Chapter 55 Luxury and Lies
The sleek black car pulled up to the curb, its tinted windows gleaming under the sunlight. As soon as Emilia and Roxanne stepped outside, the back door swung open, revealing Cayden sitting in the driver's seat with an easy grin.
"Ladies," he greeted smoothly, adjusting his sunglasses. "I'll be your personal chauffeur today. Henry's orders."
Emilia blinked. "Wait, what?"
Roxanne gasped dramatically. "A personal driver? Henry, you glorious man." She turned to Emilia. "If you don't marry this man, I will."
Cayden chuckled. "No offense, Miss Roxanne, but I don't think Henry's the type to share."
Emilia sighed, but a smile tugged at her lips. "Of course, he did this."
"Yep," Cayden confirmed, motioning for them to get inside. "He was pretty clear—whatever you need, wherever you need to go, I'm your guy. And before you ask, no sneaking off. Henry was very specific."
Roxanne wiggled her eyebrows as she climbed in. "Em, this is some next-level devotion."
Emilia slid in beside her, shaking her head as Cayden pulled away from the curb. "You act like this is normal behavior."
"For Henry? It kind of is," Roxanne said, buckling her seatbelt. "First the surprise spa day, now a personal driver? The man is setting impossible standards."
Cayden laughed. "Even Henry's competition is just trying to keep up with Henry."
Emilia felt warmth spread through her chest. It was ridiculous, really—how did he always manage to anticipate what she needed before she even realized it?
Before she could dwell on it too much, they pulled up in front of the nail salon, a chic little spot known for its luxurious services and complimentary champagne. The scent of lavender and citrus oils greeted them as they stepped inside, the hum of soft jazz music creating an atmosphere of relaxation. The receptionist greeted them with a bright smile.
"Welcome, ladies! You must be Emilia and Roxanne. Everything's set up for you."
Emilia shot Roxanne a look. "Of course, he already called ahead."
Roxanne flopped onto one of the plush pedicure chairs with a content sigh. The soft leather molded around her as a warm towel was placed over her legs. "Em, I need you to understand something very important. This man? He is a unicorn. A rare, mystical creature."
Emilia laughed as she settled into her own chair, dipping her feet into the bubbling water infused with rose petals. "You keep saying that."
"Because it's true." Roxanne took a sip of the mimosa that had magically appeared in her hand. "Okay, let's recap—you have a man who books you a spa day out of the blue, assigns you a personal driver, sings Bon Jovi at karaoke, and willingly subjects himself to my questioning? Emilia, are you hoarding all the good men?"
Emilia smirked. "If hoarding means dating one great guy, then sure."
Roxanne huffed. "Selfish."
They burst into laughter as the nail techs began their work, the easy rhythm of their friendship making the weight of recent events momentarily fade away.
As Emilia leaned back into the plush chair, letting the warm water soothe her feet, her phone vibrated on the small side table. She frowned, picking it up.
Unknown Number: Enjoying your day, Emilia?
Her breath hitched. A chill prickled at the back of her neck.
"Everything okay?" Roxanne asked, sipping her mimosa.
Emilia hesitated before locking her phone and forcing a smile. "Yeah, just spam." But as she set it down, a strange sensation crept over her—like someone was watching.
She glanced toward the salon's large windows. A few people milled about outside, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. And yet... she couldn't shake the feeling.
Roxanne tapped her freshly painted nail against the armrest. "So, be honest. You're freaking out about this whole 'Henry is perfect' thing, aren't you?"
Emilia hesitated, but her best friend saw right through her. "It's not that I'm freaking out. It's just... I'm not used to someone being so thoughtful without expecting anything in return."
Roxanne let out a dreamy sigh. "Ugh. That's so disgustingly romantic. And here I thought men like that only existed in novels."
"I know." Emilia grinned. "I might have to start questioning if he's real."
"Oh, he's real," Roxanne assured her. "And if you don't lock that down, I will."
Emilia rolled her eyes, but warmth spread through her chest. Despite the chaos surrounding her life lately, Henry made her feel safe, grounded. That was something she never wanted to take for granted.
"Enough about me," Emilia deflected. "What about you? Any new romantic developments I should know about?"
Roxanne scoffed. "Pfft. Please. I'm in a committed relationship with my skincare routine and takeout sushi."
"Tragic."
"Deeply."
"You know... You never talk about Travis," Emilia said, eyeing her friend.
Roxanne shifted slightly, twirling the stem of her mimosa glass between her fingers. "There's not much to talk about."
Emilia raised a brow. "Oh, come on. You can't tell me you've never thought about it."
Roxanne let out a sharp, almost nervous laugh. "Travis? Please. The man is a walking saint. He'd probably rescue a kitten from a tree before he'd ever look at me that way."
But the way her shoulders tensed, the flicker of something—regret? Uncertainty?—in her eyes told Emilia otherwise.
"You're deflecting," Emilia said knowingly.
Roxanne's lips pressed into a tight smile as she took another sip of her drink. "And you're nosy."
Before she could argue, their nails were done, and Cayden was already outside, leaning against the car, waiting.
"Ready for massages, ladies?" he asked, smirking.
The girls squealed in delight, making Cayden chuckle as he pulled out his phone. He zoomed in on Emilia's excited reaction and sent it straight to Henry with the caption: "Mission one complete."
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Meanwhile, Henry was in one of the resort offices, standing in front of a large crime board covered in photos, sticky notes, and red string connecting key points. His jaw was tense as he wrote down another piece of information.
Jason and Beau sat nearby, phones in hand, making calls and gathering intel.
Jason set his phone down with a grim look. "Just got word—Zoey's mother passed away a year ago."
Beau frowned, leaning back in his chair. "I know this is wrong to say, but I seriously hope Zoey is dead because, as much as I love a good thriller, this is real life—not a movie. And I do not have the energy to be the dumb guy who checks the creepy noise."
Jason huffed. "Yeah, well, too bad, because we're all in the middle of one."
Beau groaned. "Great. So what's next? We split up like idiots and search the haunted resort? Maybe find a hidden passageway? Oh! Or better yet, we ignore all the obvious red flags until it's too late?"
Henry shot him a look. "Would you rather sit this out?"
Beau scoffed. "No, I'd rather not end up on some Dateline special, thanks."
Henry's phone buzzed. When he saw Cayden's video, a brief smile flickered across his face. Emilia's laughter, carefree and unguarded, was a welcome contrast to the chaos surrounding them. But the moment passed quickly, his expression hardening again as he turned back to the board.
"Alright," he said, taking a deep breath. "We're missing something. Let's go over it again from the beginning."
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Inside the resort's security office, the glow of multiple surveillance monitors cast flickering shadows across the dimly lit room. Sabrina Rae stood near the desk, arms crossed, her expression unreadable as she watched the live feeds of the resort grounds.
The guard in front of her, a burly man with sharp eyes, leaned back in his chair. "You sure about this?" he asked, glancing down at the flash drive she had just placed on the desk between them.
Sabrina tilted her head slightly. "Do I look unsure?"
The guard exhaled, picking up the drive and turning it over in his fingers. "What's on it?"
She smiled, but there was no warmth behind it. "Exactly what you're looking for."
The weight of those words hung in the air for a moment before she leaned down, voice dropping to a near whisper. "Make sure this gets where it needs to go. No mistakes."
The guard gave a slow nod, pocketing the drive. "Understood."
Sabrina straightened, smoothing out her blazer as she cast one last glance at the screens. One of the monitors showed a familiar image—Emilia and Roxanne, laughing as they walked through the resort with Cayden at their side.
Her gaze lingered just a moment longer before she turned on her heel and walked out of the room. As the door clicked shut behind her, a slow smirk curled at the corner of her lips.
Everything was falling into place.