappear. Her cheek was pressed to his bare chest, her breath hot and uneven against his skin.
“It’s just noise, Krissy,” he whispered. “You’re safe. Nothing’s getting to you—not while I’m here.”
Another crack of thunder split the sky.
She flinched—but didn’t pull away. Didn’t scream again.
Eli pulled the blanket higher around her shoulders, enclosing her completely in warmth, in him. One hand gently cradled the back of her head.
Her fingers curled against his ribs, small and desperate.
The lightning flashed again—but her breathing was slower now. Less panicked.
“I hate this,” she said quietly, almost ashamed.
“I can see that.”
“I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
Eli tilted his head, letting his chin rest against her hair. “I’m glad I did.”
She shifted just enough to look up at him.
He met her eyes—bare, open.
“Because now I know what to protect you from,” he said.
Some storms don’t ask permission. They just arrive—and reveal who stays.
—To be continued.
