266 Definitely an oddball
The West was everything it was rumored to be and more. It was a beach resort with luxury cottages overlooking the sea. When Zaria arrived, it felt as though she was on a whole other planet. There was no way she was still in Olphire.
A beautiful woman in a white business suit and red lipstick that matched her manicure received her.
“Mr. West will join you soon. Please wait here.” She led her to a gazebo outside one of the cottages, where she could see the sea clearly. It was nearly hypnotising.
“Would you like a snack while you wait for Mr. West? A blueberry muffin perhaps?” The woman asked with a kind smile.
“Huh?”
“If you are not in the mood for one, I can bring you a sundae. Or whatever you would like to have. You name it, I’ll bring it.” She paused and added, “Oh, we also have wine with zero alcohol content.”
Zaria was amused. They did a background check on her before her arrival, that was certain. It was a tactic she had used before but she was still awed. It was almost bordering on creepy but with that beautiful smile, there was no way any guest wouldn’t feel comfortable ordering whatever they wanted.
“I would like a muffin. Thank you.”
The woman smiled and left, returning a few minutes later with her muffin. It even had chocolate chips sprinkled on top.
.....
The sun was just setting, leaving behind a canvas of colors she couldn’t help snapping a picture of on her phone. It immediately became her new wallpaper.
“According to policy, you have to delete that.” Evan spoke behind her, startling the crap out of her.
She turned to glare at him. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you are not a guest here. You don’t get to take pictures of anything.” He said in a teasing tone.
No one had told her that. But she hadn’t asked so it was fair.
He took a seat opposite her with a smile. “If you want, that can be corrected immediately.”
She would definitely love to spend some time here with Desmond but at the moment, she had come for business. She dug into her bag for her tablet.
“Now. Why don’t you relax a little? Let’s forget about work for a moment.” He reached to take away her tablet, which she secured with a stern look.
“Fine. If you want to talk about boring business, be my guest.”
Her eyes bore through him. Who would say that about their own property?
As if he knew what was going through her mind, he straightened up. “I’m serious. This resort is nothing like it seems. If you don’t believe me, order some food.”
She frowned in confusion but when he gave her the menu, she browsed through and randomly ordered a meal. It arrived pretty fast and he was giving her a curious eye, as though waiting for her comment.
“How is it?” He finally asked and didn’t give her time to answer before adding, “The truth, please.”
She felt awkward. “It looks great but to be honest, I think Desmond can do it better.”
He chuckled. “And Desmond can’t cook to save his life. That’s the point, right?”
She didn’t understand. “But The West is known for its delicious food too. How come the guests leave such great comments if the real deal is much worse?”
“That’s because the food used to be great. Until the head chef was replaced by a rookie.” He sighed in exasperation.
“He is my little sister’s boyfriend and she wanted to help him earn himself a name so what does she do when her family owns one of the world’s best resorts? She slots him right in!” He deepened his voice dramatically.
“She doesn’t make the final decisions, does she?” She asked, wondering why no one ever stopped it from happening.
Evan reclined in his seat. “Well, if you are your grandfather’s favorite, you don’t need to be the final decision maker. You just need to be cute.”
She caught a hint of bitterness in his voice which he tried hard to conceal but failed. He must have a strained relationship with his sister.
“If you prove to him that her decisions are ruining The West, he might listen to you.” She encouraged him.
“Maybe.” His lips parted slightly as he considered whether to elaborate. In the end, he decided to. “It’s much deeper than just the chef. Hell is breaking loose in the financial department. Do you know what happens when a guest shoves their food around on the plate without eating more than a spoonful of it, and the chef comes around to ask if there is something wrong with the food?”
“Please don’t tell me he does that.” She facepalmed. She had been asked that by a chef before when she didn’t have the appetite and it didn’t end well. Apparently, it was insulting for her to not eat the food he painstakingly cooked and he demanded that his work of art be respected. He wasn’t even kind about it.
If the resort’s chef used that kind of tone...
“It often ends in complaints and the only way to stop it from escalating into bad reviews is to give those guests discounts for their stay. At least, that’s the only way to get around it according to my sister. I would do much better if I had the chance.”
He was clearly frustrated. It finally made sense why he was usually found at the golf course and only focused on it. No one would want to work in a place where their opinions were treated as trash despite being true.
“Is this why you don’t want to let us have ownership rights?” She probed.
“I wouldn’t drag my best friend to hell with me, now would I?” He knitted his brows.
That was a side of him she had never thought existed. He would rather suffer on his own than jump on the opportunity to let his friend take his place in hell, as he called it.
“What if I still want it?” She asked.
“What?”
“The resort. What if I still want it?”
He took a calming breath to stop himself from saying something mean. “If you are trying to help Preston and Fort Group grow, this is not the way...”
“Have you checked out Regal Hotel?” She interrupted him mid statement.
“I’ve heard about it. It is all the rage now, isn’t it?” He answered to humor her.
“That’s what I do.” She swiped through her tablet for the information she gathered about Regal Hotel before it was acquired by Preston and Fort Group.
“I acquire hotels that are on the verge of collapsing, remodel them and let Preston and Fort Group turn them into gems.” She swiped through two more of her projects, one of which was on the rise and another which was still in the renovation stage.
“The West is not on the verge of collapsing.” He countered.
“It will be if nothing is done about your sister. Your grandfather is currently blinded. And so will your father.” She rubbed her temples. This was probably why it was a bad idea for family members to be co-owners of the same project.
“Those two need a wake up call and there is a better chance if an outsider were to step in.”
“I know.” He glared in the direction of the kitchen. “And this is why we keep business and pleasure separate. If you can’t, pleasure always wins in the short term, only for both of them to lose in the long run.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” It wasn’t always the case but there was a reason why workplace relationships were forbidden in most companies.
He tapped the screen of his phone as if typing a message and a few minutes later, a buff man in a black suit brought a briefcase. Evan opened it and placed a stack of paper on the table.
“The contract. If you are satisfied with the terms, you can sign it.”
She reached for it and opened it, looking up in shock when she read the summary. “Are you letting me take your place for a year to earn the shares?”
“You will get the shares only if The West makes 30% more profit.” He explained.
She shook her head in confusion. “Why would you trust me so much?”
“I don’t.” He deadpanned. “I just can’t wait to see the old man’s face.”
She was shocked. So he was doing this to irk his grandfather. He was definitely an oddball.
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