The open-air restaurant hummed with the midday bustle, a shaded oasis where the lagoon's breeze tempered the tropical sun and carried the faint melody of holiday carols from a nearby speaker.
It was peak Christmas Eve lunch hour at Paradise Atoll, the air thick with laughter, clinking glasses, and the promise of evening bonfires under the stars.
Aria Vanderbilt held court at a prime corner table on the deck, her white linen sundress freshly swapped for the surf side button down, draped elegantly over her frame, though her posture screamed anything but serenity.
She huffed and puffed, stabbing at her seared tuna salad with a fork like it had personally offended her, her green eyes flashing behind oversized sunglasses.
The encounter at the surf racks still burned, a fresh wound in her e
