Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
T he video played on the laptop screen, casting a faint blue glow across the dimly lit apartment. Augustus sat on the edge of the couch, his elbows on his knees, and his eyes were fixed on the screen, though he winced with every passing second. Lilia sat beside him, her fingers brushing against his as she reached out to hold his hand. The warmth from her touch anchored him and kept him from spiraling into the abyss of emotions that threatened to swallow him whole.
As the video neared the part where the bed came into view, Delilah leaned forward, her voice cutting through the heavy silence. “Pause it.”
Augustus quickly hit the spacebar, freezing the image on the screen.
“Are you sure this is the same hotel?” Sebastian asked.
Delilah nodded, her eyes narrowed as she examined the ornate headboard and the luxurious bedding in the video. “Yes, I remember it. This is it.”
The Evermore Regency was far from the ordinary hotel. Tucked away on a secluded street in Boston, it was an exclusive retreat for the elite. The grand entrance was framed by towering marble pillars. The lobby boasted high ceilings adorned with crystal chandeliers that sparkled like starlight.
“The Evermore Regency?” Augustus repeated.
“And you’re sure this is it?” Sebastian pressed, his gaze flickering between the frozen image and Delilah.
“Yes,” she confirmed. “I’ve been there before. My father hosted a banquet there a few years ago. This is the same hotel.”
Lilia’s mind raced as she pieced together the fragments of information they’d gathered. “Amelia said that Willow bought lingerie from a boutique in town a couple of days before the party. She thought it was for her and Augustus’ anniversary, but I guess it was always meant for the other man she was seeing.”
“Well.” Sebastian clapped his hands together, breaking the tension with his usual defiance. “Road trip, anyone?”