Tamara Winters adjusted her satin blouse and stepped out of the private elevator leading to billionaire Ashley Wilson’s suite. The square-jawed guard that accompanied her on the ride, stayed behind, guarding the door in utmost silence. She would not be leaving her host’s company any time soon unless she willed it so.

The early thirties blonde with penetrating blue eyes and a beauty mark on her left cheek had met plenty of shrewd businesswomen over the years, but none as ruthless as Ashley. The sole heiress to a real estate empire with properties all over the world, she had increased her profits by over three hundred percent in less than two years by purchasing and obliterating the closest competition in every available market without a second thought. Monopoly charges were a dime a dozen, especially in Europe, but the chances of meaningful repercussions were slim at best. Her brand was too powerful and her lawyer team even more so.

As expected from anyone with her wealth and status, Ashley loved the finer things in life and proudly exhibited them at every chance. It was not enough to be the center of attention on a single occasion - no! Wherever she went, whether it was day or night, all cameras had to invariably be pointed at her, highlighting her custom-made designer outfits, extravagant accessories whose price tag could feed an impoverished village for a month or two, and whatever hair color she decided to parade next. A natural redhead, Ashley had always hated the tone she had been born with for being “too dark”, and so she was always changing it to suit her mood, with shades of lilac and baby blue among her favorites.

No one in the media knew exactly how old she was, and that was one of many secrets she kept close to her vest. The most recent speculations pointed at an age range between thirty and forty, but the constant beauty treatments and unverified plastic surgeries to fix minor blemishes here and there made it extremely difficult to find out the truth. Despite lacking any substantial evidence, Tamara was convinced the billionaire was even older than that and no contradictory information would persuade her otherwise.

Under normal circumstances, the two women would have never crossed paths, but the business world is winding and full of mysteries. When Tamara’s firm was hired to do a financial audit on one of Ashley’s ventures, she was thrilled to be selected for such a high-profile case but her satisfaction was short-lived after the discovery that the audit hadn’t come from her at all, but from the Board of Directors who had started a power move campaign to have her exonerated from her functions. Tamara, who had never been interested in subterfuges, was now an unwilling pawn in a gigantic backstage game where anyone could be a victor, except her, and this was the more clear the deeper she dug. Her most recent findings had been nothing short of controversial, and no doubt the primary reason for the undesired afternoon meeting.

The suite on the top floor of Hotel Excelsus was a hymn to grandeur and opulence, with blue and golden hues adorning every room. Everything was so supercharged it almost felt dangerous to breathe the air inside. Tamara walked by a hallway lined up with golden replicas of terracotta soldiers before the path opened onto a circular room illuminated by the largest skylight she had ever seen. At the end of it, stood a gravity-defying hanging balcony that was sure to make anyone suffering from vertigo go through a hard time.

Ashley sat outside, clad in white like an angel that had just fallen to the earth. She sported a generous mane of cerulean hair and every fingernail in both hands was painted differently, a luxurious rainbow that no person could look away from even if they wanted to. The sun was still high in the sky, bathing her elegant body in a warm, golden glow. A small bandage could be seen on her left shoulder, no doubt a remnant of another recent cosmetic procedure. She glanced at the newcomer with ravenous lips and pursed lips, urging her to take a seat next to her so they could talk.

“Thank you for joining me today, Tamara. We have a lot to discuss,” she said. “But first, can I get you anything to drink? Water, tea, a fresh cocktail, perhaps?”

“Nothing for me, Miss Wilson, thank you. And it’s not like I had a choice not to come here. The men you sent to collect me were quite adamant.”

“Hmmm, yes... I suppose they were. I hope they didn’t mistreat you. You’re a valuable guest and deserve to be treated as such.”

“If I’m as valuable as you say, then surely you won’t mind telling me what I’m doing here. It’s highly inappropriate for us to be having any sort of conversation at this stage.”

“Why is it inappropriate? Can’t two intelligent women get together, have a drink, and talk about boys and such?” Ashley smirked.

“I highly doubt you had me brought here with an armed escort to ‘talk about boys and such’. My audit is still underway, Miss Wilson, and you know as well as I do, that I can’t divulge any findings to you.”

“That doesn’t seem fair, considering it’s my business you’re looking into.”

“You’re not the one who hired me. I get that this affair may be bothering you, but we’re all professionals here. At least, I am.”

“Straight to the point, I see, and I appreciate that,” Ashley nodded, blowing a speck of dust from her right index finger. “Since you’re being quite open from the start, allow me to do the same. Do you like your job, Tamara?”

“I like it as much as anyone else likes theirs, I suppose. Why are you asking me that?”

“I just told you you’re an intelligent woman, so I’m sure you can figure out the answer for yourself.”

“Where I come from, that’s called a veiled threat, Miss Wilson. I hope you’re not trying to get me fired for looking into your affairs.”

“Trying? That’s not something I really do, dear. When I want something, I get it, period. Don’t worry, your job is safe for now.”

“For now, huh? So much for the ‘veiled’ part, then.”

“You said it, not me. Are you sure you don’t want that drink?”

“Positive. Cut to the chase, Miss Wilson. What are you expecting me to do?”

“I’m expecting you to play the game the way it’s meant to be played. My reputation precedes me, and you’re aware of what I do to any business that goes against me. All it takes is one phone call for your company to become a part of my empire and as your new employer, I could order you to tell me everything you’ve discovered so far, but I’m not interested in that for now. I would like you to recognize what's good for you and act accordingly. Self-preservation is important, my dear. You would be wise not to neglect it, especially when someone of my status goes the extra mile to remind you.”

“I never asked to be a part of this.”

“Oh, but you are now. From the moment you received this assignment, you became embroiled in this war. I’m giving you the unique opportunity to join the winning side before it’s too late for you.”

“By committing professional suicide?”

“I can assure you no harm will come to you if you do the right thing. The Board of Directors asked you to find irregularities in my Cape Town operation and I know you discovered something you weren’t supposed to. The question is: who else have you shared this information with? Have you finished compiling your preliminary report?”

“I can’t answer any of those questions.”

“You can, and you will unless you want me to change my mind about that phone call. I see a bright future ahead of you, Tamara. It would be a shame to cut it short on account of stubbornness and poor life choices.”

“I’ve said everything I wanted to say. Can I go now?”

Ashley’s fake smile disappeared as she clenched her fists and growled,

“Damn it, girl! You’re testing my patience, which is never a smart thing to do. I hoped it didn’t come to this, but If you don’t care about your job or yourself to do what I asked, then perhaps you’ll do it for them.”

Ashley snapped her fingers and a TV screen rose from the middle of the living room floor behind them, turning automatically. Three different images were being shown side by side, all of which Tamara immediately recognized. The first was the main entrance of the hospital where her older sister, Jacqueline, worked. The one in middle was showing a room in the kindergarten her nephew Luke attended, and the last was an aerial view of her mother’s retirement home.

“What the...? Are you fucking serious right now? What did my family ever do to you?”

“Absolutely nothing, but if you’re a liability to my plans then, by extension, so are they. It’s not personal, Tamara, but I’m sure you don’t want to be responsible for ruining their lives, so... are you ready to tell me everything I want now?”

“If I do this... do you promise you’ll leave them be?”

“But of course, dear! I’m not a monster, despite what you may be thinking at the moment. Cooperate fully and everything will be okay for everyone involved. Now tell me what you found out.”

Tamara sighed and sat heavily next to her host. Not much for accepting defeat, she was smart enough to realize things were already escalating too quickly and she would not jeopardize the innocent for anything in this world or the next.

“At first, nothing. Everything in your Cape Town complex seemed in order. The invoices were on point and every additional expense for the renovation of the East Wing of the hotel was perfectly justified. I had my doubts about the costs of the new marble staircase, but after seeing the result in person, I understood it was worth every penny. The profit margin was also stable and all advertisement expenses made sense. However, something caught my eye when cross-referencing the electrical bills of the facility in the last twelve months. Despite the notable improvements in the energetic efficiency department, the bills kept increasing month after month, something that was clearly impossible unless there was something else draining the power. As I continued to pursue this angle, I realized this was not a new phenomenon at all. The discrepancies between the necessary power consumption levels and what was being paid were simply too great and the only reason no one had figured this earlier was because the original books...”

“... had been doctored.”

“Yes, which of course comes as no surprise to you because you’re the one that demanded so, correct?”

“Hmmm, is that you think that happened?”

“I’m sure of it, otherwise you wouldn’t go to all this trouble to get me to reveal the results ahead of time. Despite being your money and all, you still presented false documentation, which I’m sure is enough for the Board to censor you when they find out.”

“Ah, but they won’t, right? Because if they do, you know who’s going to suffer...”

“The one thing I know for sure is that you’re a bitch, Miss Wilson.”

“Damn right I am! But that’s not the end of the story, is it?”

“Actually, yes. I’ve yet to figure out what’s behind the discrepancies. I assume there’s more to that hotel, but what exactly remains an incognito.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. Why do you look so disappointed?”

Ashley chuckled and said, “I don’t do this a lot, but it seems I made a mistake.”

“What do you mean?”

“My associates in Cape Town passed me the wrong info. I thought you had actually seen it, but I guess not.”

“Seen what?”

“You really have no clue what I’m talking about, huh?”

“No, I don’t. Do you care to explain what the hell is so important that’s worth threatening me, my company, and my entire family for it?”

“The best explanation I can give is showing you what’s at stake,” Ashley got up and started heading toward the elevator. “Follow me, please.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

The two women entered the shiny cubicle, with the billionaire taking the lead. Touching the bottom right corner of the control panel, she unveiled two additional rows of buttons marked from SL1 to SL10. She pressed the last, and the contraption began its slow descent into the unknown.

“What does SL stand for?” Tamara asked.

“Sub-Level, dear. Had you dug a little deeper, this is what you would have discovered in the Cape Town installations as well.”

“Excuse me? How the hell can you have ten additional underground levels in your five-star hotels with no one else knowing about them?”

“Oh, some people know, but only the ones that matter, and since you decided to do the right thing, you’re now part of a restricted lot. Congratulations, Tamara, and get ready to have your mind blown like never before.”

The elevator stopped, its doors opening to a spectacle of green phosphorescent light. Tamara peeked at what lay beyond the threshold and fainted.