"Nothing to concern ourselves with today," Anna said, shaking her head quickly to dismiss the old memory. "But since the Wayne Group is now aggressively pursuing the hotel property, we must move with absolute precision."
"Agreed," Owen said, his tone turning crisp and professional. "Linda and I have already initiated the necessary preliminary measures under Chapter 267 of the Florida Historical Resources Act. We are compiling the physical documentation to submit a formal Emergency Site Protection Notice. The moment those permits are processed by the state desk, it triggers an automatic administrative stay on any zoning variances or construction expansion."
"Good," Anna said, nodding her approval. She paused, her sharp gaze shifting pointedly from Linda over to Owen. "Now, let us discuss the real reason I needed to conduct this meeting inside the privacy of this café rather than the hotel corridors or grounds."
They all looked at her with renewed curiosity, the air around the table turning completely still.
"I know that the four of you are risking a great deal to execute this rescue mission behind George's back," Anna began, hervoice dropping into a cautious whisper. "And because the stakes are this high, we must be exceptionally careful about who we allow?—"
"I am so sorry I'm late!" a breathless, familiar voice interrupted from behind them.
Linda turned her head as Maggie hurried toward the back corner, her cheeks flushed from the afternoon heat, her designer handbag clutched tightly under her arm.
"Maggie!" Anna's eyes lit up instantly with a brilliant warmth. "I was just wondering where you were hiding."
"Aunt Anna!" Maggie exclaimed, rushing forward to wrap the older woman in a heartfelt embrace. "Please forgive me. Michael phoned me right as I was in the middle of a high-priority bridal fitting at the boutique. I hurried the client along as fast as I could to get here."
After the warm greeting settled, Michael immediately rose, pulling an extra chair from an adjacent table and sliding it affectionately next to his own seat. He rested a reassuring hand briefly on Maggie's shoulder as she sat.
"I'll catch you up on the first part of the conversation later,” Michael promised her, his voice softening into a gentle tone that made Linda smile.
Maggie offered him a bright, grateful look, turning to the young server who had just materialized beside the table. "Just a regular black coffee for me, please," Maggie told her.
The server nodded and quickly disappeared back toward the kitchen counter.
Owen turned his attention directly back to the older archaeologist. "You were saying, Anna?" Owen prompted, his expression entirely focused.
"The real reason I called this emergency briefing is that we need to be remarkably vigilant about who we have lingering around the perimeter of this site," Anna explained, her voice dropping into a tight, protective weight. "Unfortunately, while I was researching the necessary state protocols to secure an evaluation order for the campground block, I uncovered through my academic contacts that the Wayne Group isn't the only corporate entity gearing up to target Hearts Hotel."
A collective gasp echoed around the table. "What?" Linda spluttered alongside Michael, her heart racing against her ribs.
"There is a secondary, highly aggressive development alignment working through the database," Anna continued, her jaw tightening. "And this specific group has hired the most vile, unprincipled field consultant to manage their assessment. A person who has built an entire academic career by deliberately trampling on, plagiarizing, and discrediting other researchers in our discipline."
Owen's face turned completely to stone in a single fraction of a second, his dark eyes flashing with a dangerous, burning light that made Linda freeze.
"No," Owen grated, his teeth clicking together so hard the muscle bunched along his jawline. "Good grief, that's why she’s here."
Anna frowned, her sharp eyes searching his pale profile in genuine confusion. "Owen? What are you talking about?"
Owen looked across the table, his voice vibrating with an intense, long-buried trauma that made the air feel heavy. "Dr. Debbi Wineberg," Owen told the table, his hands flat against the wicker surface. "She is the sole reason I walked away from academia and lost my tenure in Charleston ten years ago." He stopped, his chest heaving as he delivered the final, chilling update. "And she is already here in Sweet Blossom Bay."
DARIUS
Darius remained motionless behind his heavy mahogany desk, his eyes anchored to the dark oak office door that had just slammed shut within its frame. The violent vibration of the wood had passed, but the echoing sting of his sister's accusations continued to ring loudly in the absolute silence of the room. His heart hammered against his ribs with a frantic, unyielding rhythm.
He took a sharp step forward, his instincts telling him to storm down the hallway after Isabel and Penny, but his feet froze against the carpet as the full weight of the scene registered in his mind. Penny had formally tendered her resignation. His executive director, the single steady anchor who had managed his compliance dockets for over a decade, had walked out of the firm in a single fraction of a second.
"What the heck is happening?" Darius muttered into the empty room, a sudden wave of cold frustration washing over his shoulders.
His eyes fell onto the small, silver digital dictaphone Penny had slammed flat onto the polished blotter, but he ignored thedevice, turning back toward the threshold. Before his hand could reach the brass doorknob, the mobile phone on his desk buzzed violently with an incoming call. He walked back and glanced down at the screen to find it was from Clyde Davids.
Darius swiped the screen with a clipped, irritated movement, bringing the receiver to his ear. "Hello, Clyde. Have you found something else?"
"Yes," Clyde’s gravelly voice came through the speaker, characteristically blunt. "I'm still compiling the deep financial background dossiers on the local characters, but my regional field operators just verified a massive operational development. Dr. Anna Caldwell has officially arrived in Sweet Blossom Bay."
Darius stiffened, his gaze turning back toward the floor-to-ceiling glass windows where the calm waters of the bay glinted under the afternoon sun. "I already knew she was traveling to the coast, Clyde," Darius replied, keeping his voice level. "My cousin's academic consultant tracked her flight path hours ago."
"She isn't just visiting the island," Clyde countered, the steady sound of a keyboard clicking in the background. "She's here at the direct request of George Heart’s niece, Linda Heart. The family excavation team discovered unvetted prehistoric anomalies beneath the old concrete swimming pool deck. But that isn't the primary intelligence update I called to deliver."
