Chapter Twenty-Eight
Melina
The moment my alarm went off, I was angry.
It wasn’t the same sharp, righteous anger I’d felt initially. That boiling rage had burned itself out by the end of day one.
No. This was duller, and a hell of a lot heavier. The kind of anger that had settled into my bones, making even the simple things, like getting out of bed, feel like a fight.
Or hell…maybe this wasn’t anger at all anymore. I just didn’t know what else to call it.
Today was the Noma corporate dinner. Tomorrow was the Winter Festival Dance. Two nights that would make or break everything I’d worked for, and so far, all I’d managed to do was go through the motions.
Shower, coffee, a smile for Lucy that pulled at my lips but did nothing for my mood. I checked on Dad, who was having a good morning and didn’t need me hovering. Olivia gave me a look across the kitchen table that should’ve pissed me off. Instead, I felt nothing.
Thankfully, she kept quiet. She knew better than to ask how I was.
They all did. I’d made myself clear when I’d come home with mascara smeared halfway down my face and told them it was over. I didn’t want questions. Or platitudes. Or even their concern. And above all else, I didn’t want to hear his damn name.
I didn’t even want to think it.
The drive to the resort was quiet. My Honda ran perfectly, and every smooth corner and easy stop was a reminder of him and what he’d done.
Of what he’d promised not to do. And then damn well did anyway.
I pulled into the parking lot, killed the engine, and sat there for a minute, staring at the resort that had consumed my entire life. The events this weekend were the culmination of everything I’d worked for. The final proof that I deserved the promotion I’d been chasing.
And none of it felt the way it was supposed to.
The promotion would have been official by now. Wyatt had been coming to put it in writing when he’d walked in on Becky’s little performance. Instead, he’d walked out with doubts. And now everything I’d worked for was in limbo because of him.
Zane liar-liar-liar Alexander.
So much for not thinking his name.
Still, I had a job to do. A paycheck to earn. I couldn’t let the events fail on top of everything else. The promotion might still be salvageable, but only if I proved I deserved it beyond any doubt.
So I grabbed my bag and headed inside.
The morning was chaos. Last-minute deliveries, vendor check-ins, the catering team Zane had found for me arriving early and ready, which sent a fresh stab of pain through my chest. I buried it under my clipboard and kept moving.
By midday, I’d handled three minor crises, confirmed the DJ’s playlist for tomorrow night, confirmed the seating arrangement for tonight’s dinner, and walked the ballroom twice to make sure every detail was exactly as it should be.
I was running on caffeine, adrenaline, and sheer force of will, but I was still going.
Still determined to make this the best damn event weekend in Copper Ridge history.
Then I walked into The Summit.
I wasn’t there for him. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself. He was the shift manager, and I needed to confirm staffing for the cocktail service.
This was standard coordination. Nothing more.
Colin was behind the bar, restocking bottles. Caleb was there too, wiping down tables with his earbuds in. But Zane was nowhere in sight.
“Hey, Colin,” I said, keeping my voice professional. “I need to run through the bar schedule for tomorrow. Is Zane around?”
“Melina…” He stopped, his expression shifting from casual to careful. “Zane’s not here.”
“I can see that. Is he on a later shift?”
“No. I mean he’s not here. He quit.”
“He what?” The words didn’t make sense. I heard them, but they just bounced around inside my skull without finding anywhere to land. My hand found the edge of the bar, and I held on because my legs couldn’t be trusted. “When?”
“A few days ago. Sent his resignation to Wyatt’s email and just disappeared. We haven’t seen or even heard from him since.” His brows drew tight. “I thought you knew.”
I shook my head, the room tilting around me. “No. I had no idea…”
“I think you should talk to Nate. He’s the only one who knew about it before it happened. He can explain it better than I can.” Colin ran a hand through his hair, looking almost as lost as I felt. “I still haven’t processed it myself.”
I found Nate in the security office, sitting in front of the bank of flickering monitors showing various views of the hotel and resort grounds.
“He quit.” The accusation flew from my mouth as I stormed in, daring him to deny it.
Nate straightened, his chair creaking under his weight. “Yeah. He did.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because he loves you more than he loves himself.”
He loves you.
Love? That couldn’t be right. Hell, up until a few weeks ago the man had never been in a relationship. There was no way he had those feelings.
And if he did, he sure as hell hadn’t shared them with me.
“That’s not—”
“Melina.” He pulled out the chair beside him. “Sit down.”
I didn’t want to sit down. I wanted to scream, or run, or rewind the last few days and do everything differently. But my entire body was shaking. So I sat.
He turned his chair to face me, elbows on his knees, and leveled me with a look that was equal parts sympathy and steel. “What did Wyatt say to you that day? Something about Zane, right?”
“He said Zane came to see him about my promotion. And now Wyatt’s reconsidering the whole thing.”
“And you assumed Zane asked him to push it through.”
“Of course. What else was I supposed to think?”
“That your boyfriend is a protective idiot who can’t keep his mouth shut.” Nate’s expression softened. “He didn’t ask Wyatt to give you the promotion, Melina. He told Wyatt he thought the situation was unfair and asked what the holdup was. That’s it.”
The words settled over me, rearranging everything I’d believed for the last few days. Every conclusion I’d drawn. Every accusation I’d hurled. All of it built on a version of events that wasn’t even true.
“Wyatt’s the one who made it into a bigger deal than it was,” Nate continued. “An Alexander asks one question and suddenly it’s a conflict of interest. That’s not Zane’s fault. It’s just the reality of his name.”
“But he went behind my back.”
“He went to bat for you the same way he would if it were me or anyone else. No, it wasn’t the best decision he’s ever made.
But his intentions were good.” He paused.
“He didn’t try to hand you anything. He believed you’d already earned it.
He just doesn’t know how not to step in when something needs fixing. It’s how he operates.”
My throat was so tight I could barely breathe. “Then why did he quit?”
Nate sat back, but his body was rigid. “Because he thinks as long as he’s an Alexander at this resort, anything you achieve will have his name attached to it. He thinks he’s standing in your way. So he removed himself.”
“That’s insane.”
“That’s Zane.” He shrugged. “He called his father. Accepted the offer to go work for him in New York. The one thing he swore he’d never do.”
The room went still.
Zane had called Bowen. The man he’d spent his entire life avoiding. The corrupt, manipulative, absent father who’d never been more than a voice on the phone and a signature on a check. Zane had called that man and said yes.
Because he thought he was in my way.
“When?” My voice cracked.
“Same day you walked out on him. He flew out the next day.”
“He’s in New York right now?”
“As far as I know.” Nate nodded.
The tears were sudden, ugly, and had me gasping for breath. I pressed my hands over my face and bent forward in the chair, letting it take over.
Nate didn’t say a word. Something bumped my knee, and when I dropped my hands, he was holding out a tissue box. I took it, grabbed a fistful, and let myself fall apart.
When I finally surfaced, my face was a mess and my chest ached. “I need to fix this,” I said, pulling another tissue from the box.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
“He can’t work for his father, Nate. It would destroy him.”
“I know.”
“I need to talk to someone in his family. Someone who can actually do something.”
“Talk to Eric. He’s been trying to figure out what’s going on since he heard the news.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “He’ll want to help.”
I stood, legs still unsteady. “Before he left—did he say anything else?”
“He asked me to look after things here. To look after the people he usually takes care of.” Nate’s voice was quieter now. “He wanted to make sure they’d be all right without him.”
Of course he had. Because even walking away from everything he loved, Zane Alexander’s last thought was for the people he was leaving behind.
And I’d told him his help wasn’t wanted. That I was worth more than his pity.
God, I really was the ice queen. Colder than fucking cold.
“Thank you, Nate.” I headed for the door, wiping the last of the tears from my face. “For everything.”
“Don’t thank me. Just bring him home.”
Eric’s office was at the end of the same hall as Wyatt’s. It was a neat, organized space that looked nothing like the rest of the resort’s chaotic back-of-house. His door was closed, and I could hear his muffled voice through the wood.
I stood in front of it, my heart hammering, my hands clenched at my sides. I had no plan. No script. No carefully organized talking points.
All I had was the truth.
And the stubborn hope that it wasn’t too late.