Little White Lies

Chapter 16

Candice White might be in over her head.

"Miss White, your presence is requested. Please come with us," the woman repeated. There was no doubt that this was a demand, not a question. Candice hadn't paid attention to her since she looked just like every other guest in the resort. Polished and in a dress perfect for dinner by the beach. And she didn't speak until they got close.

Candice looked around the dark walkway and cursed under her breath. The resort was famed for its privacy and there's no one around at all at 10 pm. She dug around her purse in search for something that could be used as a weapon. But she didn't even have keys, only lip gloss, a pocket mirror, and her hotel room card. To make matters worse, two burly men appeared at the end of the corridor and started towards them.

So she squared her shoulders and faced them."Lead the way," she said. After all, this was what she wanted, no?

72 hours before

Candice set foot on the third resort since she has been in Mexico and lifted her sunglasses for a look around. Hm, this might be the fanciest yet. The drive from the main road to the resort alone took a good thirty minutes and a greeter along with a bellboy was already waiting by the entrance as the car pulled up.

"Welcome, Miss White. My name is Raphael and I'll be your personal butler during your stay," the delicious-looking man with wavy hair and chocolate eyes greeted her. Candice forced her usual flirty smile into place; it had become hard to be herself since E—, never mind, she didn't want to go there today.

"Hello there," she replied, letting him helped her out of the car. The bellboy immediately went to the boot to get her luggage. Her entire life was basically in those suitcases. She hadn't wanted to pack so much but since she did usually travel with a lot and this being what might be her last vacation ever, she dumped it all in and hightailed it here.

Raphael led her up the stairs, keys already in hand. "Miss Grace wants to apologize that she can't be here and hope that you'd have a good time," he said with a dazzling smile. Grace had better roll out the red carpet for her since she got Candice's favorite diamond bracelet. The thought of it squeezed on Candice's heart but it was essential to the mission.

She was led across the cavernous lobby, where another staff with a tray greeted her with a welcome cocktail. Lychee martini, her favorite. Perhaps that diamond bracelet was well spent. On the other end of the lobby was the stunning vista of golden sand and sparkling sea. The umbrella and sun-loungers looked well spaced with an appropriate number of waiters milling around. That'd do just fine.

Candice put her hand daintily over Raphael's as he helped her up to the golf cart. She cast a side glance at the bell boy, who was loading her luggage into another cart that just pulled up. "I'll give you a quick tour of the resort before we get you checked in," Raphael added. No doubt they'll unpack her things for her. She would miss this five-star service when her life fell into destitution. So she was going to soak this up for as long as she could.

Infinity swimming pool, luxury boutique spa, private beach, fully equipped gym, yoga shala. Candice nodded and smiled at every single stop but her attention was on the staff every single step of the way. She used to treat them as a background extra, but now she wondered if there was an off chance that one of them could be her relative. Probably not; she was more likely to be an American orphan that the Whites snatched up in secret for the switch.