Free Web NovelChapter 229: Chapter 229 The Right Move
Elara
The next morning, my phone buzzed. A message from Dominic. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
It was about Frank.
I had never told him I was investigating this man. But he had his own channels. There were people in this city watching for him. Not surveillance. Protection.
I stared at the screen for two seconds.
So that was it.
No wonder my assistant came up empty last night. Someone had buried the information deep. No wonder the report I filed yesterday went nowhere. Someone was sitting at the approval desk, holding everything down for him.
No wonder Frank had been so arrogant on the phone.
I quickly typed back: "Got it. Will call you tonight."
Then I pocketed my phone and told my assistant to drive me to the City Planning Bureau.
--
The building was gray and quiet. My footsteps echoed in the hallway. I walked up to the front desk and gave the receptionist a calm look.
“I’m here to see Mr. Black. Tell him Frank sent me.”
She looked me over. I didn’t look away. She picked up the phone.
A minute later, someone walked me to an office on the third floor.
The nameplate on the door said Lawrence Black, Director of Zoning and Permits.
The door was half open.
A man in his early fifties sat behind a big desk. Gray hair. Dark suit.
When I walked in, he looked up. His eyes stayed on me for a second.
“Can I help you?” he asked. His voice was polite, but not warm.
He probably thought I was someone Frank had sent to run an errand.
“Director Black.” I sat down across from him. “You probably don’t remember me. But you approved the permit for the nightclub next to my hotel. I’m Elara from Park Hotel Group.”
His hand stopped moving through his papers. Just for a second. But I saw it.
“Liquid Sky,” I said. “One week ago, you approved their rezoning. Changed them from a quiet lounge into a nightclub. That same week, my hotel started getting noise complaints. Yesterday, I filed formal complaints with the fire marshal and city code enforcement.”
I let that sink in.
“I waited all day. Nothing happened.”
Black put down his pen and leaned back in his chair. His face didn’t change much, but his eyes got sharper. He knew now that I wasn’t here to ask nicely.
“Approval and enforcement are different departments,” he said. “If you filed a complaint, they’ll handle it. These things take time.”
“Take time?” I repeated. “Or take someone’s signature to move forward?”
He didn’t answer. His eyes got colder.
I pulled out my phone and slid it across the desk. A video was playing. A glass of water on a nightstand. The surface shaking nonstop.
“Last night. Eleven o’clock. My room.” I let him watch for a few seconds, then pulled the phone back. “My assistant and I walked through the place last night. Blocked exits. Expired extinguishers. Sprinklers that wouldn’t pass code in a high school gym. No food permit. No tobacco license. And somehow, every single one of their permits has your signature on it.”
I looked him straight in the eye.
“I’m not here to blame you. I’m here to tell you that I already filed my reports. The evidence is solid. If this doesn’t get fixed before I leave town, I’m taking everything to the media and the state regulatory board. And I know exactly who to call.”
His fingers stopped tapping. They went still on the desk.
“Are you threatening me?”
“I’m telling you how it is.” I paused. “One more thing before I go.”
He waited.
“I’m Elara Wolfe. My husband is Dominic Wolfe. I assume that name means something to you.”
The color drained from his face. Just a little. Just enough.
He didn’t speak. His jaw worked, like he was chewing on something he didn’t want to swallow.
I let the silence sit for a second.Then I stood up and smoothed my jacket.
“Tomorrow evening. I want results.”
I walked out without looking back.
Author
After the office door closed, Lawrence Black sat in his chair for a long time. He opened his computer and pulled up the Park Hotel Group file. He needed to be sure.
Registration info. Shareholder structure. Properties. And at the top, Elara Wolfe’s name. Below it, a web of connections spread out in every direction.
His jaw tightened.
He kept scrolling. Complaint records from the past few months. The whole fight between Liquid Sky and the hotel was right there. Clear as day. Every detail.
He finished reading, closed his eyes, and let out a slow breath.
Then he picked up the phone.
"It’s Lawrence. That report Park Hotel Group filed yesterday. Process it today."
He hung up, leaned back, and rubbed his temples. Then he called his nephew.
A few rings. Then someone picked up.
"Frank." His voice was ice cold. "Why are you picking a fight with Park Hotel?"
The voice on the other end answered. Lawrence listened. Then he closed his eyes.
"Do you have any idea who you just pissed off? Her last name is Wolfe. As in Dominic Wolfe."
Long silence on the other end.
--
At four thirty that afternoon, Elara’s phone buzzed. An email.
Not a warning. A temporary suspension of Liquid Sky’s operating permit. Reason: suspected submission of false documents during approval. Faster than she expected.
Ten minutes later, her phone rang again.
"Mrs. Wolfe. It’s Frank." His voice was different now. Softer. More careful. "I want to apologize. What I said on the phone before, that was out of line. And the trouble I caused your hotel. That was my mistake."
She didn’t say anything.
He kept going. "We got the notice. Closing for repairs. Soundproofing and fire safety, everything gets redone. Does that work for you?"
"It does," she said. "But two things. Pay the fines. And the permit goes through the full process again. However it was approved before, that’s how it gets reviewed now."
Two seconds of silence. "Understood."
"And from now on," she said, "if there are any issues, you talk to my lawyer. We don’t need to speak directly again."
"Yes, Mrs. Wolfe. I’m really sorry."
She hung up.
The team took her out for a simple dinner before she left. Nothing fancy. A little Italian place on the side of the road. The table wobbled, but the mood was the lightest it had been all week.
Kevin raised his glass. "To Elara. Two days."
She clinked her glass against his. "To the team."
