His Naughty Lessons
Chapter 110: Privileged Treatment

Chapter 110: Privileged Treatment

** Harper **

There is a famous line frequently used in novels: "If looks could kill, he would’ve been dead a thousand times already."

That was precisely the line coming to Harper’s mind when she caught the fleeting glare Eli darted at Wallace. It was gone in an instant, probably unnoticed by everyone else, but she could swear the disdain in that look was so undisguised that it almost made her shudder.

What had Wallace done to warrant such hostility after mere minutes of sharing a ride?

Maybe Eli was still in a bad mood. Harper had actually been shocked when she heard him offer the limo, and she took it as a good sign that he must have recovered enough from Saturday’s emotional blow to be willing to come near her again. Her hope at steering the trip back into its original direction was slowly rekindled. But seeing the look on his face now ... Did Wallace accidentally say something that triggered the forbidden topic once more? Was it the talk about coffee?

"Coffee preference is a personal thing," Eli was saying. He sounded casual, but knowing the timber of his voice to heart, Harper didn’t miss the hint of coldness seeping through. "I’m sure everyone is different. Myself, for instance, will gladly enjoy anything from the lightest to the darkest as long as it wakes me up. Harper is the same way, if I remember correctly."

Harper gave him a puzzled glance. That was a strange comment coming from him. The last time they had met in a business setting, he was more or less pretending that they were mere acquaintances who happened to bump into each other in the hallway. But this time, he didn’t seem hesitant at all to admit how well he knew her ...

"Oh," Wallace said next to her, somehow looking a bit crestfallen as he absorbed the information.

It took a moment for Harper to process the situation. Was Eli sharing their coffee preferences to ... make Wallace realize that it was a waste of effort to impress the wrong person with his coffee connoisseurship?

But ... Why did that matter, and why would Eli care?

Harper glanced at him again, dubious. The group was continuing with other small talks now, but her thoughts kept wandering back, pondering what she might’ve missed.

~ ~

Even with the extra high expectations that came with a luxurious business trip, the resort still managed to impress everyone as soon as they arrived. When the limo door opened up to a large sprawl of estate and gardens nestled right on the shore, Harper almost gasped in awe, amazed by the picture-perfect sight filled with flowers and palms.

And she did gasp once she unlocked the door to her room.

It wasn’t really a "room", per se. The moment she crossed the threshold, Harper was standing in the middle of an enormous suite, decorated with elegant furniture in shades of cream and gold. Vases of tropical bouquets graced every table, and the bar was already lined with chilled wine and champagne flutes.

But what took her breath away wasn’t those — it was the floor-to-ceiling sliding doors right across from her that opened up to a full panorama of the Hawaiian coast, its famous knife-edged mountains framed by swaying palms. Crystal blue water gleamed under the dazzling sunlight, and when she walked closer, she could see the golden stretch of soft sands right below her balcony.

For a moment, Harper was speechless. She slid the glass doors open, breathed in the salty sea breeze kissing her cheeks, and sighed in happiness at the sound of waves crashing against the shore. Then common sense caught up with her. Could it really be that every room in this resort was like this? Eli didn’t somehow give her the presidential suite by mistake, did he?

Or maybe this level of extravagance was simply nothing out of the ordinary for him. He did pick this resort partially because of her stunned reaction at his apartment, after all.

Harper smiled at the recollection of those conversations. Thinking back on it, it made her happy that Eli had paid such close attention to every small thing she said. Perhaps she should take it as another good sign of her chances at winning him back.

Having reminded herself of that goal, she opened up her suitcase and started digging for what she needed. Admiring the beautiful scenery could wait — for now, she had much more important tasks at hand.

An hour later, Harper emerged from the ridiculously oversized shower, changed into a brightly colored floral dress, and worked her hair into a loose braid over one shoulder. She was finishing up with a light dab of makeup when a knock came on the door.

"Harper, your room is hiding in such a secret spot!" Lindsey’s voice came through the entrance. "We had to hike through the entire garden to get here! I bet you’ve got a better ocean view in this corner than everyone else combined."

Wait ... Were everyone else’s rooms in a different section of the resort?

Belatedly, Harper remembered that way back when Eli first told her about the trip, they had joked about a room upgrade so that she could stay right next door to his own suite ... It couldn’t be that he had taken the comment to heart?

Was this extravagant room of hers actually a special arrangement?

"But don’t spend too much time enjoying the royal view," Naomi’s voice came next. "The Luau is about to begin! Come join us commoners."

Harper snapped out of her musings then, calling out a hasty response as she tidied up her last touches. When she stepped out of the door, she made sure to close it quickly behind her so that no one saw just how ridiculously luxurious the space was. It’d be better if her coworkers didn’t get suspicious about the privileged treatment ... and she was trying to come up with some sort of explanation for her room’s separate location when she heard Wallace say, "I’m sure scattering the rooms around is for the benefit of meeting our new partners. I’ll bet the Luau seating is mixed too, so we can all take the opportunity to mingle."

For the first time since that web novel mishap, Harper appreciated Wallace’s presence.

"I like the idea of mingling over hula dances and way too much food," Lindsey said cheerily, and the topic was successfully diverted. "Let’s get going then!"