Chapter 3 — Trouble in Paradise

Evan Hartley

Evan stood at the edge of the infinity pool, the tropical breeze tousling his dark hair as he surveyed the scene before him. The water, usually a shimmering expanse of aquamarine that seemed to spill effortlessly into the ocean beyond, was eerily still. Around him, the subdued murmur of staff voices mingled with the sharper tones of guests’ complaints. He caught snippets of uneasy conversations from loungers a few feet away, where a cluster of guests murmured their dissatisfaction.

“This isn’t the first issue this week,” one guest whispered to another, adjusting her oversized sunhat. “First the room service delay, now this?”

Evan's sharp eyes darted to the center of the commotion: a middle-aged man in a pristine white linen suit was gesturing wildly, his booming voice slicing through the ambient sounds of rustling palms and lapping waves. His wife, visibly annoyed, stood a few paces behind him, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"The water was freezing," the man barked, his face reddening under the midday sun. "This is supposed to be a five-star experience! My wife hasn’t stopped shivering since she stepped out of the pool!"

Maya Eldridge was directly in his line of fire, her posture calm and authoritative, hands clasped lightly in front of her. She nodded at precisely the right moments, letting him vent without interruption. Her voice, when she finally spoke, carried a soothing calm. "Mr. Saunders, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. I assure you, we value your feedback and are already working to resolve the issue. We’ll also be compensating you with complimentary spa treatments to ensure your stay is as comfortable as possible."

Evan couldn't help but admire her composure. Even under fire, Maya stayed poised, her expression a professional mask that betrayed no hint of the frustration she must have been feeling. As the guest finally huffed and stormed off with his wife in tow, Maya’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. She turned briskly, her sharp brown eyes scanning the pool area before stopping on him.

"You. Greene," she said, her clipped tone cutting through his thoughts. "Since you’re here, make yourself useful. Grab a thermometer from the maintenance station and get the water’s exact temperature. I want to know what we’re dealing with."

Suppressing a smirk, Evan nodded. "On it," he replied, keeping his tone deferential as he slipped into his role as the unassuming rookie. Her gaze lingered on him for a heartbeat longer, narrowing slightly, as if she couldn’t quite figure him out.

The maintenance station was tucked discreetly behind a row of hibiscus bushes, a modest structure that smelled faintly of chlorine and engine oil. Inside, the neatly organized drawers and shelves suggested a team that prided itself on efficiency. Evan quickly located a pool thermometer before heading back.

As he returned, he caught the low hum of voices from the maintenance staff gathered by the pool’s control panel. Their conversation was tense, punctuated by the clink of tools and the occasional exasperated sigh. One of them muttered something about "another glitch" before falling silent as Maya approached.

Evan crouched by the water’s edge, dipping the thermometer into the pool. The device beeped after a moment, and he glanced at the display: sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. A tropical pool should never be that cold. Straightening, he turned to Maya, who had been watching him with a sharp, assessing gaze.

"Sixty-five degrees," he reported. "Definitely not normal."

Maya’s jaw tightened, and for a moment, the polished veneer of her professionalism cracked. Frustration flickered across her face—a fleeting, human moment before she smoothed her expression. "No, it’s not," she muttered, her voice low. Her gaze flicked toward the maintenance staff, who were still hunched over the control panel with furrowed brows. "And it’s not the first time we’ve had issues here. The system was serviced last week."

Evan caught the unspoken implication. His mind flashed to the murmurs he’d overheard in the staff break room the day before. Sabotage. The word hung unspoken in the air, heavy and undeniable.

"Maybe someone messed with the controls," he ventured, keeping his tone casual. "Could be an accident… or not."

Maya’s eyes snapped to his, narrowing. "And what makes you say that?" she asked, her tone more curious than accusatory.

Evan shrugged, feigning awkwardness as he slipped deeper into his role. "Just seems strange, that’s all. If everything was serviced and running fine before… it’s weird, right?"

Maya studied him intently, her sharp brown eyes searching his face for answers he couldn’t give. After a moment, she nodded, her tone guarded. "It’s a possibility," she admitted. "But I don’t deal in guesses. I deal in facts."

Turning sharply, she barked new instructions at the maintenance team, ordering them to pull up the system logs. Evan lingered by the pool, watching her as she moved with purpose, her frustration channeled into action. She was sharp, methodical, and clearly used to being in control. It was no wonder the staff respected her.

Minutes later, Maya returned, her clipboard tucked under one arm. "The maintenance team says the controls were functioning fine this morning," she said, her voice tight. "Until someone accessed the panel remotely."

Evan raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. "Remotely? Like, someone hacked it?"

"Possibly," she replied tersely, her gaze fixed on the pool’s surface as if the water itself might hold answers. "Or someone with access to our internal systems tampered with it. Either way, it’s unacceptable."

Evan’s thoughts raced. If someone had tampered with the controls, the sabotage wasn’t just deliberate—it was sophisticated. Whoever was behind it had significant access to the resort’s systems, and that made the whole situation infinitely more dangerous.

"I’ll stick around and help if you need anything," he offered, careful to keep his tone neutral. The gesture, he hoped, would allow him to stay close to the action.

Maya’s lips twitched, as if suppressing a retort. "Appreciate the enthusiasm, Greene," she said dryly. "But I think we’ve got it covered. Just focus on your training."

Evan opened his mouth to reply, but she was already turning away, her focus snapping back to the maintenance team. He watched her go, a mix of admiration and frustration swirling inside him. Maya was determined to protect the resort at all costs, but her guarded demeanor and clear distrust of management—of him, even if she didn’t know it—meant she wasn’t about to let him get too close.

Around him, the tension had begun to ease as the staff worked to stabilize the situation. Guests had mostly cleared the area, though a few lingered, casting wary glances in the pool’s direction. Evan remained by the pool’s edge, his gaze drifting over the shimmering water. The sabotage, the whispers of discontent among the staff, the cracks in the resort’s polished exterior—it all painted a picture of a paradise teetering on the edge of chaos.

He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. He’d come here to fix things, to uncover the truth and protect his father’s legacy. But the deeper he delved, the more tangled the web became. And at the center of it all was Maya Eldridge—fiery, brilliant, and unknowingly standing between him and the answers he needed.

The breeze picked up, ruffling the surface of the pool and carrying with it the faint scent of salt and hibiscus. Evan turned and headed toward the staff access path, his thoughts a whirlwind of suspicion and strategy. Trouble was brewing at Azure Shores, and it was clear that solving it would take more than just his corporate expertise. It would require trust—a commodity he wasn’t sure he could earn from Maya.

Not yet.