Chapter 48

Lila’s POV

When Drew Sinclair said he wanted to redefine luxury, I thought he was exaggerating. I thought it was just a tagline. Something polished for press releases, rehearsed for interviews, thrown around at meetings for effect.

But now, as I stood in the heart of the creative suite, flipping through the restricted rollout binder, I knew this wasn’t a regular hotel launch.

This was a revolution.

The world knew Drew was launching a new hotel line. It was no longer a secret that Sinclair enterprise was expanding into hospitality. Everyone from investors to luxury insiders had been waiting for it, anticipating it. What they didn’t know, what no one outside a very tightly sealed circle knew was what exactly made this project different.

No other hotel chain had ever attempted what Drew was about to pull off. This wasn’t just an expansion of his brand; it was a full blown experience curated to engage all five senses. Drew wasn’t just offering rooms and room service. He was offering immersion.

Everyone in the industry already knew the basics. Drew Sinclair, the man behind one of the fastest growing luxury brands in New York, was finally unveiling his most ambitious project yet: The Sinclair Luxe, an elite, multi location boutique hotel experience that promised to “redefine city luxury.”

That’s what the press release said, anyway.

Each hotel location was designed to feel like stepping into a world entirely separate from the chaos of the outside. Not themed in a flashy, overdone way, but deeply intentional, drawn from historical archives, design archives, and cultural consultants who knew what true authenticity looked like.

This wasn’t just a hotel, it wasn’t just another luxury location with overpriced wine and panoramic views.

This was a statement.

A reintroduction of luxury through an entirely new lens, one that didn’t just offer guests a place to stay, but a story to step into.

The flagship hotel, which would launch right here in Manhattan, was code named “The Hidden Eden.” The name alone was enough to stop you.

And it did exactly what Drew wanted it to do.

From the outside, it looked like any sleek, high end urban property. Clean glass, sharp angles, perfect symmetry. But inside…

Inside was a forest.

Not a literal forest, but close. Lush green walls, trees reaching toward skylights, curved wooden staircases that mimicked tree branches, stone water features that muffled the city noise into a calming hush. Each room opened to a slice of nature. A secret. A space meant to make guests forget they were in Manhattan at all.

Each Sinclair Luxe hotel would be themed just like this, not just in aesthetics but in immersive experience. Think Paris in the 1920s. Think Tokyo’s underground art scene. Think of Morocco's ancient palaces. But not in a cliché way. In a way that blended history, culture, design, and scent. Each detail curated, each texture telling a story.

Even the scent profiles were custom blended. Not store bought.

Drew had hired a French perfumer, God knows how he found her to design signature scents for each hotel, piped into the hallways through a patented system. They weren’t just hotels.

They were worlds.

There was even a partnership with a global wellness expert who’d designed the sleep and sensory experience for each suite.

Drew had told no one. Not even the core team knew the full picture.

That’s how he wanted it: silence, secrecy, and then a symphony.

No other hotel line in the city or even globally had what Drew was offering: an identity. Not just luxury. Not just exclusivity. But intention.

The goal of the launch wasn’t just to showcase the property, it was to introduce people to the wonder they were building. To pull back the curtain on something the city had never seen before. And for that to work, secrecy was everything.

No media leaks.

No press previews.

No influencer walkthroughs.

Just mystery… and then, at the right moment impact.

Everyone just knew exactly what we wanted them to know just to make the launch a success. The influencers, marketing team, press, vendors were just working for the launch but the main details of the project were left in the hands of few people.

And somehow, in the middle of all this, Drew trusted me with that vision.

Me.

The same woman who once questioned if I even belonged in the same room as people like him. I had access now not just to files, but to the very heartbeat of the project.

Which was why I had to be careful. With everything.

The exclusivity of it all made the danger of sabotage feel even more real now. Because if this leaked, even a sliver of it, Drew would lose his biggest advantage: surprise.

No wonder he had turned down Kimberley’s proposal.

No wonder he kept the concept locked tighter than a government file.

The truth is… I didn’t just admire this project. I believed in it. Every detail was a testament to how far Drew had come and how much he was willing to risk for something that mattered. And for reasons I still couldn’t fully explain, I wanted to protect that for him.

Even from people I wasn’t entirely sure I could trust anymore.

Especially people like Max.

I hadn’t told him anything. Not specifics. Not details. But I remembered now… that dinner conversation a few nights ago. The way he asked about the launch. The questions. The odd way he phrased things like, “You know I’d support you better if I understood the full scope.”

Before now it could be have sounded like interest. Support, even.

But now, those questions echoed differently in my mind. They didn’t sound curious anymore.

They sounded calculated.

Still, I didn’t want to believe that he had any part in anything shady. At least, not without proof. Max had always been charming, maybe too much so. But lately, there was something sharper behind the smiles. A hunger I couldn’t quite place.

I shook the thought off and turned my attention back to the mockups.

My job was to deliver the best rollout possible. And that meant staying focused. Drew trusted me. He didn’t say it often, not in words but I felt it in the way he handed me key pieces of this launch, the way he listened when I spoke, the way he looked at me when I walked into the room with new ideas.

I couldn’t betray that.

And I wouldn’t.

Which was why, when I left the design room and walked back to my desk later that afternoon, I felt the sting of unease crawl up my spine the moment I saw a familiar figure waiting for me in the lobby.

Max.

Leaning against the reception desk like he had every right to be there, his smile already in place as if it had been rehearsed.

I blinked.

He looked up, caught my eye, and grinned wider. “Hey, Lila.”

His voice was casual and warm just like always.

But something in me went on alert.

I forced a smile and approached slowly. “What are you doing here?”

He tilted his head. “Thought I’d surprise you. Grab coffee. Or maybe an early dinner, if you’re free.”

I hesitated.

Something about his timing felt… off.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and gave a half nod. “Sure. I could use a break.”

If Max was fishing for information again, I’d have to be smart about this. I wouldn’t confirm anything. Wouldn’t reveal even a sliver of the project. But maybe… I could feed him something harmless. A decoy.

Something that would satisfy his curiosity without crossing any lines.

Because one thing was now very clear

I couldn’t afford to slip.

Not with this launch.

Not with Drew’s trust.

Not with whatever game was happening behind the scenes that I hadn’t fully uncovered yet.

I grabbed my phone and followed Max out the door, all while keeping one truth front and center in my mind.

Whatever happened next…

I had to stay one step ahead.