Chapter Four: The Sixty-Day Reckoning

On Bayview Hotel’s thirty-first day of operation, the first death notice arrived. The fire contractor warned that the standpipes on the remaining floors had to be completed within fourteen days or the temporary occupancy permit would expire. The quote was $220,000. The controlled account held ninety-six thousand. That same day, an edited video appeared online: *Debt Influencer Gambles with Lives in Disaster Hotel*. It stitched together basement leaks, barriers around the east wing, and opening-night celebrations while removing every repair date. Forty-seven members demanded refunds. Weekend occupancy fell from eighty-eight percent to fifty-one. “The account was paid by Obsidian’s PR agency,” Noah said. “We can sue.”