Chapter 2 WELCOME TO WYNDHAM

LONDON’S POV

Before the woman could respond, a crew member called that we would reach Wyndham by morning. Jade came to my side, her joking expression gone.

The stranger offered me her hand. “Nina Weston.”

I looked at the hand but did not take it.

Nina lowered it without embarrassment. “Forgive me. I thought Julian would have mentioned me.”

“He never mentioned anything,” I said slowly, my voice almost a whisper.

“Perhaps he will now.” She responded.

The yacht cut through the water, carrying us away from New York and toward a place controlled by his family, Someone I had spent years trying not to remember.

Morning arrived, and Wyndham Island came into view. The Hamilton villa stood high above the ocean, its glass walls and pale stone catching the morning light.

Jade pressed both hands to the rail. “I withdraw every bad thing I said about this trip.”

“You said it was possibly illegal,” Tessa reminded her.

“It can be beautiful and illegal.”

Nina stood several feet away, sunglasses hiding her eyes. She had spent the journey telling stories about hidden coves, midnight parties, and a chef named Matteo Rinaldi who could make anyone forgive a broken heart. I had listened without speaking.

Now a man waited at the end of the pier. He wore a dark suit despite the heat, one hand resting lightly on the rail. His hair was shorter than I remembered. His face was harder, more controlled, but the eyes were unchanged.

Julian.

The yacht eased against the dock. I stopped breathing.

Jade looked from Julian to me. “No.”

Julian descended two steps toward us. “Welcome to Wyndham Island. Am Julian Hamilton.”

I heard the words as if from underwater.

Jade moved in front of me. “Absolutely not. Wait!! Jules is actually the Julian Hamilton?

Julian’s expression did not shift. “Jade Morgan.”

“You remember me?”

“I remember everyone who threatened to break my nose.”

“You deserved it.” Jade shot back.

“Probably.”

Tessa grabbed my arm. Isla stood quietly beside me. Julian looked at me over Jade’s shoulder, and for a second, I saw something different in his eyes. I couldn’t tell if it was regret or something else, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

“London,” he said.

“We have nothing to discuss, Julian,” I said, my voice barely carrying over the engine as it died down.

I looked up at the villa. Jade, Isla and Tessa were already looking around the pier, taking everything in. I wanted to turn the boat around. Julian opened his mouth to reply, but a tall man with a severe haircut and a communication earpiece stepped onto the dock.

He tapped his watch and looked at Julian. “Your father is waiting at the main villa.”

Julian swallowed. His face hardened again. He gave me one flat look. “Enjoy your stay, London.”

He turned and got into the back of a black vehicle. It pulled away immediately.

A resort host in a white uniform stepped up, took our bags, and guided us away from the pier toward a golf cart. He drove us to the resort wing and took us straight to the door of our suite. But when he opened the door, a couple was already inside unpacking their bags.

The host looked confused and checked his tablet again. “We’ll need to go down to reception and clear this up,” he said.

By the time we reached the front desk, Tessa and Jade were already losing their patience. Isla looked upset as well.

The staff member behind the desk stared at his screen. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see a reservation under any of your names. The premium ocean suite is currently booked by another party.”

“What do you mean you don’t see it?” Jade asked, leaning over the counter. “We have the confirmation email right here on my phone. Look at the booking number.”

The staff member didn’t even look at the phone. He kept tapping his keyboard.

“The system is showing that this confirmation code is invalid. According to our files, your group isn’t registered to be on the island at all. I can’t issue keys to unlisted guests.”

“That’s a lie!” Tessa shouted, slamming her paperwork on the marble. “We paid for this suite. You can’t just delete our booking and tell us we don’t exist!”

“Is there a problem here?”

A young man walked into the lobby, his linen shirt halfway unbuttoned. He looked strikingly like Julian, but there was something much more relaxed about him.

The staff member bowed his head immediately. “Mr. Charles. The guests are disputing their lodging assignment.”

Charles Hamilton looked at the four of us, his eyes stopping on Jade’s pink hair.

He smiled. “I apologize for the inconvenience, ladies. There might have been a mistake with the booking on our end. It’s entirely our fault.”

He walked out from behind the desk, ignoring the clerk.

“Don’t mind our security team. They make everything feel like a lockdown,” Charles said, gesturing for a porter to grab our bags. “We can’t have our guests arguing at the desk. Follow me. I’ll take you girls, to our family’s private wing of the villa. We have plenty of empty luxury suites over there.”

We followed him to the main family villa.

The suite he unlocked for us was massive, but knowing Julian was somewhere in the same building made me uncomfortable.

Charles stood by the door, leaning against the frame as we dropped our bags.

“I know the first impression wasn’t great,” Charles said, smiling at us. “But I’d really love to invite you to our welcome party tonight. We throw very wild parties.

He gave Jade one last look before closing the doors behind him.

The doors clicked shut.

Jade immediately dropped onto the edge of the king sized bed and threw her head back onto the pillows.

“Okay, Charles is officially my favourite Hamilton,” she said, staring up at the ceiling. “He is gorgeous, and he actually knows how to treat guests.”

“He’s a Hamilton, Jade,” I said, walking over to the window. “They all hide things. You saw how the guy at the desk acted. We weren’t even registered in their system.”

Tessa tossed her canvas bag onto a chair.

“London is right. The clerk looked at us like we were trespassers. But honestly? Right now, I don’t care. We have a roof over our heads, and it’s nicer than our entire apartment in Queens.”

“Isla, what do you think?” I turned around.

Isla was standing near the luggage rack, unzipping her small backpack. She wouldn’t look up. “I think we should just stay in the room tonight. We don’t need to go to a wild party.”

“Are you kidding?” Jade sat up quickly. “We are absolutely going. London just got fired, we just survived a horrific encounter with her ghosting ex, and we have a VIP invite to a billionaire’s private party. We are getting dressed, we are drinking their expensive alcohol, and we are going to forget New York exists.”

Tessa looked at me, waiting for my reaction. If I stayed in this room, I’d spend the whole night staring at the walls and thinking about Julian.

“Jade is right,” I said softly. “Let’s get dressed.”