His Beautiful Deception

You're worth risking it

The resort looked nothing like it had on paper. On the drawings, everything was clean. Precise. Beautiful. The buildings stood exactly where they were supposed to, the walkways were perfectly aligned, and the villas looked as though they had been placed there effortlessly.

In reality, the property was a mess. A very beautiful mess, but a mess nonetheless.

Our car rolled slowly along the temporary access road, dust rising behind us as we passed stacks of construction materials and heavy equipment. Workers moved around the site in hard hats, carrying tools and materials while the unfinished resort stood ahead of us. Concrete columns rose from the ground, some already connected by partially completed walls.

I leaned closer to the window. My eyes moved across the property.

The road, the main structure, the direction of the sunlight, the slope of the land, the ocean in the distance. I had studied the plans before coming here, but plans could only tell me so much.You had to stand on the land to understand it.

The car stopped. I opened the door before the driver could come around. I stepped out and slipped my sunglasses onto my face. I heard the car door close behind me.

“First impression?” His voice came from behind me. I glanced at him.

He stood beside the car, his hands tucked casually into his pockets, looking entirely too comfortable for a man standing in the middle of a construction site.

I turned back toward the property. “You’re asking me now?”

“Yes.”

“I haven’t seen enough yet.”

One eyebrow lifted. “That’s it?”

“That’s it.” I smiled.

I opened my bag and pulled out my iPad. The moment I stepped onto the site, my mind shifted into work mode. I wasn’t here to flirt with Alexander Pierce. At least, not yet.

I walked toward the main structure. He followed behind me. The sound of construction filled the air around us—hammers, machinery, voices, the occasional scrape of metal against concrete.

I stopped at one of the unfinished walls and opened the digital site plan. The measurements didn’t seem to match what I was seeing. I pulled out my laser distance meter.

“How long has construction been going on?” I asked

“Eight months.”

I pointed the device toward the opposite wall “Eight?”

“Yes.”

“You’re behind.” I took the measurement.

“We’re not behind.” he said and I turned to look at him.

“The schedule says this section should already be enclosed.”

“The weather hasn't been favourable.”

“How many weeks?”

“Three.”

“That explains some of it.” I nodded and made a note

“Some?”

“I haven’t finished inspecting.” His mouth tightened slightly. I almost smiled. He wasn’t used to people telling him they needed more information before giving him an answer.

I continued walking and he followed from behind me. I measured the distance between two columns and took a photograph.

“How many guest rooms?”

“Two hundred and forty.”

“Villas?”

“Twenty.”

“Restaurants?”

“Two planned.”

“Staff?”

“Still being calculated.”

“Parking?”

“Underground.”

I looked at him.

“How many spaces?”

“Three hundred.”

I nodded.

“What about service access?”

“Temporary route behind the main building.”

I stopped.

“Temporary?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s the permanent route?”

“We haven’t finalized it.”

I looked toward the existing road. Then back at the plans. I made another note. Alexander looked at me.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You’ve said that twice.”

“I’ve only been here twenty minutes.”

“That isn’t an answer.” I looked at him over the top of my sunglasses. “You’re very impatient.”

“And you’re very evasive.”

I smiled. “Maybe.” I continued walking. The farther we went, the more I began to understand the property.

The land sloped gently toward the ocean. Not enough to cause major problems, but enough to create opportunities. I explained a few more things to him, he nodded slowly.

For once, he didn’t argue. That almost disappointed me. I liked arguing with him. It was fun. We continued around the property. I took measurements, photographs, and notes.

I spoke with the site manager about drainage and asked one of the workers about the current foundation work. Alexander stayed nearby. He asked questions occasionally. Some were good.

Some were annoyingly practical. But I appreciated that he didn’t pretend to understand things he didn’t.

We walked back toward the main structure.The afternoon sun was beginning to soften. I hadn’t realized how long we’d been here. I glanced at my iPad. We've been here for four hours. My stomach growled and I froze.

Alexander looked at me. I looked at him. “Don’t.”One corner of his mouth lifted.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You were going to.” he didn't reply to that. I packed my equipment into my bag.

He looked at me.

My stomach growled again. This time, he definitely heard it. I sighed. “Okay. I’m hungry.”

“I noticed.” I narrowed my eyes.

“Don’t.”

“I’m not saying anything.”

“We should go eat.” He looked at me.

“You’re inviting me?”

“Yes.” I smiled

“Why?”

I turned toward him. “Because I’m hungry, Alexander.” He went completely still. It was subtle.

By the time we left the resort, I was starving. I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten until we were back in the car, driving through the city. My stomach had been complaining for the last twenty minutes, and Alexander didn’t seem remotely bothered by the silence.

Of course he wasn’t. The man could probably sit in a room for hours without saying a word. I glanced at him.

His attention remained on the road, one hand resting on the steering wheel while the other rested near the gearshift.

“Do you always drive in silence?” he didn't say anything. I waited. Still nothing. I sighed and turned toward the window. “You’re not very talkative.” I looked at him again. “Are you always this serious?” His eyes remained on the road. I smiled to myself. Fine. If he wanted silence, I’d give him silence. For about thirty seconds.

I turned fully toward him. “You know, ignoring me doesn’t make me stop talking.” His jaw tightened slightly. But he still said nothing. I laughed under my breath. “You’re really something.”

A few minutes later, we pulled up outside a quiet, upscale restaurant. Inside, the hostess immediately recognized him. “Good evening, Mr. Pierce.” Alexander gave a brief nod.

“Good evening.” So he could talk. We were shown to a table near the windows, and I sat across from him. I picked up the menu.

“So, Alexander—” His eyes lifted from the menu.

“Mr. Pierce.” I paused. He returned his attention to the menu. I stared at him. “Did you just correct me?” he didn't say a word as though he had gone dumb again. I smiled. “Alex then” I leaned back in my chair. He looked up at me

“Don’t try to speak informally to me, because we are only —”

“Why are you so uptight?” I interrupted him. Now he looked pissed

“Do you like your job?” He’s asked “The next time, you interrupt me while I'm speaking will be your last day at work” I laughed.

“This is going to be fun.” He looked at me.

“I'm not scared of losing my job, Alex” I smiled sweetly “You’re worth risking it” he didn't look amused “Now, tell me something about yourself.”