Enemies Meet On A Narrow Road (2)

“Absolutely not!” Sarah cried out as Emily's car stopped before a luxurious restaurant. “We're not going in there, are we?”

“Mark gave us his card. He said we could spend as much as we want, but nothing more than five hundred.” Emily grinned.

“Wh– what? Mark has that kind of money in his Acct? Waah!” she exclaimed, rubbing her palms together, as a sly smile crept onto her lips. “I've found my cash cow.”

“Hahaha… greedy bitch.”

I watched them laugh and make jokes, my lips also curling at the edges, as I smiled along.

Honestly, this was new for me. I only had Ryan and my son to crack jokes with, but it was rare. Ryan sometimes didn't come home, and my son, well, we were cool until months back.

I shook my head, deciding to stop thinking about bad things and let these two energy boosters sweep my sorrow away.

“Hey,” Sarah waved a hand in my face to draw my attention. She was sitting in front with Emily. “I notice you don't talk much. I'm sure you don't eat much too...” She paused, but I could see a Mischievous smile settling on her face.

Emily giggled as she parked the car in the garage, and I could already feel that something funny was coming.

“…which means,” Sarah continued, dramatically unbuckling her seatbelt and turning toward me, “you’re the perfect excuse for us to order everything on the menu. You can just nibble a leaf or two, and Emily and I will devour the rest. No waste, no guilt!”

I burst out laughing, the sound surprising even myself. It felt like a bubble rising up after being trapped for too long.

“You guys are insane,” I said, wiping a tear from the corner of my eye as I climbed out of the car.

“And proud of it,” Emily chimed, throwing an arm around Sarah’s shoulders as they started strutting toward the restaurant entrance like they owned the place.

I followed a few steps behind, my heart lighter than it had been in years.

…

We took a seat closer to the window, waiting for our order to arrive. These money-wasters ordered so much that I feared Mark would bleed red tears.

My thoughts soon drifted from their small talks, to the soft jazz music playing from hidden speakers. Everything about it screamed luxury, one I was used to.

“You know…”

My mind drifted back to the girls. Emily's tone has changed now. It was lonely and sorrowful.

“When I first came to Ocean View resort, I didn’t think much of it. I Just needed a job. But the story behind that place… it’s kind of special.”

“How so?” I asked, contributing to the discussion before I could stop myself.

Emily leaned forward, her straw in between her lips, but her eyes grew distant. “The resort was built about thirty years ago – before anything else even existed along the coast. It was just Ocean View and the sea.”

“Back then,” Emily added, “it was run by this sweet old couple who wanted to live in seclusion. They couldn’t have kids of their own, so they poured their hearts into building the place. Every stone, every plant, every little shell around the rooms – they hand picked them. They built Ocean View like it was their legacy. Their child.”

My chest tightened. I could almost picture them – their gentle hands filled with love brushing sand off freshly planted flowers, laughter in the kitchen as they prepared breakfast for guests. Love. You could feel it in the walls.

“The couple were growing older by the time I started working there,” She continued, her voice softer now. “That was when the pain of not having children hit them. They didn't want the resort to die with them. They saw marriages at the verge of breaking, come back stronger in their resort. The resort menu had put smiles on bitter lips, the ocean breeze had stitched wounds no one could see. They didn’t just offer a room and a view, no, they offered hope.”

Emily’s voice broke slightly, and she looked down at her drink, stirring it absentmindedly.

“They wanted that magic to live on. Not just the walls and the gardens, but the feeling. The second chances. The quiet healing.” She took a breath, her eyes glistening with tears. “So before they passed, they left it all to someone they trusted. Someone who understood what Ocean View meant.”

Sarah stole the words from my mouth before I could say it.

“Mark?”

Emily nodded, “Yes, Mark. He was their first employee, and they treated him like their child.

“So when their health declined and they passed away, Mark took full control over the resort, promising to honor their memory.

“However, the owner's family came out one after the other, vying for ownership of the resort. But Mark refused to be intimidated and because of that, they grew furious and betrayed the resort, making it easy for others with bad intentions to destroy the resort.”

Emily smiled bitterly, tears rolling down her cheeks. “The resort was small. It wasn't in anyone's way, yet, Our Family Resort destroyed it.”

My heart skipped a beat. "Our Family?" I subconsciously asked aloud.

Wasn't that... No, I shook my head. It couldn't be related to Ryan... but Ryan's company was in the food and hospitality industry. I shook my head again. It was just a coincidence. Ryan's company was LuxeHaven, so it couldn't be him.

“Yes. Our Family Resort.” Emily nodded. “It came out of nowhere. Fancy ads, luxury everything. They poached almost all our workers – bartenders, chefs, even our head of maintenance. They stole our recipe, our design. Our customers vanished too.”

She sighed, wiping her tears. “And now, we don't know how those people got their hands on the documents, now, the resort has been put in the market. It's about to be sold.”

My head buzzed and Sarah gasped, gripping the edge of the table. “They stole everything?” she whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief.